DANCE HALLS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20022, 2 September 1930, Page 10

DANCE HALLS.

CITY COUNCIL'S WARNING. UNSEEMLY BEHAVIOUR ALLEGED. A plain warning was issued at last night's meeting of the City Council that certain dance hall proprietors would lose their licenses if the conduct of their dances did not improve. The By-laws Committee reported that the resolution of the Christchurch Presbytery asking the City Council to make the granting of licenses to cabarets and public dancing places subject to the condition that no intoxicating liquor be consumed on the premises had been received. A reply had been sent stating that the Council was doing as much as possible to control the introduction of liquor into public dance halls. Cr. A. E. Armstrong said that it was not good for officials of the Council to go to the newspapers, as one had done recently. They should have some restriction on their officers to ask them not to do so. The dance promoters were doing their best to abolish liquor, but it could not be stopped altogether. The dancers in this City were behaving themselves as well as any others in New Zealand, and it was time the comment stopped.

Council's Determination. Or. E. H. Andrews said the commit* tee was emphatic in its endeavour to stop the talcing of liquor into dance* halls. In spite of what Cr. Armstrong said two or three promoters were in danger of losing their licenses. The Mayor: Hear, hear. There were two instances, Mr Andrews continued, reported just lately, where the conduct was most unseemly, if not obscene, and the Council was not going to tolerate such actions, which meant disturbance to residents neaTby. Some of the promoters seemed to have slipped back, but they might as well understand quite definitely that if such things were likely to continue, then there was nothing for it: the lessees would lose their licenses. The Mayor's Comment. All would agree with Cr. Armstrong in his criticism of the alleged statement made to the newspapers by one of the inspectors, said the Mayor. u anyone desired to make a statement, he should make it through th® Town Clerk. While the City did not want "wowserism," and he did not advocate this, it was just as bad if Councillors came forward merely to whitewash, tie had it on indisputable evidence that during the last two months there had been scenes in the dance balls ® Christchurch which were not merelv, a disgrace to Christchurch, but a disgrace to civilisation. ... The Mayor told how be had been rung up at- 2.30 a.m., and _ asked to inspect a disgraceful scene in one of the City's supper-rooms. A traveller, who had been throughout the world, said that be had never seen a worse sight. The Mayor did not know whether Councillors thought him a. wowser — Cr. Armstrong: I've seen your Worship dancine once or twice.; Cr. Thacker: And I've seen his Worship inhaling the fumes of aloohol. , Mr Archer added that some of the greatest excesses had occurred at what were called private dances in the dance halls. The Council could deal only with the licensees, for they were responsible for the conduct in their halls. A Tattler's Concern. Cr. T. W. Butterfield said he had young girls who attended dances, and enjoyed themselves, but bo had heard that there were one or two dance halls they did not wish to go to. He was in favour of giving the dance halls a "fair spin" if they were conducted properly, but there were one or two which should not be allowed to carry on.