A MUNICIPAL THEATRE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8377, 25 July 1905, Page 3

A MUNICIPAL THEATRE.

THE MAYOR'S PROPOSALS

There .seems to be a strong feeling among all classes of citizens in favour of the Mayor's proposal to erect a municipal theatre in Christ-church. The remarks made by him at the meeting of the City Council last evening have been received with marked approval. He expressed an opinion that the time had come when, unless the proprietors of tho Theatre Royal gave the City Council an assurance tliafc a new building would bo erected, the Council should consider the question of erecting a theatre of its own, and he pointed to several towns ia New Zealand where municipal enterprise in this direction has very successful. The opinion among citizens, apparently, is that Canterbury Hall, although it is a splendid building and one of the city's architectural ornaments, does not meet the requirements of tho modern dramatic entertainment. It is thought that if the city had absolute control, it would have no difficulty in having things .done exactly as it desired, without having to approach either leesee or licensee an<l threaten proceedings before urgent matters were" attended to. The proprietors of the Theatre Royal -have not yet considered the Mayor's warning, but it is likely that they will meet in a few days' time to do so. On their side of the question, it has been pointed out that the By-laws Committee is a " movable body." Men who are members of it to-day may not even be in the Council tomorrow. One set of men may have ideas that are not endorsed by another set, and endless alterations, which will absorb much money, may be demanded.

Councillor , Hurst Seager has specially studied the construction of theatres and other places of entertainment. He is in favour of a municipal theatre, and he says that it cannot be too firmly insisted upon that the problem in designing the new theatre would not be to design a building in such a way that an audience ' might leave it without discomfort under ordinary circumstances, but to design one which shall be free from danger in times of panic, arising from alarm of fire, from earthquakes, or any other causes. To do away as far as possible with any grounds for fear from fire, the whole building should be built of fir^resisting materials, wherever practicable, and such inflammable materials as a.re necessary should be treated with fire-resisting liquids. Asbestos paint should bo used throughout, for both the structure and the scenery. In that way, he cays, the fear from fir© can be reduced to a m&imuni, but it cannot be repeated too often that the danger to life lies not in the fire, but in the impossibility, under the present methods of construction, of the Audience running away from the fire.