ssed there in 1949 prohibiting such
comics.

"Even before the passing of last year's Act none of the comics on
sale in New Zealand was as bad as the worst American or English
examples. At the same time some of them were most objectionable.
Since action has been taken here and in Australia the standard of
comics distributed in New Zealand appears to have improved
considerably. That is not to say that they are all free from
objection, and there are a number of crime comics which we do not
think should be allowed to go on circulating. Indeed, we think that
this country can well do without the crime comic altogether.
Recently objection was taken to some forty comics, and we are
waiting advice from the distributors as to their attitude. Later in
this report we shall refer to further proposals for dealing with
comics.

(_b_) _Crime Stories_: "The second class of publications referred
to comprises publications usually known as 'thrillers'. These books
are quite different from the ordinary detective novel and from the
more traditional type of thriller. Many examples of this new type
of gangster thriller have been flooding the New Zealand market in
the form of paper-backs selling at 2s. 6d. or less. They are
entirely devoid of literary or other merit and are devoted to the
wanton depiction in gross detail of brutality, violence, and sex.

"These publications and a number of so-called detective magazines
which imitate them may perhaps be regarded as the adolescent
equivalent of the crime comic, and we believe them to be equally
harmful. Action against them will, we think, no more infringe the
principle of freedom of speech than action against narcotics
infringes the principle of free enterprise in the economic sphere.

"Action against these publications was taken some time ago, and
some of the results of this action have appeared from recent
reports in the press. As an illustration of what has been done we
advised the Associated Booksellers that you considered all the
novels of Mickey Spillane to be indecent and that you were prepared
to prosecute in respect of them. The booksellers agreed with this
opinion and recommended their members not to stock these books. We
think it significant that these books, which were agreed to be
objectionable, were being sold by many reputable books