Variety (November 1918)

Wf M PICTURES IMAY EXEMPT FILM EXPORTERS I; FROM PAYING 10% TAX LEVY , W*——' i^ Senatorial Finance Committee Adopts Amendment to New Revenue Tax BUI Whereby Film Men WUl Not |o Hi^e to Pay Sale Price Taxation. Means ^ Boon to Trade. Washington, D. C, Nov. 20. ■; The Finance Committee of the Sen- rate has adopted an amendment to the mew Revenue Tax Bill whereby all ex- ports of fUm from this country are to be" exempt from the tax of 10 per cent, on the sale price. This was .brought about through the work in ■ Washington of a prominent film ex- ': porter who is now also associated with ■Paramount. - He has been in Washington on sev- eral occasions of late and the manner in which he laid the case of the export- ing end of the industry before the /Finance Committee brought about the concession. The amendment will also have to pass the house, which origin- ;.-ally sent a bill into the Senate which -called for $8,000,000,000 in taxes. This amount has been cut by $1,500,000,000 by the latter body. PARALTA DEFAULTS. Because the Paralta Plays, Inc., as defendant, failed to appear at the trial last Friday in .the City Court before Justice Meyer, Edward Hemmer, the plaintiff, was awarded a judgment for $799.66 by default. The litigation arose out of the alleged failure by the de- fendant to live up to a contract where- by Hemmer was engaged as a scenario writer for Paralta at $100 weekly for six months. The contract was entered into Sept., 1917. Dec. 8 the plaintiff was dismissed. Hemmer, through his attorneys, O'Brien, Malevinsky & Driscoll, insti- tuted suit for $750 for the remaining lyi weeks. MUTUi^rAFFlUATP! STATEMENT,: ' ''At an inlbrmal luncheon at Rector's last Saturday, C. C. Pettijohn, chief counsel for the Affiliated Exhibitors' Corporation, informed the guests there had been a premature announcement made about the new Mutual and Affili- ated deal, and that no definite name would be officially anounced for two . weeks. Mr. Pettijohn stated the Affiliated Hiad not bought che Mutual and neither^ had the Mutual purchased the Aiiilli- ated. He remarked the Affiliated had taken over the management of the Mutual. He added that the Affiliated- Mutual arrangement started off with- out a single cent of indebtedness. With oflffc'ers also exhibitors, it was an exhibitors' proposition, and as such would permit its inner workings to be disclosed to the public. Judging from the present plans the headquarters will be in Chicago. The officers are president, William J. Clark; vice-president and general manager, H. A. Brink; chairman of the board of directors, James Sheldon; secretary, H. C. Cornelius; treasurer, Paul H. Davis; assistant general man- ager, A. S. Kirkpatrick; liiditor, Hugh Davis; general counsel, C. C. Pettijohn. For the present the New York offices in the Mecca Building will be main- tained. ^ ^ I^EINE FOR CENSORSHIP, Q: Chicago, Nov. 20. Censorship is indispensable, and ■ without it the picture industry would be ruined, according to George Kleine, head of the George Kleine system, motion picture distributors, who ap- peared this week befdre the city coun- cil committee investigating the picture industry for the purpose of drawing up a new censorship ordinance. The committee plans to have repre- sentatives of the producers, exhibitors, civic-ind-reform organizations appear and give their views on the subject. "A censorship board should be com- posed of three or four broadminded persons who have not got their hands tied," said Mr. Kleine. "H there are too many pictures for this board to censor, increase the number of boards. "The sections of the ordinance cov- ering immorality are too broad and cause difference of opinion. Another matter for reform is the type of sign which tends to lure the callow into the picture house by virtue of their titular suggestion. These should be abolished by law. "Without censorship the picture in- dustry would have been ruined long ago. You will have a nice crazy quUt -if you take the censors from all the states. One board will pass what an- other will cut out." It is planned to have the heads of a number of picture producers before the committee at its next meeting. i:^l