SUNDAY CINEMAS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 222, 20 August 1931, Page 12

SUNDAY CINEMAS.

COMMON INFORMER’S SUIT. Miss Millie Or pen, formerly Miss Millie Oppenheim, was awarded iouuu damages in her claim as a ‘common informer” against the Hay market Capitol Theatre. Her action against the directors was dismissed. Mr Justice Rowlatt said that the Court’s duty was simply to enforce the Act of Parliament, not to be perverse by evading the Act, if no such way out really existed. The defendant company was granted a stay of execution. , The Cinematograph 1 Exhibitors Association points out that a Sunday Performances Bill, which is now being discussed in Parliament, contains a clause eliminating any damages secured for such an action. Accordingly, the case is an additional reason for the bill to-become law, as soon as possible. It adds that an application is also being made to the Home Secretary, who has power to remit the penalty. Penalties amounting to, £25,000 were claimed by Miss Orpen, under the Lord’s Day Observance Act, 1781, in connection with Sunday evenings of the cintma. Her case was that the Act provided that a house of amusement opened on Sunday for paid admission was a disorderly house, the conductor of which was liable to pay £IOO to anybody suing for the sum. The London County Council had allowed cinemas to open on Sundays, if parts of the proceeds were given to charity, but this was held by the,Appeal Court to be illegal.