Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-03-24
STATE HOUSE
Next meeting Friday $50 NJ

and no fees were paid. Most import
ant of all, no inspections were made
as to the conditions under which
such exhibitions were operated.
Il cannot find language too strong
to employ in cOndemning this laxity
Of observance of the law for the pro-
lection Of human life and material
property. Many officials may be ia
millar with the laws but fail to adj
wise their successors in relation to this
especial subject. Not only is the eX-
hibition and the machine required to
be licensed, but the license shall state
the name of the maker, trade name
and number, serial number of the
machine and place in which it is
kept, used or exhibited. No license
shall be granted for any moving pic
ture apparatus operated by oXhydro-
gen gas. SO called, or by limelight.
NO person shall operate without a
license from the municipal officers,
and no such license shall be granted
to operate moving picture machine
or similar apparatus to a person un-
der 18 years of age, nor until the ap-
PAANaAb Stidil Aio VIC SdtiSliCO tiC =
cipal officers that he is thoroughly
skilled in the mechanical and electri-
cal apparatus or devices used in the
! operation of moving picture.
Recently in prosperous town in
| this state my attention was called to
a fire which had occurred as a result
oe exposed, inflammable films in a
| moving picture booth. An investiga-
! ton followed / found that although
the owners of the show were those
who were conducting a chain of 9TH
er exhibitions in various parts of
the state, they had failed to apply for
a license from the selectmen of the
town. AS a climax the operator was
boy Is years of age, who was Sc
Verely burned as result of the fire,
which was purely one of ignorance
OF conditions. l urged upon the
county attorney of that county to
have the offenders of the law prompt
ly apprehended. The result was not
entirely satisfactory to me, for | was
| Informed later by the county attor-
ney that the offending moving picture
firm was brought before the munich
| PoN SouiS opoll tIlC LID sc VI ODPIdt-
ms moving picture machine with
out license from the municipal Of
flcers. The defendants pleaded nolo
contendere and the court fined them
| $50 and costs, and the fine was sus-
pended on the payment of the costs.
Il am citing this instance as one
| OF the scores of cases of similar types.
! That there was not grave loss of life
| at this fire was purely 4 stroke of
good fortune, but the conditions are
| duplicated in many places at the
present time and simply must be
| corrected.
! The leader Of a community en-
terprlse in the upper part of Andres
coggln county recently wrote me for
| advice regarding the employment of
a picture machine in connection with
his rural community service. He
! quoted what was known to the de-
! partmcnt to be very highly inllam-
J mable machine and was at once ad-
Nised that the machine must be used
outside of booth. His reply was
somewhat heated and he stated that
IN one of the Grange halls a similar
type Of machine was being used
| nightly. He wanted to know who
was the violator of the law, the
Grange. who owned the building, the
| organization. or the man who was
running and owned the machine.
several manufacturers of so
! called portable machines have pre-
sented arguments in q most vigorous
way to persuade the insurance de-
| partment to permit the approval of
the use of their especial type of ma
| chine. practically exhausting the
Queens English in their denunciation
Of what they thought was an inter-
ference with their rights. ] replied