Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-02
LID WILL FALL AT 10
Music in Open Air Resorts
Must Cease at That Hour.
POLICE WILL ENFORCE LAW
Stringent Requirement Regarding
Consent of Residents.
CAUSE OF THE REGULATION
Proprietors of Summer Gardens and
Similar Places Making Efforts TO
Obtain Necessary Signatures.
CAUSE OF THE REGULATION

| The tip has gone around that the IL
p m. law In regard to music in open lots.
| ''airdromes. open-air music halls and
the like will be strictly enforced by the
police. If this hint is followed UP strict
ly there will be very quiet lot Of open
air amusement spots IN the District dur
ing the warm spell. The proprietors of
such places have heard of the proposed
enforcement and there has been a scram-
BILE to get copies of the particular police
regulation which covers this point
|. The Law.
The law reads:
NO vacant lot TEMPORARY structure
of any kind or lot or part of lot appur-
tenant to any building in the District of
Columbia shall be used, or permitted by
the owner or person in control thereof to
be used. for any kind of amusement, per-
Torrance. singing, playing Of musical or
other instruments, dancing, preaching.
exhorting or lecturing without first OBJ
| tanning the consent in writing of three
| fourths of the residents in the block
where the same is to be conducted. and
| in the block or blocks confronting the
said block: nor shall the same be con-
Quoted after 10 o'clock at night or in a
manner to disturb the peace or quiet of
the neighborhood within any of the
blocks above mentioned.
Effective Last Fall.
This became effective late last fall. the
season was too far advanced to interfere
with the open air amusement resorts last
year. but if it is enforced strictly accord
ing to the letter Of the law this year 1t is
believed 1t will play havoc with many OF
them.
E. H: Thomas. corporation counsel. told
a Star reporter yesterday that the law re-
qures exactly what is stated. that three
fourths of the residents on the block
where the amusement enterprise Is con-
Quoted and on the four confronting blocks
must give: their consent before there can
be any music at all Even then there can
be no music after 10 O'Clock at night.
Mr. Thomas said that the law applies to
summer gardens, roof gardens as we'll as
moving picture shows in the open
Street preachers were giving the police
a little trouble just prior to the adoption
of the regulation I'm question. Some OF
them conducted their services with a mu-
steal accompaniment, and when they were
unable to get permission to use street
corners, they went to vacant lots. Some
Of them preached and sang so late that
protests were made, and the regulation
was passed as remedy
Trying to Get Signatures.
Open air picture shows were included.
but 1t is only recently that the law has
been held to cover summer gardens and
similar places. Consequently the pro-
prietors Of some of these places are MAX
ing an effort to get the required sigma
lures.
1T is not an easy matter to get the
signatures of three-fourths of the resi-
dents of some blocks said member of
the police force last night, Il have not
the slightest idea that the trainers of the
law intended 1t should be so far-reaching,
but the law IL there on the statute books
and there il nothing left to do but to
enforce it,
Sections Differ.
Proprietors of open-air picture shows
are required to get their licenses from
the assessor In his office the opinion is
expressed that there is a difference be-
tween the sections of the police reg1la-
tons rega riding open-air resorts. The
section referring to. open-air moving pic
ture shows provides that q majority of
owners of property, actual resident house
keepers. merchants, and shopkeepers on
the same side of the street as the open
air show must give their consent. and also
The moving picture people find this easy
enough to comply with. but they do not
think they should have to comply with
the requirements Of the other section,
which makes them obtain the consent of
ee-fourths of the residents, etc, Of the
entire block and of the block or blocks
confronting them.