Show World (October 1909)

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMUSEMENT WEEKLY Published at 87 South Clark Street Chicago, by The SHOWIlTORLP Publishing Cfljj knteredasSccoiid-CtessMa'tcr ^ A R RE N A.PATRICK, GENERAL P/RECTOR. un l;Sg 0 fco^srfS5q Volume V No. 17 DECISION AIMED AT BILLBOARD NUISANCES justice Seabury of New York Supreme Court Hands Down Opinion That Is Widespread in Effect. & point in CHICAGO October 16, 1909 I ALBANY, N. Y., Oct. 14.—Justice Sea- New York Supreme Court, own a decision in a case A which the authorities of Manhattan Borough were the defendants, with the ■PulUvan Advertising- company, as P This decision upheld the contention ... .>,» advertising company had no erect signs on a temporary shed . a. public highway. An important in Justice Seabury’s decision was |uch signs' being outside the building i it is doubtful if the municipal au- llties could lawfully have authorized ■Jlr erection. The streets or highways ate public property. The streets, in- tludlng the sidewalks, belong ‘from side to side and end to end’ to the pub- K- Abutting owners have no right to Jpropriate this public property to pri¬ nts uses. The erection of billboards ■ signs upon or over public property an appropriation of public property to [teste uses, and is no more sanctioned f the law than is the public appro¬ bation of private property.” Further, in ruling against the signs, Justice Seabury declared that “it is a -' ere the public property has been -..ally invaded by private or in- lual interests in such a way as to he common rights of all in it.” too, that “the presence of the __s upon the public highway is mere nuisance which the municipal *AP of relief from h i ailment. WHITE RATS URGE REDUCED RATES Harry Mountford Arrives to Discuss Situation with Passenger Agents—Excess Baggage Rates May Be Cut. OLDEN IS ADHERENT OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE. Noted Vaudeville Artist and Humor¬ ist Said to Have Been Cured of Tuberculosis by New Belief. NEW YORK, Oct. 14.—George Fuller n, the actor, who has been at the Music Hall, where he Is filling an nment, Issued a statement in .— he gives credit to the efficiency Bhristian Science for curing him of ffireulosis. The cure is two-fold in i result: Christian Science has gained very strong adherent, and Mr. Golden Hgbrmulating plans for the establish¬ ed of a Christian Science Institute at ranac Lake, where the comedian spent jucli of his time in recent years in ■met* rx-f Mil A# V. J _ _:i-a. Emphatic denial was made by Harry Mountford, secretary to the board of directors of the White Rats of America, that his flying trip to Chicago from New York this week meant that he was to lead a bitter fight against the hooking agents who were not using the new form of contract as submitted to the various agencies by the state board of labor commissioners of Illinois. The main purport of his visit here, he said, was to appear before the convention of the General Railroad Passenger Agents of America, who are in session here. Big Object In View. His conference with the passenger agents was to use all the influence pos¬ sible to have the railways sanction a reduction in the large fares of traveling vaudeville artists and a subsequest de¬ crease in the amount paid for excess baggage. Secretary Mountford is deeply interested in the movement, which has the hearty support of the White Rats, who will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to have the reduction made through what pressure that can be brought to bear. While the matter has just assumed definite shape as far as having the inconveniences pointed out to the railway men and the vast amount of money forked over by the traveling artists shown as being of unusual pro¬ portions each year, it has been the bone of contention among the artists for years. Mountford Is interviewed. Regarding the matter, Mr. Mountford, who was seen at the Chicago White Rats’ office by a Show World repre¬ sentative, said: “I am here to attend the convention of General Railroad Pas¬ senger Agents of America to see if any means can possibly be devised whereby the large railway fares and excess bag¬ gage sums which vaudeville artists are required to pay may be reduced. It is likely that an organization, similar tn of vast benefit to the traveling artists. Similarly in France, the vaude¬ ville artists traveling from Paris to Marseilles or Toulon are allowed demi- tariff (half rate). In either countries enormous fares prevail. 