The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-07-19

minds of -Engtishmen as itsis from the
MINDS OF Americans. The bureau had
to grow, like Topsy.
1t was first housed in the si~ngular!y
unsuitable building next door to the
admiralty, but rot long afterward was
moved to its present. home in.tlse Royal
hall.
tsnued, the censorship OF kilograms
and cables was Ion at the central tele-
graph office by staff@collected for
the purpose under the direction of q
military officer called thesehief cable
censor; but 1t was found highly incon-s
VenHent that the censorship of press
kilograms andgcables should be outside
the press bureau, which, deal with the
whole British press.
SO. as early as October 25. 1914, the
cable censorship was moved to the
press bureau n it has remained there
ever since The bureau now controls
and Tor q long time has controlled all
press sabiegram n all matter sub
united for censorship before publica-
tlor. including photographs. So care
fufly are the sources of such material,
including. the American correspond
ents. working with the press bureau
IN these days that its operation has be-
come almost automatic.
Sending News Abroad.
NdSSSdSSS lOE CdDle CFaHSIillSSfOTl "
America are filed in the cable offices,
as usual. From there thy are ser to
the press bureau by pneumatic
and here they are dealt with at high
speed. They are read and passed Gun
less something in their own contents
holds them up) in a few minutes. No
avoidab1e delays are tolerated. The staff
is on duty day and night. Even when the
material in q message is of a nature to
require its reference to some outside
authority every effort is made to avoid
any serious r~etarGation of the message.
Speaking generally, it is only when
some occasion, such as a zeppelin raid
in the London district, increases the
natural rivalry among foreign CORE.
Espondents that they have submitted
messages which plainly, according to
our regulations, ought not to be passed
ingly I suppose the writer's hope that
their reports MAY get through by
chance. and / must admitathat in a few
instances this has happened.
The result of the accidental passage
of a message which ought not to have
gone though is criticism of the Incl.
dent, not SO much by the authorities
as demonstrations correspondents who
have been left behind by less careful
rivals.
I'VE in the censorship think it rather
untind of a correspondent eve to try
~ ~ u oet1Sai 81 VIVA AAi
force of overstrained men at 2 or 3 in
the morning when the rush is on, but
where newspaper competition is con-
cerned it is wise to expect only what is
likely to happen.
The requirements of the British CEN
sorship are as reasonable as we have
known how to make them. That there
hoal have been at first fierce COM
plants against the restrictions is not
astonishing. Mistakes and reasonable
delays could not be made in a day.
Those who have been through the
press bureau and have seen its actual
machinery and working are surprised
that real grounds OF complaint are SO
coRlparatiyeiy few. We fell that we
must do all that is reasonable to fa-
3eiitate the work of the press, for we
fully realize the Importance of the
press to the, conduct of the war.
Voluntary canasrehip.
BESIDES the cables anG kilograms.
which are extremely important because
they tel the story of the war to the
outside world, the press censorship has
another VERY essential branch which
with press r1aterial. for the news
rapers OF the United Kingdom. Per-
llaps our plan with regard to this es-
pecially Will interest American news
apers. =
Il s&3saeaars thing to understand in his
connection, and one. which is not even
yet appreeeiated by the people Of this
country, is that the submission Of ma
terra! by the British press to the press
bureau is purely voluntary. No one
seems to believe this. Their are even
departments of the government which
hin that we Of the press burau can
prevent the publication of newspaper
statements, whereas we have not the
slightest control over anything unless
the material is. submitted for censor
shin by those responsible for the jour
nal in twhich-it is to be published.
Immediately after h outbreak of
the war an arrangement was made ac-
cording to which the British press
undertook to conform TO reasonable
rules of censorship, and the government
is quite willing to leave the whole
thing on a voluntary basis. An editor
may publish what he pleases without
referring in advance to the press bur
eau. If what lie publishes is d viola-
ton of the defense of the realm resl-
lations or of any other Legislative act
the publisher must, of course, take the
g consequences: With that the
press bureau a nothing whatever to
do. It is the publishers affair and that
of the law officers Of the crown.
SO locally the press bureau really
is an office designed for the purpose
OF helping the British press TO conform
before publication refer their matter to
it. If the press bureau passes an ar
ticle an editor may feel certain that it
can be published without danger to
5I1iraself. S48
The regulations under the defense
of the realmaact which especially con-
concern us are three in number. Speak
ing from a newspaper point of view
they cover an immense amount of
ground. Every neWspaper editor and
every person on a newspapers staff
should Know them be yeart, but our ex-
perience shows us that most of them
do not.
In ordersto be as helpful as possible
the press bureau from tinne to time.
since the beginning of i i existence.
has issued instructions with regard to
matter which should not be published
or which editors for their own protec-