GRUESOME PICTURES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1440, 15 May 1912, Page 6

GRUESOME PICTURES.

THE CENSORSHIP PROPOSAL. The Mayor (Mr. D. M'Lnren) has arranged that the Legislation Committee of (he City Council shall meet proprietors of picture shows this afternoon in reference to the proposal that some discrimination should ho brought to bear upon the selection of pictures to Iμ screened before juvenile spectators. Mr. M'Larcn wishes to make it clear that lie does not propose to establish an elaborate ofticial censorship of pictures. Ho slated yesterday that lie considered an exhaustive censorship unnecessary. For one tiling it would be extremely costly. With the number of picture shows existing in Wellington the establishment of an official censorship would entail the employment of several officials, who would have to spend tho whole of their time in inspecting pictures before they were screened in public. The Mayor's immediate object is to secure that pictures of ft. gruesome character shall not be screened in tho presence of children. As a case in point, he mentioned a picture of a hanging, in which almost everything was shown. Pictures of that class were bound to exert «i somewhat unwholesome influence on the minds of spectators of tender years, ami the Mayor is hopeful that picture show proprietors will, co-operate to secure their exclusion from programmes which are to be screened before children.