Bisbee daily review., 1916-05-30
BRIT ANS CENSOR
 BUREAU IS PRAISED
 BY VON BERNSTORFF
'1n Efficiency and Imaginative Powers It Beats the World' Says German. Reasons Is Given for Censorship.

LONDON, May 27.-(Correspon- dence of The Associated Press) - With the war not far from completion of it's escond year, the American news paper correspondents in London have become so accustomed to working un- der the haIdicaps of a censorship that there is now comparatively little fric- tion between the men who would send the news and those who would stop it. Although there are occasional stoppages that are past understand ing. correspondents generally have learned the limitations under which they can disteminate news from bel ligerent country and the censors have at the same time generally become more reasonable.
 In an interview with Sir Edward T. Cook who, with Sir Frank A. Swetten- ham, directs the Press Bureau, a cor respondent of The Associated Press has been given an exposition of the principles under which the handling of news, both for the foreign and Brit ish papers, is administered under war conditions.
 Sir Edward is best known in jour nalism as the former editor of the Daily News, and since his retirement from that position he has devoted himself to literary labors. He has edited John Ruskins works and was Ruskin's biographer, making. many i'm portant contributions to English liter ature, and since the war began he has published a life of Delane, the fla nous editor of The Times
 In beginning his exposition, Sir Ed ward told the correspondent that the Press Bureau never censors articles or telegrams criticizing the censorship He urged the correspondents not to speak "too much good of the censor sorship.
 'I don't suppose you are likely to do so," he said, but it would really be terrible blow if you did. The enter prising newspaper or news agency and an efficient censorship are natural enemies, and if the day should ever come when the newspapers, British and neutral, conspired to praise the Press Bureau, it would be a catastro- phe for one or other of us; it would mean that either the journalists had lost their go or that our censors here had been neglecting their duty"
 Sir Edward declared the only "bou- quet" thus far laid at the feet of the cenSors came unintentionally from Count von Bernstorif, Germany's Am bassador to the United States, when the Ambassador described the British Bureau as one which ''in it's efficiency and imaginative powers has never had it's equal in the history of the world
 That" declared Sir Edward is prob ably higher praise than We deserve, bat l think it is pretty good evidence that we have prevented some things which the enemy would have liked and done other things which he has dis liked. That is a real compliment, for the Press Bureau is war depart ment"
 Sir Edvfrd pointed to the British Governments notification upon the outbreak of the war that the telegra- phic and radio services throughout the Empire would be suspended, and he emphasized the phrase contained in this notification that the government would under certain conditions per nit the transmission of some messa- ges ''as a nact of grace"
 Few Messages Delayed.
 'I sometimes wonder" he went on, whether it is realized that nsitead of regarding every instance of stop ped cable as an act of wrong, you ought, by the letter of the law, to re cognize every passed cable as an act of grace * * * The number of mes sages which We stop, delay or other