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52 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. Now, gentlemen, I fear that I have more than exhausted my time, but I would be glad to answer any questions which any of you gen- tlemen may see fit to ask me. Mr. Abercrombie. Is it your opinion that the so-called National Board of Censorship, misnamed, as you have stated, has not resulted in good? Mr. Bush. No ; I will not say that. I will say this: Here is a body of men and women, so far as I know, and I thirds I know pretty well, serving Avithout pay, merely for the sake of promoting the public welfare, and they examine these pictures and they act rather in an advisory than in a censorial capacity. The manufacturers accept their verdict in 99 cases out of 100. There is no question that this board has done good; no question at all. In fact, I believe that much of the uplift, much of the progress along clean moral lines of the motion picture is to some degree attributable to that board. But this board always has disavowed, and its chairman again and again has emphatically disavowed any intention to impose any legal re- straint. It is voluntary. Mr. Abercrombie. Now, if a moving-picture house tl. rows on the screen the usual statement that, " This picture has been passed upon by the National Board of Censorship," in the absence of any law establishing such a board and giving it authority, could the manager of such a business be punished ? Mr. Bush. I do not know that I quite catch your meaning? Mr. Abercrombie. That is, of course, if it is untrue. I mean when the statement is untrue. Mr. Bush. I should think so. Mr. Abercro.mi'.ie. I ah\ ays feel safe when I se^' that on the board. Now, suppose it is not true. There is no way to punish the manager in the absence of a law. Mr. Bush. I should think that the laAvs now on the statute books would cover that situation. I can not now work out the legal details, but it seems to me that it would not take the law veiy long to get at the offense involved. It is certainly a misrepresentation. Perhaps it is a forgery; I do not know. Mr. Ai$ercrombie. You are a student of moving-picture alfairs. Do you know whether that statement is made falsely in many in- stances? Mr. Bush. To my knov.ledge—well, I have no knowledge of a single case v/here it was used wrongfully. The CiiAii.'MAN. Do you not believe, Mr. Bush, that if a just and equitable law as to censorship could be estal)lished that it Avould be a protection both to the public and also to you gentlemen financially and to the public morally? Mr. Bush. Well, I can only repeat what I have said before, that the present condition is satisfactory. I do not see why it is necessary to impose censorship. "When tlio movini*' luctures first became kno\vn as toys, introduced to the public with all sorts of clownish incidents, then, perhaps, a somewhat stricter supervision might have been im- posed. The Chairman. Now, this censorship is imposed in a great many States, cities, and towns? Mr. Bush. Yes, sir.