PICTURE MANAGER FINED.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18144, 9 July 1919, Page 6

PICTURE MANAGER FINED.

CHARGE OF EXHIBITING INDECENT PICTURE. [Per Presi Association.] AUCKLAND, July 8. Judgment was given to-day by Mf Wilson, S-M., in the case in which Robert Cleiand, manager of the National Theatre, was charged with having publicly exhibited an indecent picture. The picture in question was a photogravure exhibited! as a poster in the vestibule of the theatre advertising attractions of the film picture “Oueen of the Sea.” His Worship titated that he must! find that the vestibule was part of the . theatre and, therefore, a public place within the meaning of the Indecent Publications Act under which tho charge was laid. He further considered on the facts that one of the figures in the poster gave the impression of being tka.t of a nude woman and, in his opinion, its exhibition under the circumstances stated had a mischievous tendency and made the picture an indecent one. He accepted the statement of defendant that the photogravure was an actual reproduction of part of the film which had the unqualified approval of the censor. Defendant stated that when the picture was shown on the screen certain shades appeared which were not discernible on the photogravure. It seemed to be purely a matter of shading, but nevertheless the result in the photogravure did not meet the requirements of the Act. The management of the theatre should have recognised that the poster was one it would be better not to exhibit as they did, although in the screen picture there might be nothing to which exceptiou might be taken. Defendant would bo convicted and fined £2.

Mr Skelton, for defendant, remarked that probably there would he an appeal on both law and fact. He ask-’d his Worship to increase the fine sufficiently to enable that to be done. The Magistrate acceded to the request and raised the fine to £5 Is, with 3s costs. He also fixed security for appeal at ten guineas in addition tc the amount of fine and costs.