The Moving Picture World (April 1907)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLfr. Chapter III. A FEW REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PATRON- IZE THE LUNA No. 1240. An Ordinance. To amend Section 314 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Akron. Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Akron, State of Ohio: Section 1. That Section 314 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Akron be amended so as to read as follows: "Section 314. Whoever, by ringing a bell or gong, or by using a phonograph or other instrument for producing or reproducing sounds, or' by using loud or boisterous language, or by any unusual noise whatever, shall adver- tise goods, wares or merchandise for sale, either at auction or in any other manner, or shall by any such means advertise any show, theater, exhibition or entertainment,; shall be fined not more than ten dollars/' Section 2. That said Section 314, as amended May 21, 1906, is hereby repealed. Passed February 18, 1907. Ira A Priest, President of Council. Ray F. Hamlin, Clerk of Council. Approved February 19, 1907. Charles W. Kempel, Mayor. February 26, March 5. -* We feel satisfied that every fair-minded person in Akron will give us credit for fighting the above ordi- nance. First—Because we feel that it takes away the freedom, liberty and property rights of any business man in the city. Second—We all like circus day to come. Would-a circus come to this city, knowing an ordinance like the above to be in effect in a city of this size and population? Their bands are for advertising and business purposes.. Third—No band parades the streets of Akron for their health. It is a known fact that it is a hard proposition for the leader of a band to get all his band members present even for business purposes. Fourtli—If the authorities would live up to the above ordinance, would there be a music store in the city? Just think. Fifth—The orchestras in the large theaters are not there for their health, but for business purposes. • Sixth—The authorities know as well as we know that that ordinance is not legal, but why do they persecute and prosecute the Luna? Why not live up to the ordi- nance and arrest every person who violated it? We invited the other"moving picture show men to come in on the fight They refused. We fought it alone and paid for it alone, and won it alone. Seventli—You should patronize the Luna because our pictures are the best, the clearest, plainest and steadiest. The noise made in back of our curtain makes ours the most realistic pictures in the city, and because our illus- trated songs are the best, because we use the best grapho- phone in this part of the State to sing our illustrated songs. Respectfully yours, ^ Chas. Decker, Manager. [The above three chapters show how a plucky exhibitor in Akron, Ohio, won a case against many odds, and could well be emulated in other places where unjust restric- tions are placed on legitimate amusement enterprises.— Ed.] '.' Hero Loses Life in Theatre Fire. With Clothing Ablaze He Coolly Orders Audience From Place. LocKPORT, N. Y., April 2.—In a fire that destroyed the interior of the Arcanum Theatre, Albert Phillips, twenty years old, a moving picture machine operator, lost his life while fighting to prevent the flames from cutting off the escape of others. The theatre was showing moving pictures. The place was crowded with men, women and many children. The show had been on but a few minutes when some one yelled "Fire!" The audience was terrorstricken. The fire originated in the lamp house directly over the en- trance, in which was located the moving picture machine. Phillips yelled to the audience to leave the theatre as soon as possible. While Phillips was giving the orders in a cool manner so as to prevent a panic, his clothing was on fire. When the firemen entered the onerator's room they stumbled over the body of the youth. I* Bm E. ^nr • LOCAL 546. Two delegates, Frederick Beck and Eugene V. Brady, have been seated in the Building Trades Section of the Central Federated Union and also in the Central Feder- ated Union of New York. This gives Local Union No. 546 a standing and prestige among all trade unions in New York City. At the meeting held April 2d, thirty candidates quali- fied by passing the tests, and were duly initiated. There are still sixty applications to be examined at the next meeting, April 9th, at 9.30 a. m. All operators in New York and vicinity are invited to be present, as the Grand President of the International Brotherhood will conduct the meeting. The officers' names will appear in our next issue. De Witt C. .Wheeler, the well-known slide maker, is moving from Broadway to 120 West Thirty-first street. where he is fitting up the handsomest and largest studio in New York City.