The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-09-19
CITY OFFICIALS
To ENFORCE
LAW
------.
Safety Conditions In the Local
Theaters viii Be Made
Up to Date.
EXITS WILL BE UNLOCKED
Amusement Company Manager
to Personally Take Action
for Betterment.
EXITS WILL BE UNLOCKED
frrom Mondny 8 Advertiser.l

(From Monday s Advertiserl
That the city officials will not wait
for the toll of death from illegally
maintained picture shows and theaters
to remedy the glaring defects there,
was the statement of Chief Engineer
Thurston of the fire department last
night.
q THE Bystander' hit it just about
right in regard to those theaters,' he
said. "I took the matter up with
Building Inspector Miehlstein last week
and we're going right after those fell
lows. We are not sufficiently acquaint.
ed with the new building law yet and
do not know If 1--WE have a remedy in
it or not. That is what l intend to
find out right away and am going to
read it through as carefully as Lean.
If there is a remedy we will use it at
once.
''The Chinese theater at Aala which
the Bystander mentioned as being in
better condition was one which we got
after some time ago. We ordered
number of changes and threatened to
bring the proprietor into court if he
didn t obey. lie grumbled great deal
and said it would cost him FIVE hundred
or thousand dollars more, but he
did it.
cup to the present time we have
had very little power and were unable
to enforce our orders. Things are diff
ferent now The new theater that is
to be erected on Beretania street is to
come up to the requirements Of that
building ordinance in every way or we
don It sign. You may rest assured of
haN Ne in Nuh m
apply the new law to the old theaters
and we will see how things result, -
Plenty Of Authority.
Most sections of the new building
law which will be invoked in this case
refer to buildings to be erected "here-
after and these consequently are not
applicable to most of the show houses
now operating, but there is plenty of
authority provided in a few other Sec
tions, one of which, the last paragraph
in section 107, allowing the fire chief
or building inspector to order any
changes they think necessary in thea.
ter in connection with public safety.
Section z, which is of similar nature, is
not quite so emphatic in its terms and
more general of application, but would
probably cover the cases in some in
stances.
As the legal fraternity can often give
a law a meaning other than that which
the public intended or interpreted, i'm
mediate action has not been taken.
Authorities declared in fat terms yes
terday that several of the moving pie
ture shows were menaces to life and
one official went so far as to state that
if he could, he would close up the Savoy
at once, as he considered its construc
ton almost criminal in a building in
tended for show purposes. Chief Thurs
ton also mentioned the Savoy in partic-
ular.
Ended One Danger.
81 had platform and a rail put
across that 'drop-off' at the back exit
which was spoken of at the Savoy he
said, Gin case of a panic or anything
causing a hasty egress. / would also
call attention to the fact that that old
auditorium is soon to be torn down and
that will not improve conditions back
there in regard to safety"
The Savoy, indeed, has been a gem
eral mark for criticism and Chief Me
Duffie of the special police staff yester-
day added to the information regarding
the condition of that theater, the fact
that the small exit in the back of the
stage is boarded up This he discov-
cred the evening the sheriff sent him
there to stop the "hypnotic burial. -
He had sent one of his officers behind
the building to see that another hole
wasn't prepared there and in calling
him afterwards discovered the exit to
be thoroughly nailed up and he was I'M
able to get out.
The law is being looked up in regard
to police authority over the aisles and
it is probable that action may be taken
TO have all aisles kent clear
The Right Stand.
eff those side doors at the Empire
are kept loeked-I am glad that our
attention has been called to it, said
Joel Cohen of the Honolulu Amusement
Company last evening, speaking of the
Bystander comment in yesterdays Ad-
vertiser about the danger from fire in
the local theaters.
:" have been working for some time
to have a big iron gate put in on the
Bethel street side of the Empire, where
those doors are, both for the purpose
of handy exit and also as a means to
better ventilation of the theater,'f con
tinued. Mr.. Cohen.
The matter of locked exits at the
local moving picture houses was
brought to the attention of the public
through the columns of The Advertiser
Yesterday, after representative of this
paper had visited the different houses
eaxniined the doors and talked with the
employees of the places of amusement.
Doors All Locked.
~ lhe Empire the aide doors, marked
exit" leading out on Bethel street
were. found locked. and no one seemed
10 know where the keys we're.
On the Bethel street side the pro.
rrietor 0fR store thefa ffd that
these doors - not beel 0g aav.
elal months, ban be W &c news
paper man trying sAaB