THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1881. SUNDAY PERFORMANCES.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2158, 25 January 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1881. SUNDAY PERFORMANCES.

Owing to the laches of the proprietor of the Theatre Royal in not taking out his license for that building at the proper time, the Council have become possessed of some very important information on the subject of their powers with regard to Sunday performances. It was generally supposed—nay,publicly stated—that they had no control whatever over the building once it was licensed, and that the licensee might—as has been the case recently—allow public decency to be outraged without placing himself in the power of the Council. This now, as we supposed, turns out to be fallacious. The Council had, and has, full power to cancel or suspend the license granted should one or other of two conditions be violated. There are more than those, but the two salient points to which we desire to draw attention are sufficient for our purpose—under the by-laws, subject j to the. provisions of which the certificate ' is granted, the Council has power, should the place so licensed bo opened on other days than they direct— i.e., on Sundays—to cancel or suspond the license. It is true that the license of the theatre for the past year did not contain any specified days, but there is a curious fact to which we desire to draw attention. The license so granted expired on the 31st of December last, and therefore for twenty-four days—during part of which lectures—certainly not of an improving or reputable character were given—the theatre was absolutely unlicensed, and the owner thereof incurring a penalty of £2O per diem. Had, therefore, the City Council, or rather their executive officer the Town done what was plainly their duty, Christchurch would have been spared the exhibitions which for several Sundays went on without remonstrance from the authorities. It seems strange that this should be so, but the facts are plain that at any moment, the City Council could have not only forbidden these performances, but also have made some such a provision in the granting of a further license as they have now done. That the Council, in reserving to itself the right of supervision over the use of the Theatre on any other day but week days, has done what it should have done some time since no one will deny. And it is also true that there must have been great laxity in the performance of the duties of the officials of the Council, that so long a period as three weeks should have been allowed to elapse, with performances constantly going on both week days and Sundays, before any steps are taken to enforce the by-law. A very flagrant desecration of the Sabbath—to call it by no harsher name— is allowed to take place, and the authorities to whom the citizens look for carrying out of the municipal laws, calmly stand by while they are openly and knowingly broken. Certainly somß explanation further than that which has been given, is necessary to account for so grave a dereliction of duty as this. Had not some stir been made about the matter, probably another month or two would have been allowed to elapse before the Town Clerk conceived it to be his duty to see that the law had been complied with. It is, to our mind, a decidedly unfortunate state of things, and one against the recurrence of which, we hope care will be taken in future. The responsibility is now to a great extent cast upon the Mayor of [deciding, between the meetings of the Council, as to whether a special permit is to be granted or not for Sunday performances. We hope that gentleman, in the discharge of the onerous and somewhat unpleasant task thus cast upon him, will exercise a wide and wise discretion, and that we shall not have in our midst such exhibitions as of late, which certainly are not calculated to do good, and may do a considerable amount of harm. About the power of the Council in the matter there can be no dispute, and Jit is to be hoped that they will not scruple to exercise their undoubted right of vetoing any objectionable performance on Sunday, should the occasion arise.