New Britain herald., 1918-05-30
TOO MUCH SEX IN
 MOTION PICTURES
Chicago Destroys Film by Mile
 Through Censor Board

Chicago, May 3O.-Ten years of moving picture censorship in Chicago nave resulted in the elimination of hundreds of thousands of feet from films shown to more than 100000 per sons daily, according to Major M. C. F'unkhouser, second deputy superin- tendent of police. who reviewed the problems he had encountered as moral censor" of the second largest city in the United States, when he de- tended the ordinances under which he operates from recent attacks.
 According to Major Funkhouser, the board of twelve censors, the members of which are selected by civil service and which sits in judgment on the pictures, has little or no discretion in ordering "cut- outs' or refusing to is- sue permits, as they merely dhere to city ordinances, and the state law which prohibits hanging scenes The ordinances, among other things. pro- hibit the showing of pictures immoral obscene or which portray riotous dis orderly or other unlawful scenes which have a tendency to disturb the public peace.
 10,694 Pict,ies Inspected.
 Within the last year 10,694 motion pictures were inspected by the censor and his aides and out of their number only 15S were rejected in their en- tirety Major Funkhouser asserted. The average film is approximately 1000 feet in length and the total number of feet rejected by the censor last year was 216.556.
 The cost of maintaining the censor ing departm ent is more than paid for by the permits issued to the producers which cost s1 each Last year 2S.697 permits were issued The twelve cen sors draw salaries ranging from s120 to S135 8 month.
 The trouble with the motion pic turc producers of today is that from 2J to 40 Der cent. of the pictures pro- duced deal with sex, the eternal tri- ang'e, affinity, and white slave prob lems,' Major Funkhouser declared. "As approximately 80 per cent. of the motion picture audiences are composed of women and children, especially children, in theaters, outside of the downtown district, and as children often obtain their ideas of morality from the pictures, a close guard is necessary to see that the pictures do not convey erroneous ideas"
 Within a year the city was made defendant in 12 suits by motion pie ture concerns, Major Funkhouser said. The courts, both state and federal, have declared the city ordinances constitutional, and out of seven cases tried the city has won six. The seventh was lost on a technicality the moral censor explained. Five suits are pending.
 "White'' and "Pink" Permits.
 Two kinds of permits are granted the producers one being called the "white' permit, and the other the pink" or adult permit The latter, Major Funkhouser explained was for adults only. Tn these pictures, some sex problems and scenes are permitted, he said.
 The number of films received week ly for inspection runs from two hum dred to two hundred and fifty, and the moral censors are given three days to pass on a picture, and issue 8 permit. A regular motion picture theater Is esta blished in one of the larger rooms Of the city hall, where three screens and three motion picture machines enable more than one picture to be run at the same time. AS a rule, two or more of the censors staff sit and pass judgment on one picture.
 '"The city of Chicago is the only city in the country which has a, civil ser vice censor board" Major Funkhouser said. "Ohio Kansas and Pennsylvania however, have state censorship boards"