The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-18
NEW ORDINANCE WILL
 REGULATE PICTURE SHOWS
Little Business is Transacted Beyond the introduction of Two Surpris- ing Prohibition ordlances.-
 Improvement Ordinances.

This is peculiarly strange at time when the board has been trying repeated ly to pass an ordinance for raise in the whisky license with an eye to wardng off prohibition. These new developments will be watched with unusual interest between this and the next meeting.
 Another feature is the fact that the res olutions were introduced by aldermen who opposed the high license, and by so doing they seem to take themselves out of the wet" atmosphere in which they appeared to be before, and come out openly for pro- hibition
 Alderman Forney introduced the first, which expressed the encouragement of the council to the legislature in the enactment of laws prohibiting the sale of liquor in Alabama. The second came from Alder man Greener, without the foreknowledge of Forney, providing for the surprising veality of total prohibition in the city of Birmingham on the first of next year. They were both referred to the excise committee and what the council will do with them Is a matter of surmise. The excise committee will not meet before the legislature has adjourned.
 Little Other Business. Little other business of importance pre- sented itself to the City Council last night, and that which did was quickly dispensed with and the aldermen were ready to go home long before clock.
 In fact, so quiet did matters promise to be in the council chamber last night that even Mayor Ward, as chairman, who is always on hand few minutes early, did not come in until about five minutes after the council had been called to order. In the absence of the Mayor, City Clerk Mur- ray called the meeting to order and upon a resolution offered by Alderman Parker, Alderman Klotz was appointed chairman.
 Take Up Business at Once.
 The council went immediately to busi- ness with the reports of committees. AL derman Parker read a resolution offered | by the finance committee, calling for the issuance and the sale of bonds amounting to 5000 to pay for the improvements called l for in ordinance 324.
 | Alderman John c. Forney reported for the Judiciary committed Other than the recommendation of the adoption of sev- 1 eral improvement ordinances, the only | business of the committee was the recom- | mendation of the adoption of an ordinance to further regulate moving picture shows.
 The matter of the regulation of moving | picture theatres Is one which the chief Of | the fire department has been working on for some time. The manner in which the majority of the places, where moving pie | lures are exhibited to the public, have | been run has been considered dangerous to the central business portions of the | city; in fact, that they are so liable to 1 fire. There are one or two Of these the | atres where the operating or machine l romos are lined with asbestos or other fireproof material, but as a rule Chief Bennett considers them dangerous He | maintains that fire might be started In | any of them at any time, which might | burn out the whole block in which they are located.
 Provisions of New Ordinance.
 The ordinance is a lengthy one of six teen sections, a synopsis of which Is given;
 Section 1 provides that any person | onerating an electric theatre or the- aires or auditorium where moving pie lures are displayed Is allowed htteen days to comply with the ordinance reg ,Iotinp such places Other features of inc ordinance are that such theatres shall not be constructed until permits | arc issued by the building inspector and the city electrician. All fuses and | wiring shall be installed in conduits under the direction of the city electrl- clan. and fuses in connection with the lights must be installed in freproof | enclosures so constructed that there | wiIl he A space of six inches between inc fuse and the sides and face of the | enclosure.
 All exits shall be plainly indicated | with signs marked Exit over them, the letters not to be less than Tour inches in height. All inside iigh.s must l he fed by wires independent or the stage lights, and all parts of the the | atre must be thoroughly lighted, the lights to remain lighted until the en- | tire audience Is out of the theatRe' Each arc lamp must be constructed un- der the direction of the city eiectri- l cian and rheostats must conform 10 the rheostat requirements.
 The top of the reel on which the nm | runs must be encased in an iron box with a hole at the bottom only large | enough to allow the film to pass through. The ordinance states that no l solder can be used in the construction | of this box.
 The handle or crank for the opera tion of the machine must be secured to | the spindle so that there will be no | liability of such handle coming off and allowing the film to stop in front of the lamp and expose 1t to the fire. The picture machine must be placed in an enclosure lined with f1reproof material and shall be thoroughly ventilated. No | electrical pictures will be permitted in l the operating booth, and all films not in use must be placed in metal boxes | away from the machine.
 The fine as provided by the ordinance | for the violation of the law in this re- spect shall not exceed $1o0 and im- | prisonment of more than thirty days. The passage of this ordinance will mean that the liability of the business | districts to fire will be greatly de- | creas sed
 | The report of the street committee