8,000 Artists Travel Weekly. Continuing, Mr. Mountford said: “We are going to try every effort to secure an^arrangement whereby the^artists will eling ~.....—j —--- of $8 each. A reduction therefore would mean much to them. Of course, there are obstacles in America to overcome that don’t occur in other countries. The granting of the concession desired by the artists would save to the White Rats alone $100,000 a year. Ninety per cent of the artists are engaged in New York for the Pantages and the Sullivan & Considine circuits. Now, to open in Butte or Spokane, for instance, means a nice large railway fare to start with, and the amount also deducted for excess luggage cuts another big hole in the ar¬ tists’ salaries. Fay Commission and Fares. “Another particular point is brought to mind,” said Mr. Mountford. "The round-trip ticket for these artists going over the Pantages or Sullivan & Consi¬ dine circuits costs from $125 to $1 l b, which comes out of the artists’ salaries, on which commission is paid to them. We may not get the reduction asked this year or the next, but it is my per¬ sonal belief that in four or five years, at the utmost, the matter will be amicably settled by the railways and artists. Al¬ though this is the first ime that the idea has been suggested to the passen¬ ger agents, it will be pushed until some¬ thing is done. However, this is not the only thing that the White Rats have in mind, as they intend to do many oth- ors for the betterment of present con¬ ditions.” Doc” Breed Said to Have Resented In¬ terference With His Work and Re¬ signs His Place. SlAHA, Oct. 14.—“Doc” Breed, for n ’°* seven or eight years the work- „ J and business director of the mous Ak-Sar-Ben Carnival, has re- position as manager. Ever Ee took hold of the affair the tejar-Ben Carnival and the different ““t fair attractions that have come have prospered. It is regretted E-P oc resigned. Private business “™ es , have encroached upon his J? 6 JS 1 ^day Mr. Breed has all he a attend to by looking after his satrlcal business, he and associates la dozen attractions on the “• Old Dame Rumor whispers, and Whisper is authority, that the big 8 or the Ak-Sar-Ben wanted to butt the work allotted to “Doc”, and d balked.—SMYTH. Says He Will Book Acts for Vaude¬ ville Managers Representing $7,000,000 of Capital. Frank Q. Doyle this week claimed that he had formed an organization of man¬ agers of vaudeville houses, representing a capital of $7,000,000, to whom he would supply acts. He also reiterated a pre¬ vious statement to the effect that he would not use the new form of con¬ tract until compelled to do so by law. Beginning next week, he said, he would *■ M. A. Gets Hew Quarters. IS C IT T ’ la- Oct. 14.—Sioux ■pHge No. 71 T. M. A., have se- Iw* additional club rooms In the new [(h?” 4 totter building and has fitted ° ut to fine shape and is becom- lSL SL P 0 P ul ar with traveling mem- lowLJlf 9 one peat difficulty has been IwTSTk a 1 d th e lodge promises to be K n l £ e strongest In the middle West. to secretary and G. W. I^sstrand, president hort snow is stopped BY COURT INJUNCTION. AUBURN, N. Y„ Oct. 10.—In United States court recently a temporary in¬ junction was granted the plaintiffs In the action brought by Vaughan Glazier and Willard Holcomb against Mortimer Snow and others, comprising the Mor¬ timer Snow company, restraining the de¬ fendants from producing the play known as “St. Elmo.” The novel from which the play was dramatized was written by Augustus J. Evans, in 1868, and copyrighted and transferred to the G. Dillingham company, publishers. The plaintiff purchased the dramatic rights of the novel and produced the play, which has met with success. The plaintiffs claim that the defendants are producing a cheap version of the play, and are Injuring their reputation, as well as deriving a large profit from plaintiffs’ advertising. Argument on the case occupied the attention of the court the greater part of the day. BOOKING CIRCUIT NOW SAID T0_BE BANKRUPT Atlas Booking Concern of New York Reported to be in Trouble and Petition is Piled. NEW YORK, Oct. 14.