The Cine Technician (1939)

March-April, 1938 N E ]■; ( ' 1 1 n 1 » ' i \ \ 211) gerous assembly liad been planned for on one corner were three inspectors ol police; on three sides oi the meeting were constables in couples— and a sergeant stood amidst the crowd, looking prepared for anything! At the same time, a better crowd oi intelligent and decent men and women you could not imagine anywhere, tf you have as I have a sense oi the ridiculous, you must have laughed at tins pompous display oi authority, winch kept a glinting eye on the platform to see that nobody mounted n ! It was difficult to keep in mind that this meeting was simph a body oi BRITISH technicians, ready to hold a public meeting about a BlilTlSH hill, in the BRITISH lions,' oi Commons." Thank you, Taller ! J have since found out a lew things about the Seditious Meetings Act. It was passed just alter the close of the Napoleonic Wars, when there was great social unrest there were bread riots, unemployment, general dissatisfaction, persons clamouring for the vote (one of the many rights which we take for granted to-day, forgetting the hard fights which realised them). In short, an attack on the House of Commons was leared. Hence the passing ol an Act to forbid demonstrations and meetings within a inih' ot the House while Parliament was in session. It was emphasised at the time thai the measure was purely a TEMPORARY one. Yet it has never been repealed, ami like other so-called temporary measures is found very handy by the authorities from time to time to suppress activities under entirely different circumstances from those conceived at the time ot the passing oi the THE (-ILM INUUSIRY TO-DAY Points from the speech of Mr. Elvin to the meeting of unemployed film workers referred to in his article alongside. S 000 out ol 10,000 technicians and workers em d in film product ii m are to-day unemployed. \ special I labour Exchange has had to be opened at Boreham \Y I iKlstnm to cope with the vast III: I ■ ase 111 II 1 1 e III j 1 1 o \ 111 e 1 1 1 . Il the Films Bill goes through in it presenl form all you can look forward to is an average oi six weeks work pei year. l\ie French film industry to-day is in a healthier position than ever before because due attention has been paid to the needs ol its workers. Art is international. Therefore, on this score alone, let es have a few more Britishers in key positions. During the past ten years (540 film companies have been promoted. A large number have made only one film. Some have not completed a single production. Thousands oi pounds are owing in technicians' s-daries by many ol such companies w it h nominal capital and n i i ■ h un \\ hich Mich debts could be recoveied. What we want is: — (1) Sufficiency of production; (2) Minimum quality of production; (3) British labour in key technical positions; (4) Fair wages and working conditions for all employees. FlUM WITHOUT A HERO Reproduced by kind permission <>! 1 end "The /■■ vening Slo