CITY COUNCIL REMAINS FIRM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18890, 15 October 1929, Page 14

CITY COUNCIL REMAINS FIRM.

MOVE TO RESCIND DANCE HALL MOTION DEFEATED BY 12 TO 4.

By twelve votes to four the City Council, at its meeting last night, refused to rescind the resolution it had passed at the previous meeting fixing the time of clokng certain dance halls at 11.30 p.m. on Saturdays.

In pursuance of notice Councillor A. E. Armstrong submitted the following motion:—“That the resolution adopting Clause 6 of the By-laws, Finance and Departmental Committee’s report of September 30, relating to the time of closing dance halls, be rescinded and that no restriction as to time of closing, either on Saturdays ot other nights, be placed upon dance halls.”

The Mayor, the Rev J. K. Archer, said that the notice of motion raised a much bigger issue than that of closing the dance halls at 11.30 p.m. He asked if Councillor Armstrong seriously intended that all restrictions should be removed.

Councillor Armstrong said that he proposed that dance halls should be permitted to be open until midnight on Saturdays, and that there should be no restrictions on other nights. The Mayor said that there were no restrictions on ordinary week nights and the law did not allow dance halls to be kept open later than midnight on Saturdays. All that was necessary in the notice of motion was to provide that the previous decision of the council be rescinded.

Councillor Armstrong agreed to this course. He considered that the city would be made a laughing stock throughout the Dominion if it restricted dancing hours to 11.30 on Saturday nights. It was a thing unheard of anywhere else in the world. Dance halls in Christchurch were quite respectably conducted, and there was no justification, he contended, for making them close at 11.30.

WOMAN INSPECTOR SUGGESTED. Councillor Annie Fraer seconded the motion and suggested that an addition providing for the appointment of a woman inspector be made to it. The Mayor said that the proposal made by Councillor Fraer would have to be dealt with as a separate motion.

Councillor T. 11. Butterfield said a big deputation representing the dance hall proprietors and patrons would wait on the council at next meeting. He expressed the hope, that the coun cil would rescind the motion it had passed at the previous meeting. He had visited most of the dance halls in Christchurch and was satisfied that they were well conducted. It should be the duty of the police to see that no unseemly conduct occurred in the streets after dances; the dance hall proprietors could not be blamed for that. Councillor M. E. Lyons moved as an addition to the motion the following words, “ and that the By-laws Committee be instructed to determine the closing hour of each licensed hall from time to time.” That would leave the council with a very powerful weapon which could be used when the occasion demanded. Practically every month the By-laws Committee received complaints regarding the con duct of dances. A COUNCILLOR’S EXPERIENCE. Councillor E. Parlane said he lived quite close to a dance hall concerning which a number of complaints had been received. The conduct of some of the people using the hall was most disgusting. He supported the suggestion made by Councillor Lyons. Councillor E. 11. Andrews seconded Councillor Lyons’s amendment. He said it seemed to him that there was very little in the half-hour business; it was no good to the residents and it was onlv an annovance to the dancers The Mayor said that, in the opinion of the Town Clerk, conditions could only be imposed when the license was granted. Councillor Andrews said that the matter could be held over until the licenses were renewed. “ It is this sort of thing that brings the council into contempt,” said the Mayor. “At the last meeting the council was almost unanimous on this question, but because the editors of the newspapers laughed at us we just get down and crawl to them.” He hoped that the council would have the grit to do what it did two weeks ago. There was no election coming for some time, so there was no need to worry on that score. (Laughter.) Councillor Armstrong had mentioned the Art Gallery, but he did not know anything about it. What had happened there was an abomination, and was as big a nuisance to that district as the fire-bug was to Christchurch. One of the dance proprietors had defied the council since its recent decision by keeping his premises open until midnight. Councillors were taking heed of newspaper agitations. The speaker’s axiom was to think before he acted, and when he acted not to think again. A point of order was raised by Councillor H. T. J. Thacker, who said that the rules of the council stated that no new business should be taken after 10.30 p.m. Councillor Armstrong’s motion was defeated, the mover and Councillors Butterfield, Fraer and Williamson voting for it. DEPUTATION FOR NEXT MEETING. A letter was received from Messrs R. M. Macfarlane and R. H. Stillwell asking if the council would receive a deputation of citizens who wished to make representations regarding the proposal to close dance halls at 11.30 pun. On the motion of the Mayor, it was decided to receive the deputation at the next meeting.