Evening star., 1918-05-26
DEFENDS CENSORSHIP
OF MOTION PICTURES
Maj. Funkhouser of Chicago Re-
ports His Experiences in En-
forcing City Ordinance.
By the Associated Press.


CHICAGO. May 25.-Ten years Of
moving picture censorship in Chicago
have resulted in the elimination of
thousands of feet from films shown to
more than 400, 1000 persons daily, ac-
cording to Maj. NJ. c. Funkhouser.
second deputy superintendent of
police, who reviewed the problems he
had encountered as moral censor" of
the second largest city in the United
States, when he defended the ordi-
nances under which he operates, from
recent attacks.
According to Maj. Funkhouser, the
board of twelve censors the mem
bers Of which nre selected by civil
service and who sit in judgment
OH the pictures. has little or no dis
cretion in ordering "cut-outs" or re-
fusing to issue permits. as they mere
ly adhere to city ordinances. and the
state law which prohibits hanging
scenes The ordinances, among other
things. prohibit the showing of pic
lures immoral. obscene or which por-
tray riotous. disorderly or other un-
lawful scenes which have a tend
>ency to disturb the public peace.
1O,6e4 Pictures Inspected in Year.
Within the last year 1854 motion
pictures were inspected by the censor
and his aids, and out of this number
only 1853 were rejected mn their en-
tirety. Maj. 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 cen
soring department is more than paid
for by the permits issued to the pro-
ducers. which cost 81 each. Last year
29,697 permits were issued. The
twelve censors draw salaries ranging
from 1920 to $135 a month.
"The trouble with the motion pic
ture producers OF today Is that from
% to 40 per cent Of the pictures pro-
duced deal with sex. the external
triangle. affinity and white slave
"As approximately so per cent Of the
motion picture audiences are COM
posed OF women and children. es-
pecially children. in theaters outside
of the downtown district. and as
children often obtain their ideas Of
guard is necessary to see that the
pictures do not convey erroneous
IDEAS"
Within a year the city was made
QeIenudHC III tWclVS bullS ny InOtlOn
picture concerns. Maj. Funkhouser
said. The courts. both state and
federal, have declared the city ordi-
nances constitutional. and out of
seven cases tried the city has won
six. The seventh was lost on a tech
nicality, the censor explained. Five
suits are pending.
Two kinds of permits are granted
| the producers. one being called the
white" permit, and tho other the
pink" or adult permit. The latter,
| Mai. Funkhouser explained, was for
adults only. In these pictures some
sex problems and scenes are permit
ted. he said.
The number Of films received week.
| ly for inspection runs from 200 to $50,
and the moral censors are given
| three days to pass on a picture and
issue q permit. A regular motion
| picture theater is established 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
| censor's staf sit and pass Judgment
on one picture.
"The city Of Chicago il the only
| city in the country which has O civil
| service censor board" Nal. Funk.
| houser said. "Ohio, Kansas and Penn
| sylvania. however. have. state censor.
ahip boaIdlR