The Connecticut labor news., 1921-12-16
Lively Debate Over Ap- pOintment of a Com mittee to Protest to Aldermen A g a i n S t Closing Order, Re suits in Decision Not to Interfere.

Although interested as the rep resentative body of about 15.OOO organized workers. and conse- quently as many more thousands members of their families. The New Haven Trades Council last night decider not to get mixed up in the controversy now running rampant through New Haven over the mayors edict revoking the licenses and thereby ordering closed every theatre in the city until 1t has complied with the ordinances as established in the city building code. The decision not to butt in' came only after long and spirited debate in which Delegates Treiber and Warner, representing the motion picture operators, fought for the appointment of a committee to in vestigate and if the investigations warranted it, to appeal to the board of aldermen for revocation of the closing orders. The Coun- cil however decided that inas- much as the city and state off cials were, or already had investi- gated, the Council should not at tempt to interfere until such time as a possible injustice in the de- cislon was proven.
 The argument was opened by Delegate Trelber who IS also vice president of the Council. He denounced the revocation of the licenses and closing of the thea tres, stating that 1t was simply being used to put the Rialto issue to one side and make others suffer for the fatalities there. The larger houses, like the Shu- bert, Olympia and the Palace were per fectly safe, building code or no building code, he declared, and had always been regarded as such officially until a few days ago. He demanded action by the Council obJeCtlng to the closing OrderS
 Delegate Warner followed with a motion for the appointment of a commit tee to appeal to the aldermen to revoke the orders and permit the theatres to re- main open until the building code could be changed to let the theatres run along as they have been doing. President Orn- burn declined to put the motion as of fered stating that the Council could not and should not go on record as approv- ing what the authorities might prove as "fIre-traps" and to have such a sweeping resolution as asked for passed would be doing nothing more nor less than thus approving places that might properly be condemned. MT. Warner then changed his motion, to read such theatres as might be found by the committee to be complying with the state laws.
 Delegate Poll of the Typographical union objected, stating that the author ities were already investigating and the Trades Council could have no power or weight in making any investigation of it's own. Delegate Smith of the Carpen- ters also objected.
 Delegate Treiber again got the floor and denouncing the building code de- clared that the manager of the Olympia had told him the night before, that to make the changes required by the code would cost his firm about $1O0,O00, to which other delegates replied that it mattered nothing whether 1t cost that much or a million. when the lives of innocent amusement seekers were at stake.
 MT Treiber replied by stating that the blame for the Ria1to catastrophe, in the opinion of the theatre employees, lay with the state police the building inspector and the managers, the former for hav- ing ever given a license for the place and the latter for not conforming to the laws as provided and declared that the other theatres in the city should not be called upon to take the brunt for these delinquencies. A lengthy argument arose over the construction of the various buildings, both large and small. used as theatres during which Delegate Warner declared that the so-called insurance in spectors whose testimony apparently had led to the orders, were so ignorant of the operations and equipment of theatres that they didn't even know what the various equipment was used for or how it was used.
 Although it was expected that the stage employees would be present and take spirited part in the effort to have the Council object to the closing orders, they were not represented. The majority of the delegates from other unions ex- pressed the opinion that the Council should not interfere at least until the authorities had finished their investiga- tions and when the motion for the ap- pointment of the committee to protest was put to the floor it was almost unan- imously voted down.