ART GALLERY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19164, 22 November 1927, Page 2

ART GALLERY.

CANCELLATION OF LICENSE DEPUTATION TO COUNCIL. At its meeting on September 26th the Gity Council, on the recommendation of the By-laws Committee, and after a considerable amount of discussion, decided, owing to complaints concerning the conduct of certain persons attending dances at the Art Gallery, to cancel its license as a public building. The Council was waited on at its meeting last night with respect to the matter by a deputation from the Art Society. Mr X. L. Macbeth said the Society had been in existence for forty years, and was one of the best in the Dominion. It could not have reached its present state without considerable attention to the details of business. From 1920 to 1926 the sum of £3795 was collected in rents, of which 75 per cent, was in respect of dances, and £3455 was collected in subscriptions. The sum of £9OO was paid out for renewals and replacements. It should be remembered that the Society was not out for profit. It was n philanthropic organisation. The Society considered that it was very largely the victim of circumstances. It always took full precautions to ensure that the proceedings inside a dance hall were carried out with decorum, but outside the hall the Society, of course, had no jurisdiction. He understood that in response to a request a policeman had been placed on duty outside the Rolleston street Hall; something simi- | lar should be possible with regard to the Art Gallery. There would always be acts of horseplay among young people when they got together, but the Society's officials had failed to discover ' any such as had been complained of. The fact that the license had been withdrawn meant a deficiency of 75 per cent, in the rentals for letting the hall. This 75 per cent, was now being distributed among halls not conducted by philanthropic organisations. The Society wanted police supervision. He went on to speak of the music that was played at the dances. The Mayor: You may take it for that the question of music has never boen raised. Mr Macbeth: Well, I bolieve it will be. Solicitor's Letter. Regarding the letter sent by the solicitors of the Society to the Council, continued the speaker, he was sorry that this was regarded as a threat, as such was not intended. "If we can .only get some police protection, then we can carry on," said Mr Macbeth. In reply to Cr. Manning, Mr Macbeth said a watchman was put on duty to look out for any possible misbehaviour, but reported that he could find none, Mr Cyrus J. R. Williams said the questions of time did not mean that there was any delay on the part of the Council in granting applications, but it meant delay when the secretary of the Society was approached and could not answer any query as to whether the Gallery would be available. The Arts Society was a public utility filling a public office, and any member of the community could become a member. If the Council could see its way to subsidise the Society's work the difficulty , could be overcome. Much of the trouble arose from cars being allowed to park outside the Gallery; ;. Cr. Sharpe asked whether the Society had considered charging for admission, and undertaking a campaign for subscriptions to make up the estimated losses. Mr Williams replied that it was not the custom to charge admission to art galleries, which were regarded as educational. Cr. T. M. Butterfield said he had found the conveniences at the Art Gallery very unsatisfactory. The Society's secretary (Mr R. M. Donaldson) said the gallery was particularly well equipped with conveniences. ' Council Sympathetic. The Mayor said he could assure the deputation that the Council was in full sympathy with the Society, and would like to see it maintained in a proper building with no necessity to rent' it for dances, smoke concerts, Paddy's markets, etc. He wanted it to be made perfectly clear that the Council as a Council was not opposed to dancing or even the modern jazz form of dancing. In fact, some Councillors, he understood, indulged in the recreation themselves. The Council, however, had a duty to discharge to the 1 community as a whole, and could not differentiate between one group and another. It had to exercise its duties in an absolutely impartial manner. The Mayor referred to the letter sent by the Society's solicitors to the Council as' an extraordinary one to be sent to a public body, and he wondered where certain information contained in it was obtained. Mr Williams: Wipe it out. The Mayor: But you can't. Mr Williams: . We want to. The Mayor went on to say that the Council had to consider whether what went on outside the hall was a nuisance to the neighbourhood, and such .was undoubtedly the position. He gave particulars of the communications that had passed between the Council and the Society concerning the complaints, the first of which was made on June 21st, 1926. The Society was subsequently requested to attend a conference with the By-laws Committee concerning the matter, but no member of the Society came along. Certainly one man appeared, but he was one of those who were conducting a weekly dance. The Mayor took exception to the attitude taken up by the secretary to the Society in the letters he had written to the Council. The Mayor said he thought it was due to the Council that the Society should have.sent its officials along to the Council and not left the matter to its paid secretary. Mr Williams: We are here now. The Mayor: That is all right. Accosted in the Street. Proceeding, the Mayor said that after the Council had decided to cancel the license of the Art Gallery as a public building,, one of the lessees of the hall had accosted Cr. Beanland and himself and was most offensive to them. The Mayor compared the attitude of-the Art Gallery with that of the proprietors of another hall, who came before the committee to see what could be done to remedy certain complaints, with a result that a committee of nine was set up, consisting of three from the proprietors, three from the residents in the vicinity of the hall, and three from the Council. "Now what about the future," said the Mayor. Seeing things had gone so far, he thought it might be wise to let the matter go to the Supreme Court, when the Council could call evidence to support its action. But perhaps such a step was not necessary. Before the Gallery could be licensed again the conveniences must be very considerably improved, and this and other dance halls would be required to give some undertaking that conduct at the dances would be satisfactory. "Humanised Pigs." [ "There is a very small section 0 f j men and women who seem unable to [ go to dances without behaving like gigs," laid the Major. "Why; should i

these 'humanised pigs' be allowed to ruin dances?" Mr McGregor B. Wright said the Council of the Arts Society did not know that there was to be a meeting with the By-laws Committee. Only the president and one other member "were aware of that meeting, and all Arts Council members regretted the slight put upon the committee. The Mayor then assured the deputation that the matter would receive very c.-.'-eful consideration by the Council and By-laws Committee, and a further conference could doubtless be arranged. Jellicoe Hall. The Council also considered the case of the Jellicoe Hall. "Several complaints have been received regarding the conduct of persons attending dances held in the Jellicoe Hall," stated the By-laws and Finance Committee. "It is stated that the principal cause of the trouble appears to be the parking of cars in the Vicinity of the halls in question, and the City Solicitor has been instructed to draft regulations relating to the parking of cars in proximity to public buildrngs generally." The Mayor reported that a letter had been received from the Returned Soldiers' Association in respect of the matter, in which it was suggested that a deputation be received. This was agreed to.