Kinematograph year book (1927)

In the Courts. 165 LICENSING. A Licence Withdrawal.— The Lord Chief Justice and Justices Avory and Salter, in a King's Bench Divisional Court in August, heard arguments in the rule obtained by W. Fowler Pettie. proprietor of the Central Picture House, Bank Chambers, Hastings, calling on the Corporation of Hastings to show cause why they should not hear and determine according to law his application for a renewal of his kinema licence. Appearing for the Corporation, Mr. Montgomery, K.C., said the picture house in question had been in existence for eighteen years, and seated about 350 people. The only means of exit were a wooden staircase running up from under the hall and another door that lead to a cramped store-room. The Corporation had approved plans for alteration of the building, but for something like four years Mr. Pettie had dallied and still had not carried out the alterations. The result was that the renewal of his licence had been refused. His chief complaint seemed to be that he should not be called on to make alterations and incur expense when he could not buy the freehold and had only another four years of his lease to run. Mr. Raynor Goddard, for Dr. Fowler Pettie : In any case, it is not right that a man should be deprived of his licence and have his picture house closed without being heard. He thought if the Watch Committee had heard Mr. Pettie, who would say, " I have done all to make the place safe, but don't force me to rebuild the place to make it larger when I have only four more years to run," they would have seen the reasonableness of his observations. Giving judgment, the Lord Chief Justice observed that the correspondence showed that the applicant was heard again and again by the Council; and he could not now complain on that store. The second point was that the licence had been refused unreasonably becase Mr. Pettie had not done something that really amounted to rebuilding the place. The real reason for the appeal seemed to be that Mr. Pettie had not thought fit to undergo any further expense. The rule would be discharged, with costs in favour of the Corporation. WAGES DISPUTE. Wages Claim— At Blackpool County Court' on March 24, Florence Cottam, pianist and organist, of St. Annes, claimed £27 15s. from the Blackpool Clifton Palace, Ltd. Her case was that she was engaged at this kinema from February to October, 1925, and the amount claimed was the difference between what she received and the Musicians' Union rate of £3 15s. a week, which she was promised. At first she received £2 15s. , and later £3 a week. The defence was that the orchestra was engaged by the muscial director, and Judge Bradley accepted this view, giving judgment for the defendants, with costs. BREACH OF REGULATIONS. Serious Operating Offences. — A dramatic story of therescue of a kinema operator from asphyxiation was told to the Northumberland County magistrates sitting at the Moot Hall, Newcastle, when George Marshall, proprietor of the Picture House, Holystone, and his operator, Robert Ponton, were charged with having failed to keep in a metal box an inflammable film which was not in use. A police constable told the magistrates that, seeing smoke issuing from the window of the Picture House, he ran into the building, and found Ponton lying unconscious in his operating box, which was full of fumes. He carried Ponton out into the fresh air, and on going back into the building he found pieces of charred film in the operating box, and also in the passage way of the theatre immediately outside the operating box. It was evident, from the scorching of the woodwork, that a film had become ignited when hanging on a nail which was on the outer side of the fire-proof operating box. The Bench regarded the case as a very serious one, the chairman remarking that Ponton had evidently lost his head, and had endangered the lives of 150 or 200 people by throwing the burning film out of the fire-proof operating box into the passage way. He had committed a still more serious offence in hanging up a loose film outside the operating box. But for the prompt action taken by P.C. Ireland, Ponton might have lost his life. Marshall,, as the person responsible for the conduct of the hall, was fined £10 and Ponton was fined £3. . GENERAL. Unauthorised Film Storage. — At the Manchester City police court in May, Samuel Brierley, of 72, Cambridge Street, Chorlton.on-Medlock, Manchester, was proceeded against for a breach of the Celluloid and Kinematograph Film Act, 1922, for keeping a quantity of film on his premises, not enclosed in a metal box or case, and without having fuin shed the local authority with his name and address . For the prosecution it was stated that the defendant kept a tobacco and general stores shop, and on April 7 handed two carters, 111 the employ of the Cleansing Department of the Manchester Corporation, four small canvas bags, which when examined at the refuse destructor were found to be filled with small portions of kiiiem;uograph films. Had the films been put on the destructor, the consequences might have been seriou? . On April 9 an inspector called at the defendant's shop, and was handed five gross of small packets, containing cut-up portions of kinematograph film, which defendant had been selling at £d. and id. per packet. The films were then fitted by the purchasers in front of a "telescope" in a small tin arrangement, so that, when held to the light, it was possible to see the scene on the portion of film. Defendant pleaded guilty to the summons, and said he acted in ignorance of the Act. The chairman said that, as this was the first case of its kind heard in Manchester, and would serve to act as a warning to shopkeepers, the defendant would have to pay the costs only. " It is a dangerous thing to have films unprotected," he said, "and as much publicity as possible should be given to the case." Gangways Blocked. — Failure to keep the balcony gangway clear resulted in a summons against the Apollo Kinema Theatre, Ltd., Albert Road, Southsea, at Portsmouth Police Court, in November. At 8.30 p.m. on October 5 the police found about sixty people standing along the backs of the seats blocking the exits and obstructing the gangways. It took twenty minutes for waiting patrons to be accommc dated with seats. A fine of £4 was imposed.