—A petition in bankruptcy has been filed against the Atlas Booking Circuit of 1402 Broad¬ way, which was principally engaged in purchasing and selling theatrical ap¬ purtenances, and which also did a book¬ ing business by these creditors: Jacob Leibel, $1,134; Joseph Hordes, $3,727, both on demand notes, and Louis R. Adams. It was alleged that the com¬ pany is insolvent, made preferential payments of $550, transferred merchan¬ dise, contracts, and dues receivable, $500 and by the president, Max Rosen, admitted Insolvency and Inability to meet obligations long past due. The company Is a New York corporation, incorporated Jan. 21, 1909, with t capi¬ tal stock of $50,000. It was a combino- tion of several concerns, among which were Levitt & Lacomb Myer & Levitt, and the American Musical Association. Judge Adams appointed Charles L. Cohn receiver, with a bond of $1,500, and authorized him to continue the business for ten days. It was stated that the corporation has considerable merchan¬ dise in Schenectady, and has a valuable contract with the board of trade of that city whereby, it is receiving large sums of money from the sale of mer¬ chandise for a carnival there, and is secreting the same. It Is also alleged that the officers In this city are dally receiving money or contracts and are concealing It. The assets are estimated at $3,000. Members of Company Billed to Sing “Robin Hood” Grow Jealous Over Praise and They Disband. which ____ = __ comic opera, "Robin Hood,” at the Lyric theater in this city, disbanded in Pitts¬ field, Mass. Petty jealousies among the principals of the troupe over newspaper notices made necessary the cancella¬ tion of all dates. The singers were paid in full and returned to New York. The company opened Its season at Glens Falls, on Monday a week. The newspaper comments on the Initial presentation of the opera there were of the best, and there were large advance sales at Amsterdam and Johnstown, where the company was to have ap¬ peared to-day and Sunday. Manager Gatley of the Lyric received only a par¬ tial supply of advertising matter. Not receiving the balance, and failing to hear anything from the company last week, Mr. Gatley became suspicious that something was wrong and there¬ fore did not advertise the attraction. The company was booked to appear in Utica on Friday and Saturday of last Circus Man Finds Home. DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 14.—Jack Shep¬ herd, the civil war veteran, has entered the soldiers’ home here. Mr. Shepherd is an old circus man and for many years was on the road with the Wallace shows, and was also employed at the old win¬ ter quarters at Peru, Ind., for a number of seasons. He was popularly known as “Coo Coo” among the circus employes, and distinguished himself with the show In Kansas once when he stopped a run¬ away team of horses and saved several lives. SCHAEFFER SAYS HIS FIRM HOLDS TO DOYLE. Member of Well-Known Vaudeville Company Denies That a New Booking Agency Is Being Promoted. A report that was circulated around Chicago this week to the effect that the firm of Jones, Linnick & Schaeffer, oper¬ ators of nearly a dozen of the leading vaudeville and picture houses in Chi¬ cago, had determined to open a book¬ ing agency of their own to fight against the Actors’ Union. Frank G. Schaeffer of the firm, when interviewed by a Show World reporter, denied absolutely that he had any intention of opening an agency. "You may say for me,” he said, “that the rumor is entirely without foun¬ dation. You may also state that the report that we would look to the West¬ ern Vaudeville Managers’ Asoclation to supply our houses with acts is also un¬ true. It is our intention to stick to B'rank Q. Doyle, who has heretofore supplied us with what we want in the way of high-class bookings.” Upon Invitation of J. J. Murdock, Prom¬ inent Manufacturers Will Arrive in November. Inquiry was made at the offices of the International Projecting & Producing Company this week and it was ascer¬ tained that J. J. Murdock, president of the company, had succeeded in accom¬ plishing the purposes of his mission to Europe. After signing contracts with the important film manufacturers of the continent and England, he extended an invitation to them to visit America and thus glean an intimate knowledge of the conditions in America and the require¬ ments of the trade on this side of the water. During the past week J. J. Mur¬ dock, president, and E. J. Magerstadt, treasurer of the International company, have been in Paris, France, and have held an important conference with thirty-seven of the most prominent film manufacturers in Europe. Mr. Murdock cabled October 13 that, upon invitation of the International Projecting & Pro¬ ducing Company, these manufacturers will visit America and will meet in Chi¬ cago early in November.