SUNDAY PICTURES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20087, 6 November 1939, Page 8

SUNDAY PICTURES

MOGILLICK CHARGED INFORMATION DISMISSED INVITATIONS ISSUED A charge against Thomas McGillick of holding public entertainment on a Sunday without the permission of the Gisborne Borough Council was dismissed in the Police Court to-day by Mr. W. H. Freeman, S.M. The prosecution was conducted by Detective-Sergeant It. H. Waterson, and Mr. A. A. Whitehead pleaded not guilty on McGillick’s behalf.

Detective-Sergeant Waterson explained that the defendant came to New Zealand last year from Australia, and had been an Australian delegate to a trade union congress in Soviet Russia. Application for the use of the Majestic Theatre had been: made on his behalf by the Left Book j Club, but had been declined because I films were not permitted to be j screened on Sundays. In order to overcome the difficulty, j said Detective-Sergeant Waterson,; ivicGilnck had 1000 invitations printed, and two were received by members ot the police force. There were about 800 people in the theatre on the Sunday evening of the performance, and two films were shown on the screen. It was contended that the invitation was not a genuine one, and that the gathering at the theatre constituted the public of Gisborne. The defendant was a stranger to Gisborne, and yet be had issued all those invitations to people he did not know for the purpose of getting round the Act. Town Clerk’s Evidence The town clerk, William Montrose Jenkins, said that the application was made by the club on behalf of McGillick. To Mr. Whitehead the witness said that there was no objection to the subject matter of the address; as far as he knew it was never considered. Later he was approached by the manager of the theatre, William B. Keany, and agreed that if the showing was to be a private one it would be in order. The objection was to a public screening of the pictures. He nad seen the invitation and was of the opinion that the entertainment was not to be a public one.

William Bartholomew Keany also gave evidence.

Detective-Sergeant Waterson, who said that there were men at the door collecting the invitations, gave an account of the entertainment.

In reply to a question from the Bench, the witness said that he had gone “to the performance, under instructions from his inspector, to see what happened Mr. Whitehead contended that the action of his client was bona fide. He had made inquiries concerning the matter in New Plymouth and had been told that it was in order for him to hold such an entertainment if it was private. Consequently McGillick had had similar peTformances in New Plymouth and Palmerston North, and no action had been taken. The case was dismissed.