No Sunday Concerts

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 187, 28 October 1927, Page 9

No Sunday Concerts

CLERGY’S APPROVAL DECISION OF COUNCIL General satisfaction was expressed in Auckland to-day by members of the clergy at the City Council’s decision not to permit Sunday night entertainments. FOLLOWING a recommendation from the Finance Committee, the council decided that no further permits would be issued. Exception was taken, the committee reported, to the unsatisfactory manner in which these entertainments were carried out. Clergymen were emphatically in favour of abolishing these concerts. One minister said as far as he was aware Auckland was the only city where they were allowed to take place within church hours. Among the replies received by THE SUN were the following'.— THE REV. A. ASHCROFT (Methodist, Mount Albert): “A step in the right direction. I feel certain that the City Council would not have acted so if there had not been good cause. I am not a narrow-minded man. I believe that Sunday night entertainments can be conducted on proper lines—after church hours. Yet I believe that the decision, is a right and proper one under the circumstances.” REV. J. LAMB HARVEY (St. Andrews, Presbyterian): “Personally. I am very pleased to hear' that these entertainments are being stopped. As far as I can see they are doing no good a L all^ and are < 2 lly affecting the church attendances. They do not serve anv good purpose.” MR. HENRY HAYWARD, governingdirector, Fuller-Hayward Theatres* ‘bunday concerts are all very well if they are conducted properly. It is right and proper that the public should have good music. This question does not really concern us, however, as we only rent our theatres for such a purpose, so I prefer not to discuss it.” THE REV. FRAZER BARTON (Presbyterian): “I think that church folks would have little to say if the promoters of such entertainments respected church hours and provided a programme in keeping with the day. lam given to understand that the objection to such entertainments has been owing to the programme offered and the behavious of a certain section of the. audiences who attend. Personally, however, I have no knowledge regarding this.” MR. GREENFIELD, manager, Regent Theatre: “It does not really concern us as the Regent Theatre has only been open on two occasions on Sunday nights, and both were for charity. REV. LIONEL FLETCHER (Congregationalist, Birkenhead): *T have never been in a city before where Sunday night entertainments were permitted in church hours. I certainly do think that there should be some restriction during those hours. At least it is always done elsewhere.