MOVING PICTURES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14162, 30 September 1911, Page 3

MOVING PICTURES.

TO TUB EDITOR OP "THB I-RXSS." The letter from Mr Millor, Mayor of Lytteltou, iv your issue ot ifttii iust., proves ciwirJy on what a iiuuay foundation li o lias fouudud his beiiet as to tiio character of moving pictures m general. Newspaper reports as to alleged undesirablo pictures having been presented somewhere- or other at some time or other, "convinced" tho worthy Mayor that there was a something requiring looking after, and tho llaugiora Borough Council's attempt to beat up recruits for its Censorship Crusade probably strengthened ;ind induced him to lend the weight of his official position in support of its puerile proposal. So much for outeide reasons. .Now- for tho personal knowledge upon which the Mayoral judgment was based. "It is a little over twelve months since I hare witnessed the undesirable pictures referred to," writes Mayor. What a humbling confession! Does his Worship's eonscionco not rebuke him for having for nioro than a year hidden his knowledge of tho fact that undesirable pictures werepresented? Why did his zeyl for the public- weal not lead him to protest right away against what ho deemed undesirable- features of the entertainment? It was his duty to liavo protested there and then against anything ho considered i a ? "ncroper nature, and it is only charitable to assume that tho shock hismorM fibre then sustained, rendered him - unable to carry out this duty for O v Or i> a y ? ar ' or » to ho Precise, until , the "fiory cross" roused him lio a sense of his shortcomings I . ■Frankly, tho Lytteltou Borough j Council has sufficient to do if it seee ito its own potato patch being kept in order, without attempting to "queer the pitch" of those who in ©very pos- ; sible way wish to present tho public with cheery, wholesome entertainment, free from all objectionable features. Its record as an administrative body affords small assurance that individually or cbllectivedy, its members ar« specially qualified to pass judgment on outsiders in general, or on thoir fellow burghers in particularj and wo wish to remind them that while as individuals they can think as they please, they must remember .that as representatives of a public of all shades of opinion, they should take a broad and tolerant v-it>w of affairs. We commend this aspect of their duty to. their consideration, assuring them of our belief that their motixes were doubtless of the best, though in tho opinion of many their zeal somewhat outran their discretion. May we say we do not question tho "high qualifications" claimed by Mr Miller for his colleagues, but would humbly auhmit that a little personal knowledge of actual facts would have given them even higher qualifications to judgo as to the proa and cons of tho specific matter under review—moving pictures. The good taste of tho great majority of tho patrons of moving pictures is a reliable guarantee of the character of the films presented, and ho would be a rash and short-sighted entertainer who would run counter to the expressed desire of tho majority by pandering to any questionable taste, and for that reason—if for no other—tho institution of a moving picture censorship, is, we hold, entirely uncalled for.—Yours, etc.. LYTTELTON PICTURES.