THEATRE PRICES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19104, 13 September 1927, Page 11

THEATRE PRICES.

RESERVED SEAT QUESTION. CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION. In accordance with notice given a month ago, the following motion, which was held over from the last meeting of the City Council, was moved at last night's meeting, by Cr. J. W. Roberts: "That a clause be prepared for insertion in a Bill to be presented to Parliament to give the City T as ' licensing authoritv, the right to demand from amusement houses, particulars of the division of their respective houses and the number of seats jii each division, i.e., stalls, pit, and circle; and that prices of admission shall be advertised for each performance or showing." Cr. Roberts said that it was not his .intention to try to coutrol picture prices, but it was the reserving of seats by the proprietors and then selling them that concerned him. If ♦he Council was a controlling authority it should be able to say that the public should not be exploited. A limit of half an hour before the performance should be instituted. The seats should not be reserved while the performance was on or immediately before it. An inspector should have jiower to challenge a reserved scat.- The numbers of seats reserved were altered at different times,..and the public did not know where they stood. "I'm not up.against the amusement houses in any shape or form," ho added. Cr. Lyons: You have a quaint way of expressing it! Cr. Roberts: I have received letters on the matter, commending mo on taking it up. The picture prices are not advertised at present, and they certainly should be. . The matter should be brought before the Government. Cr. P. W. Sharpc seconded the motion. The picture show, he said, was the working man's amusement, and when a special picture was on, lie was debarred by the price, unless ho took a scat in one of the thre*e front rows. Cr. E. H. Andrews said that one picture theatre authority had assured Mm that all reserves were fixed. But they were altered according to the demand that was likely to take place. Certain reserved ticket's were placed as indicating dcrtaiu prices, and to avoid roping off blocks of scats. On one occasion he had seen quite a large number of seats.available at a shilling, and many of them vecro unoccupied. If that was so in all the theatres, Cr.' Roberts had not ■ made out a very good case. It would be difficult to get the Government to interfere with the matter, he added. Cr. G. Manning agreed with Cr. Andrews that it was a question of supply and demand. But the prices should be advertised, and the people should know what prices they were to be asked, to pay. . The Mayor (Mr J. E-. Archer) said that they could accept the resolution on the understanding that it was_ an .affirmation of the principle of the prices being advertised. Cr. G. R. Hunter said that the picture people could charge whatever they liked, but the point was the reservation of seats. All the Council was asking was that a certain number of seats at certain fixed prices should be allottetl - • x *• * Cr. Roberts: I have no intention of controlling prices, but certain of the picture houses descend to these paltry tricks. . Cr. Andrews: Why,not run a show in our own hall? Cr. Roberts: That is just what has caused me to move, and sooner or later you'll be up against it, as a ring controls the best pictures.. . The Mayor suggested that a re-framed resolution be brought down by the ByLaws Committee, and this was agreed ro. > ' ■