486
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
No. 21

No. 617
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 Boys are Boys Again II published by Book Adventures, England.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the publishers’ representative in New Zealand and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THIS is a book of photographs taken by the well-known youth leader Hajo Ortil. The book would retail in New Zealand at approximately $12 and is a hardback. The pictures are of nude German boys who, according to Ortil, take nudity as a matter of course, whether in the open air, in a studio, or in the gymnasium. There is an introduction to the book but no other text. The book is similar to Sons of the Sun which the Tribunal classified as not indecent in decision No. 188. The Tribunal feels that the poses of the boys in many cases are contrived, which tends to bring into question the honesty of the purpose of the book, but there is nothing harmfully suggestive in the book and the Tribunal can see no reason for the imposition of a restriction.

The Tribunal classifies this book as not indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

5 March 1973.

No. 618–620
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 magazines Boys International, 1, 2, and 3, published by S. and H. Publications, England.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the publishers’ representative in New Zealand and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THESE magazines are described as journals for nudist youth. The author and photographer is Haja Ortil. The content of each magazine is a short story, a semi-serious article, and photographs both coloured and black-and-white of nude boys of all shapes and sizes. Most of the photographs, and there are many, are taken front on so that the emphasis, and perhaps an over-emphasis, is on the display of the penis. On the whole the photographs are naturally posed and there is no suggestion of indecent postures. In Volume 1 the semi-serious article is entitled “That myth of black sexual power”, in Volume 2, “Love Life in the Pacific”, in Volume 3, “Phallic Cults”. The title of these magazines implies that they are designed for the younger reader and one questions the integrity of the author when he includes such articles in a magazine of this kind.

However, considering the magazines as a whole it cannot be said that they are indecent within the meaning of the Act and it is questionable whether a restriction is necessary or would be of any advantage.

The Tribunal classifies these magazines as not indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

5 March 1973.

No. 621
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 Fanny Hill’s Cook Book by L. H. Braun and William Adams, published by the Odyssey Press, London.

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

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THIS is an attractively produced book of 138 pages and 70 recipes. It is obviously intended to excite and provoke the satisfaction of appetites that are not exclusively alimentary. The idea it uses is not new and it is not the culinary art that is its central theme. In fact it seems more appropriate for the bedroom shelf than the kitchen.

The recipes are named, introduced, and, in some cases, prescribed, with varying degrees of suggestiveness. The line drawings intended to illustrate the text are almost all of the nude female figure in a variety of poses and while many are provocative they could not be classed as pornographic.

Although the double-talk in the recipes is sophisticated, sometimes amusing, and often coarse and vulgar, it is not, in our judgment, likely to corrupt. The recipes themselves appear genuine and we see no grounds for restricting the availability of this book to mature readers. While it is not a book which one would deliberately wish to place in the hands of young adolescents, we cannot see it doing harm to those of an age to understand it.

The Tribunal classifies this book as not indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

5 March 1973.

No. 622
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 Sex Book by Martin Goldstein and E. J. Haebrle, published by Herder and Herder Inc., New York.

There was no appearance of the applicant. Mr Campbell appeared on behalf of the publishers’ representative in New Zealand and made submissions.

DECISION OF THE TRIBUNAL

THIS publication, which we were told would retail in New Zealand at around $11, has been described as a show-and-tell encyclopaedia of sex. The text is objective and explicit. It does of course identify and define terms relating to sexual activities which are not socially or legally acceptable in New Zealand, but it does so in an informative, unemotional, and restrained manner which makes it comprehensive without any suggestion of obscenity.

The emphasis of a few of the illustrations, however, may, in the New Zealand setting, appear to go beyond the purpose of the book. These few illustrations, looked at out of the context in which they appear, might be judged indecent, and if set out on public display would undoubtedly offend. This factor led us to consider whether some age restriction was desirable, but we have decided against this. Similar illustrations can be seen in some medical works, and looked at as a whole the book cannot be judged as likely to corrupt.

The Tribunal classifies this book as not indecent.

R. S. V. SIMPSON, Chairman.

5 March 1973.

The Standards Act 1965—Amendment of Standard Specification

PURSUANT to section 23 of the Standards Act 1965, the Standards Council, on 23 February 1973, amended the under-mentioned standard specification by the incorporation of the amendment shown hereunder:

Number, Title, and Price of Standard Specification
Amendment Number

NZS 7331: 1971 (BS 1552: 1967) Control plug cocks for low pressure gases. $3.40 …… …… B

NOTE—This amendment is with the printers. Copies of the standard specification so amended may be ordered from the Standards Association of New Zealand, World Trade Center, 15–23 Sturdee Street (or Private Bag), Wellington 1. An additional 20c service charge is made on all mail orders.

Copies of the amendment will be supplied, free of charge, upon request.

Dated at Wellington this 7th day of March 1973.

G. H. EDWARDS, Director,
Standards Association of New Zealand.

(S.A. 1–114/2/3: 712)

The Standards Act 1965—New Zealand Standard Recommendation Revoked

PURSUANT to the Standards Act 1965, the Standards Council, on 23 February 1973, revoked the under-mentioned standard recommendation: