Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-22
PROMISES DANCE
HALL REGULATION
COUNCIL TO PASS ORDINANCE
AT NEXT SESSION
MEASURE WILL BE PREPARED AT
CONFERENCE
Attorney for Amusement Academies
VIII Assist In Preparation OF
Law That viii Be satls-
factory to All

Some kind Of ordinance regulating
dance halls and dancing academies VIII
be passed by the city council next
rTuesdav morning at II o'clock. Thls
was definitely promised by the council
at its session yesterday afternoon. Fur
tbermore. the ordinance that Will De
nassed bv the council will probably
not be objected to- nor the referendum
invoked, for it will be the result OIL
conference between City AlloIAey
Hewitt, Chief of Police Dlshnan anu anu
walter Haas, attorney for the dance
hall people. so,
Had the ordinance regulating dance
halls. which had been prepared by the
citv attorney, been put to vote OF I' Lie
council Yesterday, it would propdply
have carried, for the council once pc
fore passed such an ordinance ana HaS
seen no occasion to change It's mlnd III
the matter. =, II
Solomon of the Grand Avenue audi
tori1ln7 would certainly have secured
an Injunction against the operation o.
the ordinance or again have clTcuIateu
a referendum petition, as he dld once
before. u,-7
1T was TO enable Attorney Haas and
CITY Attorney Hewitt to get togetnIer
on an OIulIldIlGH OAA N-A"N-N
co,7id agree that induced the council
fo Law the matter over one week and 10
declare definitely that the ordinance
presented by the city attorney next
week would be passed.
Riqid Ordinance Prepared
The dance hall people and the coun-
eli are closer together than they nave
ever been in the past. The ordinance
presented by City Attorney Hewitt yes
ferdav requires that both dance mans
and dancing academies must secure
permits from the police commission
and gives the police commission power
to revoke these permits should II ap-
near that the place is conducted IN
GisorderIv. Illegal or improper man
ner. thew must close all day Sundays
and at midnight every other day; no
minor under the age of is is to be ad-
Initted unless accompanied by parent
or guardian, and this clause is made
so strict that there will be little ooupt
that the parents or guardians are tne
persons they represent themselves 70
be. No intoxicating liquor can be solu
or drunk on the premises and no III
toxicated person can be admitted.
The ordinance defines the difference
between a dance hall and dancing
academy. a dancing academy is
place where dancing lessons are given
and where regular, bona hde INVITA-
tions are issued to each person before
the date of the dance. A dance hau Is
a public institution where anyone can
The matter Of the invitations was
one Of the points to which Attorney
Haas objected He frankly said he
could figure out a scheme to beat that
in five minutes and suggested there
was nothing to prevent the dance nail
bY1fiDcr invitations
one night for the dance the following
night to those persons in the hall, and
thus bring every dance hall within the
meaning of a dancing academy.
Are No Dance Halls
In fact. there is not a dance hall' in
Los Angeles, in spite of the crusade
that has been waged against these in
stitutions. At least they are all dane
ing academies in name. Their licenses
read for dancing academies and they
distribute invitations broadcast, at any
time, in order to give semblance OF
excuse to their claim.
Haas, and the interests he represents
Yesterday said they were perfectly
willing to secure their permits from
the police commission and place them
selves under the jurisdiction Of that
commission They are willing to eX-
clude everyone under is years of age
not accompanied by parents or guar
dams. they agree to the clause prohib-
tting the sale or drinking of liquor, and
in fact TO every feature in the ordi-
nance presented yesterday by the city
attorney, except that Of closing on
Sundays and the provision that gives
clubs and bona fide organizations the
right to conduct dances without regard
TO the liquor, Sunday and other fea-
lures Of the ordinance.
This clause was inserted in the or
dinance presented yesterday because
the German-American Alliance and
similar organizations protested strong
~ against being prohibited from hold
ing dances on Sunday when the pre-
vious ordinance was under considera-
tion. The dance hall interests hold
there is no reason why every dancing
academy cannot ragv Iarly organize as
a club and eyade the ordinance.