The Cine Technician (1939)

April-May, iq_i7 T 11 E (' I N E -T E CHNICIA N 17 The Key to the Door By REG. BARTLETT, The Newly-appointed A.C.T. Organiser THE growth and progress of any such organisation as ours is marked by definite stages of development ; closely resembling our own individual human attainment of wisdom and stature. Eirst comes the period of early infancy, accompanied by the devoted nursing and self-sacrificing attention of the parent pioneers. Our infant grows : its youth is a period of difficulties and adjustments, of conditioning by the influence of its environment. Expansion is often accompanied by growing pains. Mistakes are made, and the lessons of experience are assimilated. Then a further phase is reached, and our young organisation becomes conscious of approaching maturity. It is now time to put away many childish things, for there are serious responsibilities to be assumed. Perhaps we can all agree that this significant stage in itself but the very beginning of tilings — has now been achieved in the natural existence of our Association. A.C.T. has grown up, and we are in a position to claim the key to the door ! 77 is a very important key. ft opens the door to all-round agreements, regulating decent conditions for our me in tiers throughout every department of the film industry — studio, laboratory and newsreel— which is covered by our Association. Well, we have claimed that key, and we are opening that door. Let us pause for a few minutes on the threshold for a little healthy introspection and self-criticism. What are the responsibilities that we must be expected to assume, to ourselves no less than to those with whom we seek co-operative agreement ? Perhaps if we can get to know ourselves a little better, we can acquire a higher standard of self-discipline ; and nothing but good can come of it if we grow more self-conscious as an Association. Now the first point which occurs to us concerns our quantitative membership. We can congratulate ourselves on now having enrolled in our ranks the majority of technicians in the majority of studios, laboratories and newsreel companies, many of which are now 100% organised. This is good ; but it is net enough. Nothing less than \^'\, of all available technicians throughout the industry must be our standard. It is here that a definite responsibility devolves upon every member. You don't have to be a leading member of your appropriate committee before you interest yourself in the allimportant task of winning further members for the Association. Are you working with any non-A.C.T. colleagues ? If so, is it in spite of the fact that you have attempted to persuade them of the advantages of joining ; or because you have tended to neglect your primary responsibility as a member ? After all, it is to be assumed that every member joined in the fundamental belief in an Association, which would further the common interests of a small but important section of the community. Surely it is but a step halftaken if membership is not followed by discussion with those who are not yet associates. (I know it sounds very obvious; but it does seem apparent also that there are REG. BARTLETT members who tend to see their organisation, not as an association of cine-technicians with common interests and objectives, but rather in the light of a central nucleus attached to a host of hermits by separate communication channels, each of which is utilised for the one-way passage of subscriptions. This is a definitely unhealthy conception). The question of mere numbers thus seems to have led us to the much more important aspect of the quality of our membership, in the mass. I think we should measure that quality in terms of organisational unity. Quite frankly, some of our (numerically) strongest units have need of adjustment in this respect, and 1 am sure thai we can all benefit by briefly running over a lew of the essentials of adequate organisation before passing through thai door which opens upon new and greater responsibilities. How many of us can say that we have a thorough working knowledge of the rules and regulations governing our Association ? And how many of us have consciously broken any of the rules If we regard our rules book mcivK as a rough working guide, then the result will only be expressed in various forms of disorganisation— in serious arrears of contributions,