International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1931)

955 — Decree of the government of the district of Vienna of April 8, 1930, concerning regulations for technical norms, buildings and fire insurance in cinematographic projections. Decree of the government of the district of Vienna of April 8, 1930, No. 31, for the application of the latest text of the cinematographic law. Decree of the government of the district of Vienna of April 8, 1930, No. 32, concerning the examination to be passed by cinematographic operators. Decree of the government of the district of Vienna of April 8, 1930, No. 33, concerning days on which cinematographic projections are prohibited. Decree of the Government of the district of Vienna of June 24, 1930, No. 53, concerning closing hours of the cinema. Styria. The Governmental Law of Styria of May 28, 1929, No. 87, regarding film revision and performances for the young. Decree of the Styrian Government of May 7, 1930, No. 52, for the application of paragraph 14 of the law of May 28, 1929, on the projection of cinematographic films. Law of May 27, 1930, No. 59, which revises the system of film control in use in Styria. Lower Austria. Decree of July 13, 1916, No. 70, regarding the admission of minors to cinematographic performances. Governmental decree of September 18, 1926, regarding film projections. The Tyrol. Tyrolian cinematographic law of February 23, 1927, No. 23. Vorarlberg. Decree of June 23, 1926, which regiards all regulations concerning, film censorship as abrogated. Decree of December 22, 1927, No. 28, regarding cinematographic projections. For Burgenland, Carinthia, Upper Austria and the government of Salzburg there are no special norms, and, following the regulations of the Federal Court which considers no longer valid the dispositions of the law of 1912, only police measures are used for repression. The criterium by which film censorship is generally regulated in the Austrian Fe deration has a double system: preventive as regards films to be projected for young people under age, and repressive for all other motives which the police authorities may consider necessary to justify their intervention. An official communication of the Foreign Office of Vienna insists particularly on this idea. It observes that in federal countries, in view of the imposibility of applying the criteria expressed in the law of 191 2, only a partial observance of former laws has been rescued by a series of local provisions, which, however, absolutely exclude the theoretical principle of preventive censorship, while admitting that in some parts films for public projection must be submitted to the authorities in the interests of the protection of those under age and of public order. The same communication of the Viennese Ministry states that there are interstate agreements for the projection in another part of the Federation of a film that has already been approved. To quote an example: according to paragraph 1 of Regulation 21 April 1927, No. 25, for cinematographic Tyrolese legislation, a projection in the presence of the authorities of those federal countries where preventive agreements exist and have been published by the Territorial Captain in the Volume of Decrees and Regulations, is to be considered as equivalent to a projection before a competent Government Office of the Tyrol. Further, regarding the question of general principles regulating the activities of control in the Federation, it must be remembered that not only theatrical, but also cultural and educational films must be subject to revision, as it is not possible to unconditionally approve all educational and scientific films, which, like most ordinary films, may contain elements of real danger for those under age. For the practical application of this principle the Viennese legislation explicitly declares that private performances not subject to control regulations, should be understood to be those which take place in a hall not open to the public and for non-commercial purposes. Universities, schools and educational institutes in general, including popular