§ Mr. SUTTONasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the complaints of the men at the front on account of their letters that are sent by their wives and children being opened by the Censor; and will he put a stop to this practice in the future, as the men resent it?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONI am glad that my hon. Friend has given me the opportunity of removing a false impression. It is not, and never has been, the practice to censor letters addressed to men at the front from this country, though such letters are, and must remain, liable to censorship. It is necessary in the interest of the safety of the troops to make an occasional examination, in order to guard against the possibility of enemy agents being employed 1201W among the forces in the field, or of enemy propaganda designed to undermine the moral of the fighting forces being enclosed in the mails. One such examination was instituted during the month of January, and led to some resentment on the part of the men, who imagined that the censorship was intended for other purposes. It was discontinued more than six weeks ago.