14 JULY 1866, Page 3

The special committee appointed to -in q uire into the mana g e- ment

of English theatres has reported in favour of transferring -the power of licensing music halls to the Lord Chamberlain, of allowing music halls to give theatrical entertainments, of regulat- ing -the plans of such halls so as to secure safety, and of extending the censorship -to all performances everywhere, the precise changes which we have advocated. The licence will, we hope, be given to new theatres as a matter of course, and so break up the existing monopoly, while the power of withdrawing it will maintaiu a reasonable amount of order.