The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-02-08
CITY MAY CENSOR
MOTION PICTURES
COMMITTEE CALLS ON CITY
COUNCIL AND URGES ACTION
MILK ORDINANCE UP.

Moscow picture shows are to be
censored if action started by COM
mittee from the Methodist church at
the council meeting last night is sue
cessful. The committee, headed by
Rev. H. O. Perry, pastor of the
church, attended the council meeting
and addressed the mayor and council
in favor of strict censorship of pic
lures shown in Moscow. Rev. Mr..
Perry said in part: Chicago cut out
the crime stuff and the low sex stuff
and | think that if Chicago can get
along without that kind of stuff Mos
COW can get along without it. We
want Moscow to get back to the same
wholesome city of days gone by" E.
R. Headley, leader of the bible class
in the Methodist church, said: 81
don't think it is necessary to state my
position. | have never attended picture
shows but / know there is much
wrong about them. We don't have
to go far from this council room to
see pictures of bathing girls exhibited
on the street in front of a picture
show and we all know these pictures
are indecent and should not be shown
to any one, especially young boys and
girls"
Several others spoke in condemna-
ton of modern pictures and City At
torney w. E. Lee discussed the
question with Rev. Mr. Perry.
Attorney Lee said there are only
two ways in which the city can CEN
sor pictures and one is to make it
misdemeanor to show picture that
lis ''obscene, immoral or degrading"
and that conviction in such a case
would be we'll nigh impossible. He
predicted it would take a week to try
such case for hundreds of witnesses
could be introduced to prove that the
picture was or was not degrading,
indecent, obscene or immoral as that
would be a matter of opinion. An
other way was to form board of
censorship and this board would have
to see every picture that it was pro
posed to show in Moscow. He thought
this would be very tiresome job and
keep the committee pretty busy and
they would become motion picture
experts in short time. He pointed
out that Chicago, New York and
other cities can pay salaries to pic
ture censors but Moscow cannot incur
this expense.
The council instructed the city at
torney to draft an ordinance covering
the mater and submit it for discussion
to to future meeting.
That it will be utterly impossible to
enforce the ordinance (No. 500) re-
Gently passed for the control of the
sale and production of milk and dairy
products in Moscow, was the opinion
of DR.. A. R. Mahan of the federal
department of animal husbandry,
who read the ordinance and spoke
briefly on it. He said in the main
the ordinance is all right and con-
forms, in a general way, with the
state law, but there are certain pro-
visions that would be impossible of
He thought with few
minor changes it could be made to fit
Moscow and would be good thing.
Dr. Mahan said that throughout
the United States about AZ per cent
Of the cattle have tuberculosis, while
In the state of Idaho the average is
about 21a per cent, or little more
than half of the average of the entire
United States, and that northern
Idaho and the country tributary to
Moscow are freer from the disease
than any other section and that be
believes the percentage of tubercular
cattle here is very low, but that there
are a few such cattle which the state
and federal governments will test and
destroy, paying two-thirds of their
7alue to the owner of the COW. He
stated that the appropriation of $780,
100 made for the purpose of reim-
e Il III
or tuberculosis and horses slaughter
I'd for glanders, is nearly expended
md that unless the legislature makes
/ further appropriation the fund will
,e exhausted in the next four months.
The council discussed the lighting
problem for Main and Eighth streets
md two blocks on Third street and
eferred it to the committee on lights
@ ask for bids for installing the
lectrolier system on these streets.
A number of bills were allowed but
he council refused to pay the claim
f the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel
company, which furnished the ma
erial for the water tower. The bill
vas presented by Roy Anderson. The
ontract provides that so per cent of
he contract price, S3,358, shall be
aid upon delivery on the ground, of
he material for the tower and 20
er cent when the work is started.
favor Gibson said that inasmuch as
he city had waited many months for
he company to do its part the bill
hould not be paid until the material
yas checked up to ascertain if it is
II there.
The milk ordinance was laid on the
able until the next meeting when it,
ill be further discussed