THIRD EDITION FIRE DANGER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17174, 3 February 1930, Page 11

THIRD EDITION FIRE DANGER

THEATRE OVERCROWDED The imrwrtaheo 6f Having all aisles and exits free in view of the pos- ; sibility of a. panic was strongly emphasised by Mk P. H. Harper, S.M., in imposing a fine of £2 on Eobert 1 James Kerridgc on a charge of over- . crowding a picture theatre of which Iho waa prapr*etor. The defendant . was proceeded against fejr the fixe* brigade superintendent on a charge that being the occupier of a theatre within the Gisborne fire district he did use the building for public amusement without providing it with sufficient I safeguards in case of ftse, by permitting the passages and aisles to be blocked by persons standing and siftting. Mr. G-. I. Parker prosecuted on behalf of the superintendent, and Mr. G. J. Jeune appeared for the defen- :. dant, who ttta&d not "guilty. John W«3on Kane, superintendent of the Gisborne Fire Brigade, stated , that he ha& dSected Mr. KorridgO' . that he was not to overcrowd the " theatre or aHow people to stand in V the aisled o» psss«g<?-wnys or stand or sit oh the stairs. Witness had warned him on thm* occasions in December. bu,t oo January 11 h* i : ound 22 ".people sitting on the staics in the dress eircle Ht the afternoon session. That -evening there were 10 or 12 people sitting in t»ha centre adslte> in the circle, ta ,the afternoon witness ■ had warned Mr. Kerridgc that, ho would have to make a ease of it, but the people were aUawed to remain on ' "<kr .stairs. :•':• jßtr. Jeune asked that Ike information should be dismissed' on the ground thai it had sot been proved; that there was a fire district m ©isborno, awl secondly that the information disclosed no breach- of section 72 of the Fire ; Brigades' Act, assuming, that the Act. applied here. The prosecution had proved something entirely foreign to the infonnatioii. Mr. Parker said this was not the : first time on which the superintendent : had.been instructed to take procceuings against the samo defendant, and he had: &«ej| c<ptvac§ted! ia 2926, so that *'the* court had had ample notification of the existence of the fire district. The magistrate said the court could take judicial notice-of the district from-the faet that previous proceed- * Zings had ftaoii tafcfify. I* respect to, Mr. Jeuhe'b second contention, the fact that soctioa 72 of the Acjt covered the information remedied any ambiguity that would otherwise have ■.-'existed.

: • Mr. Parker said the supmntendent was not pressing for a heavy penalty, and Merely wished to warn the defendant. Mr. Jeune explained that the superintendent had previously allowed six people to occupy the aisles at the back of the circle on occasions when conn'd try patrons could not obtain other ac- j eommodation. The setting of tickets ■ was discontinued at 1.30 that day, but n party of country people came in and ; " they were allowed to sit in tho ( western aisle in a place to which no ‘ one would make in case of fire. The theatre was licensed to hold 1000 j people,, had the certified ticket sales ; for that afternoon showed that thcro j were 916 persons in the theatre. ; , 3ho magistrate said the complaint 1 0T connection: with the evening action was not as bad as that relating to the afternoon session, when ■ there were 22 people on the stairs. ■ “FortuahteKy ’ continued Mr. Harper, “this country has had no serious disaster in its theatres, bat only recently a very terrible one occurred in the Old Country, when m alarm was given, resulting in great loss of lire. This shows that the supervision in New Zealand is v<?rs efficient,, but oao never a serious panic may occur, and it is of the greatest importance that all aisles and exits should bo kept free fn case of emerg-, eney. In this case, the theatre appears to have been well conducted in tho past, and in. view of that and- of • the fact that the prosecution is brought as <i warning, the defendant will bo convicted and fined £2 and. Co6tß. M *