SUNDAY PICTURES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 70, 13 November 1931, Page 6

SUNDAY PICTURES

PERMISSION GRANTED PROCEEDS IN AID OF * ROTORUA RELIEF COMMITTEE EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES At last night's meeting of the Rotorua Borough Council, a letter was received from the Secretary of the Rotorua Unemployment Committee, applying on behalf of the committee for permission for the management of the Rotorua Theatres, Ltd. to screen pictures on Sunday, November 22, the proceeds to be in aid of the local relief funds. Permission was also asked for authority to have a street collection on Saturday, November 28. The Mayor (Mr. T. Jackson) said that the committee only made the request for Sunday pictures in order to raise funds to meet the present difficult position with which it is faced. At present the committee's funds were almost entirely exhaqsted, and they were forced to explore every possible means of raising money. The committee would have preferred to adopt the usual means of holding a Sunday night concert, but unfortunately these forms of entertainment no longer drew the audiences while there was not the time to carry out the necessary organisation. The management of the theatre had offered to screen a picture and it was felt that this offered a means of raising funds which were urgently needed by the committee. The committee's position was serious and in view of all the circumstances, he had no hesitation in asking the council to give its consent to the screening of Sunday night pictures. Cr. E. T. Johnson expressed the opinion that while the principle of holding Sunday pictures should not be encouraged, in this case it was a worthy cause, and he thought the council might well stretch a point and give the required permission. Cr. A. Smith inquired whether the local relief committee was securing the fullest possible assistance from the hospital authorities. The Mayor said that so far as he had ascertained, the Waikato Hospital Board was extending its full quota of assistance in this direction. Cr. G. Urquhart, a member of the hospital board, explained that the board had been forced to adopt the attitude that it could not subsidise relief workers as it considered that this should be done by the Government out of the funds raised by unemployment taxation. The board had very serious calls upon its regular charitable disbursements and it required all its funds to meet these. Cr. O. H- Coleman inquired whether the picture authorities were charging for the use of the theatre and the film. The Mayor said that the whole of the proceeds would go to the committee as the picture company was not making any charge. "Notwithstanding that," said Cr. Coleman, "I think this is a step in the wrong direction." Cr. Coleman strongly opposed the principle of permitting Sunday pictures and said he would much rather see two Saturday collections taken up. There was nothing sacred about a picture show, it was a purely secular entertainment. As an amendment, Cr. Coleman moved that collections be taken up instead of the Sunday picture screening. The amendment lapsed for want of a seconder. "I can quite understand Cr. Coleman's objection and respect it," said the Mayor, "but we have absolutely got to raise money as quickly as possible." The desired permission was granted.