"THE HONOR SYSTEM."

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 67, 16 September 1918, Page 2

"THE HONOR SYSTEM."

The first screening of a remarkable play, "The Honor System." took place at the Queen's Theatre on Saturday. It is. a play with a lesson for all countries which are striving to improve their administration in certain respects, and is on a line with some aspects of prison reform which have been adopted 'in New Zealand. The film-tragedy contrasts the old prison system, with its inhuman terrorism, with the modern methods of humanitarianism, which recognise that every convict has a soul. The action is laid in the prisons of Arizona, United States, the Governor of which State placed at the disposal of the Fox Film Corporation every facility for taking the pictures from actual life. The honor system emphasises the fact that harsh and brutal treatment meted out to prisoners never results .in ,their reform. Circumstantial evidence leads to the conviction of an innocent young American inventor, who,' in the play, is known as Joseph Stanton. He "is shown in the first scene engaged in perfecting a wireless invention. The young inventor receives an offer of a position on the Mexican border, and leaves home with many misgivings on the part of his mother, whom he is destined never to see_ again, _ owing to the dreadful fate which awaits him behind prison walls. He is savagely attacked in a border town, and in self-defence strikes and kills a man. Through false evidence he is sentenced to imprisonment for life.' Then follow some scenes contrasting the old prison system with the honor system, showing the/ : advantages of the latter^ Governor Hunt, after viewing the picture, expressed the opinion that "everyone in the United States should see the production," which is certainly a marvellous one. "The Honor System" will be shown at the Queen's for a short season only.