Cinema News and Property Gazette Technical Supplement (1924-1925, 1943, 1946)

May 28, 1925. Supplement to THE CINEMA NEWS AND PROPERTY GAZETTE. Gbe Cinema NEWS AND PROPERTY GAZETTE. The Premier Journal of the Cinematograph Industry. Supplement Published Monthly. Editorial: C. Hartley Davies. Advertisements : H. D. Burr. Technical 80-82, Wardour Street, London, W.l. Grams-" Faddist, Westcent, London." 'Phones-Gerrard 2506, 2507 & 2508. Glasgow Representative: R. B. Holmes, 86, Dundrennao Road, Glasgow. Manchester Representative : J. W. Hoare, 20, Beech Grove, off Richmond Grove, C.-on M., Manchester. Birmingham Representative: J. O. Mansley, 55, Willows Crescent, Cannon Hill, Birmingham. S°Ut« W.a,e8 Representative : Horace Hanbury Williams, 92, Queen Street, Cardiff. American Representative : Da^id Bader, Suite 902, 1540, Broadway, New York. Paris Representative : Monsieur Chardon, 17, Rue Etienne Marcel, Paris. Berlin Representative : Kurt Hubert, Friedrichstrasse 237, Berlin, S.W.48. Belgian Representative : Henry A. Parys, 16, Rue du Pelican, oruxelles. Hungarian Representative : Andor Lajta, Budapest VII.. Stefama-ut 23. Indian Representative: S. B. Banerjea, 11, Kasi Base Lane, beadon Street, P.O. Calcutta. THAT AGE-LIMIT REGULATION. WORD OF WARNING TO EXHIBITORS. COUNTY COUNCIL ACTIVITY. On every cinematograph licence issued by the London County Council and by many other licensing authorities throughout the country there is a clause or condition making it an offence to admit any person apparently under the age of sixteen years to a performance at which any picture is exhibited which bears the " A " certificate of the British Board of Film Censors ; unless such person is accompanied by a parent or bond-fide adult guardian. When this censorship regulation was first proposed by the London County Council the age was put at eighteen, and it was only the vigorous action of the C.E.A. that resulted in its being reduced to sixteen. The Divisional Court some months ago decided that the regulation was a reasonable one, and that a licensing authority had a right, therefore, to impose it as a condition of their licence. That being the case, there is no longer any question as to the legality of the condition ; and where an exhibitor is prosecuted and the prosecution succeed in proving the offence, the magistrates are compelled to convict. We have definite information that the London County Council has determined now to rigorously enforce the condition, and their inspectors have been in structed to report to the Council any case in which they find in a cinema an apparent breach of the regulation. And what the London County Council are doing it is pretty certain that other authorities who have adopted the clause will also do. It must be realised by exhibitors that the Council have open to them two' courses of action : they may prosecute and secure a conviction, or they may hold the offence in reserve until next licensing session and then revoke the licence on the ground that one of its conditions has been broken. The licensing authority is oditled to adopt this course, and there may conceivably be cases in which they would prefer to do so. And therein lies the seed of a grave danger to the licence-holder. It must not be forgotten, too, that to secure a conviction, or to have ground for revoking a licence, the authority has not the onus of proving that the person present at the performance in contravention of the clause was in fact under the age of sixteen. It is sufficient that the person was apparently under that age. So far as one can understand the view of the Council's officer as to the apparent age of the person would be sufficient evidence unless the exhibitor happened to be in a position to rebut that view. Exhibitors and managers whose licences are subject to this condition would be well advised to take very seriously into consideration their position with a view to seeing that no loophole is given for a charge of ignoring or evading the condition in question. Whenever a film bearing the " A " certificate of the Board of Film Censors forms part of any programme, a sign bearing the inscription : — Important Notice. no person apparently under the age of io can be admitted to this performance unless accompanied by a parent or bona-fide adult guardian. by order of The Licensing Authority, should be prominently displayed on the box-office or in some equally prominent part of the vestibule. This in itself, of course, would not absolve the licensee from responsibility for infraction, but it would be useful evidence that he was endeavouring to carry out the regulation to the best of his abilitv. WHY HE DIED. The big game hunters at the Trade Show Luncheon of the next big travel film vied with each other in tales of derring-do — hairbreadth escapes — and remarkable coolness in emergency. But one — the greatest of them all — remained silent. " Come," they said to him, " you must have had experiences at least equal to any that we have told. Tell us of them." Reluctantly he spoke. " Once I met a full-grown lion face to face at ten yards. Just as I raised my gun a man-eating tiger sprang on my back . " " What on earth did you do? " they gasped. " I could do nothing. He killed me ! "