NO PICTURES FOR A YEAR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20150, 19 May 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

NO PICTURES FOR A YEAR

NEWCASTLE LAD AND A MAGISTRATE. “Fantastic and silly” is how Mr. W. J. Howe, president of the Australian Federated Picture Association described the action of a Newcastle magistrate who ordered a lad. not to go to the “movies’’ for 12 months. Picture theatre owners in New ►South Wales are up in arms anr.l have requested Mr. J. R. Lee, Minister of Justice, to inquire into the magistrate’s action.-.. “Members of the association are justly incensed,” sairl .Mr Howe. “Tliis is a gross interference with parental control, and unless cheeked may lead to serious abuse of judicial tribunals. Apparently the Newcastle magistrate has not read the recent report of the Royal Commission on Films, which was tabled at the Federal Parliament recently. This commission for over 12 months examiner! the whole posiiion, and it inquire,-! into the allegations that films created juvenile crime. The Royal Uomii'.is’ion’s definite finding in this respect is:— The relationship between the film and juvenile crime has been exhaustively inquired into. Having in mind the enormous annual attendance of children at picture shows, and the large number of films which they view, the offences of children which can be directly traced to the cinema are negligible. ” “In addition,” said Mr. Howe, ‘ ‘ Dr. Charles Player, who has been associated with the Children’s Court for .17 years, told the commission that the alleged evil effects of the films on children had been very much exaggorKccps Lads off the Street. “The Council of Churches in Great Britain held a Royal Commission inro films. The Bishop of Manchester was chairman. In regard to juvenile crime this commission found that the whole weight of evidence showed that the motion picture theatre had gravely rcilucivl juvenile crime, by reason of the fact that it kept growing lads off the My association is lodging the strongest possible protest with the Minister of Justice. Mr. J. R . Lee. and wc are hopeful that instructions may be issued to magistrates to administer the law as they find it. and not to create fantastic silly penalties such as imposed at. Newcastle.” Refusing to comment- upon th<‘ ununusual nature of the “sentence.’’ Mr Lee stated that he ha.l called for a full report from the magistrate concerned.