The Moving Picture World (September 1907)

420 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. eighteen per day. No wonder the dyeing is so crudely and poorly done. We hope to see quality and not quantity become the rule, and a living wage paid to skilled work- ers. Therefore, in the interests of all who use illustrated songs, we trust they will not demean themselves by using' cheap and gaudy productions from the lithographer's stone. Moving Picture Exhibitors' Association. In reference to the Moving Picture Exhibitors' Asso- ciation, held on August 26, Mr. Herbert Miles ,of Miles Bros., expressed himself very freely as follows: He touched more especially upon a claim made by a speaker before the association that manufacturers and renting ex- changes should not have a proprietary interest in nickel- odeons and moving picture theaters. Mr. Miles stated that this Summer, during the warm, weather, hundreds of the smaller moving picture theaters. were closing all over the country, and in every city could be seen boarded up and dilapidated theater fronts which had a tendency to create a bad impression in the minds of the general public concerning the moving picture busi- ness in general.' The moving picture exhibitors as a whole, we think, should be very thankful to any concern with enough capi- tal and business acumen to jump in and -prevent these tombstones of the moving picture industry from becom- ing so numerous as to throw discredit upon those houses which remain open during the dull season. Mr. Miles stated that any concern like his, that would be so short-sighted as to favor one of their own houses against any other house, which they did not own but which was taking service from them, could not last a season. He claims that they have only the good of the business in view in every move they make, and any house they own is in the market for sale to any of their cus- tomers wishing to purchase. He further stated in this connection that theirs was the only concern that did not decrease their standing orders with all film manufacturers during the dull season. This helped to enable the manufacturers to keep turning out good productions throughout the dull season, the benefit of which was felt by all houses that did keep open. The great trouble with most nickelodeon proprietors is that they imagine film manufacturers can keep, putting their money forever in new productions, and taking the chances of disposing of enough copies to pay them for the original expense of making the negative and main- taining their manufacturing plants. The principle thing for these proprietors to bear in mind is that the more they pay for their film service, the better service they should receive and the better service an honest, reliable renting concern is able to give. Mr. Miles stated that he was sorry that he could not have been present personally as treasurer of the associa- tion, which was not formed for the purpose of advertising any particular renting concern, but for mutual protection against unjust and discriminating legislation. Mr. Kilder, of Travers Gity, Mich., has fitted up a first-cla« moving picture illustrated song and novelty theater in Ironwood Mich., after having the house in readiness once, and being buret out by some unknown firebug. He will endeavor to fit the plan up in grander and better style than before and we feel that eve though the fire was set for mischief it, also was a good advertise- ment Mr. M. P. Witherell, of Detroit, Mich., who has been in tfe business for the last five years, will operate and introduce son* new features in the way of noise effects and with a little lectun with each picture will endeavor to hold the people to an interested point * * * Annisley Burrowes, late editor of the Sunday News-Tribtmt of Detroit, Mich., has embarked in the moving picture busints at Kingston, Ont. Mr. Burrowes has secured a splendid local:- in the most crowded part of the principal shopping thoroughfan —Princess street—and will operate a strictly high-class plact During the past six months he has been studying the busines in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Toronto, Ont; Detroit, Mich., and smiDe places in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, and has man good ideas. Mr. Burrowes is a man of varied experience rang ing from the backwoods of Canada to the boulevards of Pan; and the clubs of London. He has been at odd times a lata agitator, a surveyor, a commercial traveler, a book agent, ; telegraph operator, a farm laborer, but chiefly and most of th: time a journalist He has served on the New York Herald, New York World, New York Journal and New York Tims and the high quality of his work is attested by many letti Mr. Burrowes is.a native of Kingston, where his family has ' well known for nearly a century. * * * Fire Marshal Lattimer has just at present no more import: duty than to see that audiences in the moving picture shows v protected from the peril of fire. But it is unnecessary to tb a year for the Legislature to license them. Let councils act I can include them in its general classification of amusemefi and clap a license on as well as require safety and the requisi supervision of their films. But $25, proposed by Fire Marst Lattimer, is far too low. The theaters pay $500. They are uni burdensome restrictions. The space they can sell to the an: ence is restricted by law. Their exits are required to be larp their stairs are widened to the loss of space. Their expeps are heavy._ They carry a large pay rolL Their taxes, dire and indirect, are numerous and yield a considerable revenue. The moving picture show ought to pay a license of at lo $100 a year. This will improve < their quality, prevent transits shows coming in to vex a neighborhood where they are E wanted and restrict the business to responsible persons, exclu<& casual speculators. As it is now, these shows are swarming the city. They are springing up where they are a nuisance, ninety have been opened. In New York 300 have been to in a year. Two or three make a block too noisy for roanr business and trade which pays taxes and disburses large 14 in wages. If one on Market street can afford, as it has, to>■ a $500 theater license, the rest can at least pay $100.— Press, Fc adelphia. * * * The {cinematograph is something which has advanced by and bounds into popularity; places of amusement of this . spring up here and there like mushrooms in a night all over city, and because they are inexpensive they are widely patron In a great percentage of them the picture shown is very end of a made-up film showing scenery of historical event or or ceremony are few and far between. The so-called picture has the floor. This is very much upon the order of the fun in the newspaper supplement. We are shown children who p*f elephantine pranks of incredible, mischief; [ who deface stal