The Cine Technician (1935-1937)

62 The Journal of the Association of CineTechnicians Aui4.-Oct., 1936 Technicians' Day of Reckonini Third Annual Conference The Third Annual Conference of the Association of CineTechnicians was held at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, on Sunday, May 10th. The Annual Report was outlined at length in the last issue of the Journal. The proceedings generally had an excellent press and it only remains to give a brief summary of the Conference and touch on its high-lights. Firstly, the excellent attendance. Nearly 200 members were present from 34 studios, production companies, newsreel companies and laboratories. The number would have been still larger but for the fact that some companies were shooting on the Sunday. The Chairman. We all knew Ivor Montagu was made for the job, but the way he steered through this superproduction at the speed of a " quickie " without, however, refusing anybody a hearing or rushing past essential business, brought forth peans of praise. Mr. Montagu set the tone of the whole Conference when in welcoming the delegates he expressed the ojnnion that A.C.T was ANOTHER TOP-HAT TECHNICIAN. MR FRANK BASSILL AT THE OPENING OF THE EMPIRE EXHIBITION. WEMBLEY, (Further contributions to this series would be welcome). at a turning point in its history. " The past years," he said, " had been spent in establishing a solid foundation and basis upon which to work, but we could look forward in the near future to 100",, representation in so man}' studios that no-one could fail to recognise the Association as the soundest organisation of its kind in the industry." Membership was reported as 900 (an increase of 812 since the previous year), which represented 670 on the studio side, 180 laboratory workers and 50 newsreel technicians. .4 s we go ta press we are pleased to report that tlie membership has reached a further milestone and is now 1006. There were few changes in the officers of the Association which, for the ensuing year, are J. C. Gemmell, Desmond Dickinson, Thorold Dickinson, Kenneth Gordon and Ivor Montagu (Vice-Presidents) ; Miss Jean Ross (Treasurer) ; Alex. Fisher and John Neill-Brown (Trustees) ; Miss Toni Roe and Arthur J. W. Nurton (Auditors) ; and R. Bond, A. Fisher, C. Knott, T. Lyndon-Haynes, C. Philhps, S. H. Cole, A. Graham, A. Lawson, J. NeillBrown, and F. P. Tennyson (The General Council members elected under Rule 50, who serve together with studio and sectional representatives). A proposal to reduce subscription rates was hea\ily defeated after Mr. Cole had led the opposition on behalf of the General Council. It was pointed out that for the first time in its history the Association was on a sound financial basis and any reduced subscriptions might lead to a falling off of income tending to disturb the present happy position. The General Council agreed to considerthe possibility of granting a small discount to members choosing to pay their subscriptions quarterly, half-yearly, or annually. General Resolutions were reached after tea and jirovided excellent discussions on subjects of paramount importance to cine-technicians. A resolution in favour of insurance and superannuation for technicians was carried unanimously and a resolution in favour of application for affiliation to the Trades Union Congress was carried with only four dissentients. It was made clear that such a step was non-political and that A.C.T. 's present policy of allegiance to no one political party would be continued. A resolution dealing with conditions of employment was introduced on behalf of the General Council. It was pointed out' that although salaries and working conditions were satisfactory in certain studios the exact opposite was foimd to be the case in others. The question of o\-ertimc and Sunday work, which no technicians wanted but which they were willing to do if absolutely necessary, again showed surprising anomalies in various sections of the industry. For example, at Nettlefold's studios the management held the view that the cost of production was increased and the quality of work deteriorated if abnormally long hours were worked. Nettlefolds, therefore, levied such " uncommercial " charges for Sunday work that as a matter of fact on no occasion during tlie making of Quota pictures throughout the whole of 1935 had it been necessary to shoot on a Sunday. The a\-eragc finishing time on week days for the whole year was 8 p.m. At certain other studios the advisability of this policy was not appreciated and the hours worked were abnormally I