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from the airconditioning was well above the legal limit. An order was issued, requiring extensive modifications to the machinery within three months.

Drunken behaviour was the province of the police. They told me that they had been called to break up brawls outside the theatre on several occasions. One youth had been arrested for breaking a window. No prosecutions had yet resulted from breaches of the liquor laws.

Under-age drinking was not new. (I had consumed my first shandy in a hotel when I was twelve, in the company of my grandfather.) However, the extent of such drinking had greatly increased with the development of a teenage pub culture. Despite parental injunctions, my own kids were patrons of several hotels that featured popular bands. They told me that "The Flicks" was a "bad scene" which they avoided.

There were alarming stories told about "The Flicks": of large quantities of hard liquor being sold to very young adolescents within the theatre during the late-night shows; and of violence and intimidation from the staff. There were also rumours of various  types of drugs being pushed.

I spoke to a local youth worker from Youth and Community Service, who shrugged his shoulders:

"Lots of these kids have got no home. If you close down that place, they will just spend the night

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