Story: Censorship

Fear of the 'lady censor', 1917

Fear of the 'lady censor', 1917

This cartoon from the Observer of 7 July 1917 followed calls to appoint a woman censor. Film censorship laws had been introduced in 1916. Morals groups considered censorship too lax and argued that a woman censor would provide greater protection for community values. Some critics of censorship argued that a 'lady censor' would be far too restrictive and would introduce narrow-minded 'petticoat government'.

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference: The New Zealand Observer, 7 July 1917, p. 16

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Peter Clayworth, 'Censorship - History of censorship in New Zealand, 1850s to 1930s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/cartoon/43906/fear-of-the-lady-censor-1917 (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Peter Clayworth, published 22 Oct 2014