PROTEST AGAINST EARLY CLOSING OF CITY DANCE HALLS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18903, 30 October 1929, Page 5

PROTEST AGAINST EARLY CLOSING OF CITY DANCE HALLS.

PETITION PLACED BEFORE COUNCIL REFERRED TO BY-LAWS COMMITTEE. A request that the decision to enforce the closing of dance halls at 11.30 p.m. on Saturdays be rescinded, or that each dance hall should be treated on its merits, was made to the City Council last night by a deputation of promoters and patrons of dances. Mr R. M. Macfarlane said that the deputation was present at the wish of a large number of the dancers _of Christchurch who had asked during the past few weeks that representations be made to the council regarding its mandatory order for the closing of dance halls on Saturday evenings at 11.30 o'clock. The request of the deputation was twofold. If the council refused to depart from its previous resolution the deputation asked that each hall be treated on its merits. They recognised that it was the duty of the council to see that dance halls were conducted in a decent manner, but they felt that the complaints made to the council concerned the conduct of people outside the halls. It was felt that a stigma had been cast upon a large number of quite respectable people and that in any case the whole should not be made to suffer because of- a few who caused the trouble. A petition had been in circulation for the past five days and had been signed by 1078 dancers and their parents. Had it been in circulation for a fortnight he believed that it would have been possible to obtain ten thousand signatures. A HEALTHY PASTIME. Mr R. H. Stillwell said that if dancing was fundamentally vicious and detrimental to the community it should be abolished as a pastime. But while dances were being conducted in a decent and orderly manner it did not seem right that they should be subject to irksome restrictions. Instead of discouraging this healthy, national pastime, the City Council could, by co-operating with the dancers, eliminate the troubles of which it complained. Councillor A. E. Armstrong asked if the nuisances outside the dance halls were created by people who had been in the halls or who had not been in. Mr Stillwell said that people were frequently attracted to the outside of dance halls and might create a nuis-' ance. lie could assure the council that there was nothing wrong with the conduct of the people inside the halls. The Mayor, the Rev J. K. Archer, assured the deputation that the question of the desirability or otherwise of dancing had never been considered by the council. The only point considered was the question of the conduct of people outside the dance halls. When the deputation had retired, the Mayor said that the council could not carry any motion dealing with the matter that night. The only way the matter could be dealt with again was by notice of motion. Councillor M. E. Lyons moved that the matters raised by the deputation be referred to the B\*-laws Committee for consideration. The motion was seconded by Councillor PI. T. J. Thacker and carried, without discussion. PETITION RECEIVED. Early in the meeting, Councillor T. 11. Butterfield presented a petition signed by 1078 dancers asking the council to lift the 11.30 p.m. restriction or to extend the hour to midnight to such halls as were known to be conducted with due regard to the laws and the social amenities of the city. Councillor Butterfield added that the signatures had been gathered in five days. Two hundred other signatures had been received but had been mislaid. The petition was referred to the Bylaws Committee.