A NATURAL LAUGH.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1921, Page 6

A NATURAL LAUGH.

DISTURBANCE AT THE PICTURES. ■ i Two youths, Ronald Cantell and Wil- ; liam Stroud, were the defendants in New Plymouth Court yesterday on! charges of disturbing the audience at the People’s Picture Theatre on the night of September 29. They were represented by Mr. R. H. Quilliam and pleaded not guilty. The evidence tendered by the police, was that of the manager of the theatre, Mr. Charles Banks, who deposed to hearing certain vocal noises in the theatre on the night in question. They had been troubled with these noises for some time and he had detailed certain members of his staff to try and detect the offenders. The noises eoull not be called laughs; they were more like screeches. On the night in question at least three patrons left the theatre on account of the disturbances caused by these noises and they had complained to him about it. Defendants were spoken t-o by a doorkeeper and refused to give their names, but were interviewed by the police after the programme was over. Mr. Quilliam said that the case was really more serious than it first appeared, for it meant that if convictions were entered against these youths it would mean that they could not attend any place of amusement if there was any likelihood of them being caused to laugh, for the disturbance complained of was in reality their natural laugh. Mr. Quilliam said there had been no evidence tendered by patrons of the picture theatre who had complained of the disturbance. It was also pointed out that there were degrees of quality of disturbances and what was a disturbance at a religious service would not be regarded as a disturbance at a theatre. There were people who created disturbances at concerts by coming late or by talking during performances, and these he thought were more annoying to a lot of people than laughing at a picture entertainment, yet he did not know that these things were ever made the subjects of prosecutions. In dismissing the informations, the Magistrate said he had no occasion to doubt the word of the manager, but it would have bexn better if some evidence had been brought before the Court from those patrons of the tlieatre who had complained of the disturbance. He doubled whether the defendants had done anything which according to the Act could be said to have created a disturbance. It was pretty -evident that they were afflicted with some sort of peculiarity in their laughter, and he warned them not to go to picture shows with other youths, and also to make every endeavor to put a restraint upon their affliction.