New Britain herald., 1929-07-26
SUNDAY AFTERNOON . MOVIES APPROVED.
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Mho is not a member of the ordi- nance comimttee. He said there were many people in New Britain who would welcome the opportunity of attending the theater Sunday afternoon, including some who are employed at night and cannot go to a show at any other time.
 Satellite Claims Unfairness MT. Sutcliffe, opening for the op- position, said it was the fourth | time the petition had been present. ed, and he asked that action be deferred until the middle of Sep tember, when clergymen who are away at present would be in the city. He recalled that Rev. w. H. Anderson, pastor of Trinity M. E. church, was told by local theater manager some time ago that there was no truth to the report that It had been decided to wait until the ministers were out of the city De- fore making this attempt to amend the ordinance, yet that is exactly what has happened. He did not
  name unless requested to do so. There is ample precedent Tn legislative procedure, he said, Tor heferrlng action out of considera- lion for the request of a particular group, and common courtesy seem kd to him to require that the Hllh- isters' request be granted. He men tioned the probability of the sale oi he theaters to Warner Brothers and said the new owners may pc more congenial and more courte- ous to the clergy" with reference to the Sunday opening hour. The ministers, he declared, are one or the finest groups of citizens the hity has. and their opposition is not based on fanaticism. All the argu- ments put forth in favor of the petition have been answered by the ministers in the past, he said.
 Councilman Mlynarski moved to Act on the petition without delay and Councilman Landwehr spoke in h similar vein, but Councilman War her moved to defer action as re- auestcd by MT. Sutcliffe. Councilman Holt wanted to know the number of ministers out of the city and Coun- cilman Warner said he knew of four. Councilman Landwehr remarked that they are out of the city seeking relaxation and rest. yet they are op- posed to the ordinance change which would please ''our poor working peo- to cation"
 Prefers Theaters to Streets
 Councilman Warner said the mirl- fsters should be heard, to which AL herman Johnson replied that it was matter in which the entire pubic Was interested. Councilman Mlynar- ski said he was church goer, never missing more than two or three Sun days a year, and he was strongly in favor of opening the theaters at 4 b. m. If his children wanted to at tend, he would prefer to have them there at o'clock instead of run hing around the streets" until o'clock.
 Councilman Landwehr remarked that MT. Sutcliffe had referred to the fact that the motion picture in- hustry was now the fifth largest in the country and therefore a great money making affair. If the churches have taken it up on Sun- day evenings 1t must be good busi- ness" the councilman observed, re- ferrinS to the South Congregational church Sunday evening motion pie ture policy, and Councilman Warner quickly replied that certain members pf the church were obliged to dig down in their pockets to make up the deficit" so it was not a money making proposition with that church.
 Relative to his motion to defer action, Councilman Warner remlnd- ed the other members that it dld not mean necessarily that he was op- posed to the earlier opening hour, because, as a matter of fact, he was not certain what stand he would take. Councilman Mlynarski said the motion was out of order because nobody seconded it. He then moved 10 grant the request of the theater owners and Councilman Curtin sec rnded the motion. Councilman War her said he might have voted in fa- Nor of it but he would vote against it because the committee had not given Mir. Sutclffe the courtesy Of 8 postponement.
 Vote Is to 1
 ! When Alderman Johnson, chair man, announced the vote as to l in favor of the motion, Councilman Warner asked how the chairman stood and the latter immediately No- led in favor. That makes 1t in flavor and one opposed" the chair man observed.
 After the public hearing had closed but before the committee had taken action, Rev. A. D. Heininger bf the First Congregational church entered the council chamber, and little later Rev. Theodore A. Greene, pastor of the same church, came in. Mr. Green after a while inquired whether the meeting was still open and Alderman Johnson informed him that the public hearing was held from 7:30 to o'clock and, as 1t was then about 9 o'clock, only the con- mittee members were being heard