2090 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE No. 81

No. 553
Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by the Comptroller of Customs for a decision in respect of the book Variations in Modern Marital Behaviour by John F. Trimble, PH.D., published by Venice Publishing Corporation, California.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the importer. No submissions were made.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THIS is a book purporting to deal objectively and helpfully with marital practices. Its author is described as a well-known marriage counsellor in Washington and much of the writing is responsible enough. There is, as so often in such books, a wealth of case histories reported in great detail, often with insufficient commentary. In addition, there is in this book a lack of balance in that the variations seem to be largely anal, bestial, and group activity. It could be interpreted as approving and encouraging forms of behaviour not at present acceptable here to law or to society. Dr Trimble has already written a bestseller on The Group Sex Scene and this popularising of his specialist knowledge may lead him to recount the more lurid and bizarre stories. Premature reading of such could well have a corrupting influence on those without sufficient experience to provide the necessary perspective.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

27 September 1972.

No. 554
Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by the Comptroller of Customs for a decision in respect of the book My Love Life by Frank Harris, published by Boone Enterprise, France.

There was no appearance of the applicant nor of the publisher’s representative in New Zealand. Accordingly no submissions were made.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

IN 1967 (decision 50) the Tribunal considered the five-volume My Life and Loves by Frank Harris and classified it as not indecent. The content of this present book (published in Nice in 1931) is similar. Harris is the same shrewd enterprising Don Juan with the same literary and political connections; beside his sentimental reminiscences he gives some picture of the society of the time, especially in its literary and political aspects. The main preoccupation of the author is his sexual exploits but although these are frank and repetitive they do not exhibit cruelty or perversion, and the tone in which they are recounted is never objectionable.

The Tribunal classifies this book as not indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

27 September 1972.

No. 555
Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by the Comptroller of Customs for a decision in respect of the book The Sons of Priapus by Krystofalus Voyager, published by Greenleaf Classics Incorporated, California.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the importer. No submissions were made.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THE worship of every phallic pleasure through the brotherhood of Priapus, the Greek god of fertility, is the nub of this modern novel. The settings are in Rome and the islands of Greece and as the title suggests, the practice of homosexuality is the chief occupation of the characters. Their perverted and depraved practices are described in detail and it is not in the interest of the public to allow this book to be available for general reading.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

27 September 1972.

No. 556
Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by the Comptroller of Customs for a decision in respect of the book The Alphabet of Copulation, anonymous, published by Argyle Books, Los Angeles.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the importer and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

SUPPOSEDLY a collector’s piece of rare Victoriana, this publication is in text and illustration an ugly, perverted, and debased treatment of sex. It has no redeeming feature.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

27 September 1972.

No. 557
Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by the Comptroller of Customs for a decision in respect of the book Love in the Open Air by Tuppy Owens, published by Cand Haven Ltd., London.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the importer and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THIS is an illustrated account of the uses of fences, stone walls, metal roads, tree trunks, drinking troughs, and car bonnets in achieving sexual enjoyment. There are captions, most of them cheaply facetious and some bearing little relevance to the photographs. This volume is labelled I. Spring and is part of a four-season series devised by a zoology graduate. It is a silly book in poor taste and is unsuitable for display to children but is unlikely to have a corrupting influence on adults.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent in the hands of persons under the age of 18 years.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

27 September 1972.

No. 558
Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by the Secretary for Justice for a decision in respect of the book Sweet Humiliation by Christel and Dusky Flesh by Francoise Noule, published by Montmartre Press, Los Angeles.

Mr Moody appeared on behalf of the applicant. There was no appearance of the publisher’s representative in New Zealand. No submissions were made.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

Sweet Humiliation by Christel and Dusky Flesh by Francoise Noule, published by Montmartre Press, are contained in a paperback book and, according to the cover, are “translated from the privately printed French edition” and “for entertainment of adults only sale to minors prohibited”.

Both stories recount sexual activities of a perverted and degrading nature. There is no literary or social merit and they have not been written with any honesty of purpose.

The Tribunal classifies this book as indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

27 September 1972.

No. 559
Decision of the Indecent Publications Tribunal

IN the matter of the Indecent Publications Act 1963, and in the matter of an application by the Comptroller of Customs for a decision in respect of the book Erotiek Inbeeld Heterosexualiteit, anonymous, published by Aquarius Amsterdam, Holland.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the importer and made submissions.