CHANGES TO THEATRE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 995, 11 June 1930, Page 10

CHANGES TO THEATRE

SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR PERMISSION PENALTIES TOTAL £6 12/Alterations that w r ere made to the Alexandra Theatre, Green Lane, without the authorisation of the City Council and Fire Board,, resulted in four charges being made against Amalgamated Theatres, Ltd., at the Magistrate’s Court this morning. The penalties totalled £6 12s. Defendants were charged with altering the seating accommodation in a theatre, seating an excessive number of persons, altering the passage ways, and seating people in a passage way. Mr. Bartleet appeared and entered pleas of guilty. Mr. Mackay, prosecuting, said the Alexandra Theatre was licensed to seat an audience of 495. In April the accommodation had been raised to 654 without the permission of the City Council or the Fire Board. The matter was reported to the City Council, and on May 15 the council decided to close the theatre. A new licence had later been granted after the theatre was made to conform to the requirements of the council ar.d the Fire Board. Mr. Bartleet said his 'clients had paid for their mistake as, when it had been published in an Auckland newspaper that the theatre would be closed, a great deal of the takings was lost. Remarking that he was taking Mr. Bartleet’s point into consideration, Air. W. R. McKean, S.M., imposed fiin€*s of £2 on the charge of altering the passages and 10s on altering the seating accommodation, each fine including 10s costs. Defendants were ordered to pay 10s costs on each of the other two charges and 10s 6d, solicitor’s fee, on each of the four charges.