The Royal Gazette, February 24, 1951 pg 1

DISCRIMINATION ISSUE RAISED IN ASSEMBLY

Advertising Under False Pretences Criticised

(See story and picture on page 16)

Two members of the House of Assembly - Mr. E. T. Richards and Mr. Russell Pearmaan - yesterday spoke of discrimination against coloured people which they alleged was being shown by the Bermudiana Theatre Club.

The matter was raised at adjournment time by Mr. Richards. He spoke of the impetus given to cultural life recently by the repertory company plays at Prospect. He wanted, however, to speak in respect of another matter of the same type.

It had been advertised in the papers that there were for sale season tickets for the Bermudiana Theatre Club. Rates were given in the papers and the people were told to go to Watlington and Conyers for their tickets.

"A number of people went down there and asked for bookings for the excellent plays but they were told that they could not buy tickets because Sir Harold Wernher, who owns the Bermudiana, does not want coloured people to attend the shows," went on Mr. Richards.

"There was a point blank refusal to sell tickets and it put the people in a state of animosity. They object to respectable coloured Bermudians, many of whom are know to members of his House, being told that this gentleman had given those instructions. It is a most unfortunate state of affairs.

"If it is a private business which is holding plays for its members then they should not advertise for all and sundry to purchase tickets - and insult them when they try to buy.

"It appears that this is a club with membership open to all who are white. If the plays are only to be shown to a select few then all well and good, but do not make the public invitees and then insult them."

Mr. Richards said that as a member of the Illegitimacy Commission he knew that what was needed in the Colony was a leavening of cultural activities. The plays in question would only appeal to the cultured people and they were the people that had been insulted. It was a bad thing and one to be looked on with a great deal of regret.

Mr. [Russell] Pearman deplored the discrimination, which, he said, was becoming more and more evident. He objected most strongly to the misleading advertisements published for the Bermudiana Theatre Club. Distinguished Negroes were visiting the Colony and it would not do the country any good when they returned to their own social level in the States and published what they had seen here.

Mr. Pearman said that such conditions were breeding Communists. He said there were such people here already.

Mr. Ernest Vesey thought that perhaps the time had come when the Executive should take some steps regarding advertising in the Press and on the radio. One frequently read and heard such statements as "all are welcome" - when they were not - and "you can buy this at all grocers" - when one could not.

"I think maybe the time has arrived when we should have an advertising law to retrain newspaper and radio advertising," said Mr. Vesey. People were actually advertising goods under false pretences when they made such claims as those to which he had referred. When people could not buy tickets after an advertisement had been published that was a gross insult and was an untrue advertisement. If the executive looked into the matter it would be a step in the right direction."