NOT PERMITTED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 936, 5 December 1933, Page 4

NOT PERMITTED.

Pictures on Christmas ; Day. CITY COUNCIL'S DECISION. j No motion pictures will lie screened ! in any Christchurch theatre on Christ- j mas Day, according to a decision ar-! rived at b3* the City Council last ! evening. A motion that suitable programmes \ should be permitted on the evening of Christmas Day was lost by nine j votes to eight, and a proposal for both afternoon and evening sessions was more heavily defeated. The By-laws Committee reported that applications for permission to screen pictures at the following theatres on Christmas afternoon and evening had been received: Regent, Majestic, Crystal Palace, Liberty, Everybody’s, Grand. Civic, Theatre Royal and Plaza. The committee recommended that permission be given for the screening of pictures at the evening session only. Granting of permission for sessions on the afternoon of Christmas Day was urged by Councillor F. T. Evans, who said that he had been informed by the manager of Christchurch Cinemas that the employees were willing to work to gain the few extra shillings. That removed the objection taken to the application last year. There were many persons who were “at a loose end ” on Christmas Day and had nowhere to go other than the picture theatres. Case for the Employees. That relief workers and their families should have free access to the theatres in the afternoon was advocated by Councillor 11. T. J. Thacker, whose alternative suggestion was that the whole proceeds should be devoted to providing toys for the children of relief workers. Councillor M. E. Lyons said that employees should not be asked to give up their traditional freedom on that day. The community was coming to a sad pass if there were hundreds of people who saw nothing in the enjoyment of God’s sunshine, but had to coop themselves up in a picture theatre. Councillor E. 11. Andrews said that permission to screen pictures on Christmas Day was granted by the council last year and most of the other centres also granted permission. The argument that it was a “ holy day ” was not accepted very much nowadays, except perhaps in the morning. It was a happy day, a day of jov, and he could not see any harm in allowing the pictures to be open in the evenCouncillor J. Mathison said there was no reason why the proprietors of the theatres should engage their regular ushers to work on Christmas night, as there were plenty of girls available who* could undertake the work. He believed that the people should be allowed to go to the pictures on Christmas Day if they wanted to. Councillor W. Hayward said he would like to know who was to select the programme. He hoped that particular care would be exercised. A Compromise. Councillor J. K. Archer, chairman of the committee, said that the recommendation was in the nature of a compromise. He said he was very surprised at the attitude taken up by some of his Labour colleagues, and he thought they should not be a party to human beings being commercialised. With regard to the programmes, there would be some difficulty, as only a limited supply of pictures was held in Christchurch. He hoped . the council j would reject the recommendation. The motion for the granting of per- j mission for evening sessions was lost by nine votes to eight. The voting was as follows: Ayes (8), Councillors Mathison, Armstrong. Thacker, Evans, Milliken, Hayward, Beanland and E. H. Andrews. Noes (9), the Mayor and Councillors Archer. M’Combs, Butterfield, Barnett, Thurston, Howard, Lyons and T. Andrews. Subsequently, Councillor 11. T. J. Thacker gave notice of motion to have the resolution rescinded at the next meeting.