The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

156 CINE TECHNICIAN October 1956 Organiser's Page PATIENT TV MEMBERS THERE will be reference elsewhere in this issue to George Elvin, but I have been asked by many people on all sides of the industry to convey to George through this column sincere wishes ■By Ml DD Y for his speedy and complete recovery. While writing about invalids, Charlie Wheeler is now back to work but not sufficiently recovered to take a full active part in the Union's affairs. He has been advised to take things quietly for a while. The Sound Section seem to be having a bad run of ill-health, as their Chairman, Bill Salter, has been in the Kingston General Hospital. He is now convalescing at home. I am sure he would be glad to hear from his colleagues. TV Section Members in the TV Section will be interested to know that the General Council have approved the formation of a section, together with its own officers. Meetings will be arranged in Birmingham, Manchester and London so that members can elect their committee. It is hoped that these meetings will be called in the very near future when the Negotiating Committee will be in a position to place before our members the Trade Union Agreement for endorsement. I should like to congratulate our TV members on their patience in waiting for an Agreement. Your negotiators have not found it an easy task as they have been dealing with an entirely new set-up which has presented many difficulties in reaching a satisfactory agreement. Similarly, we shall be shortly approaching th<> employers at E.M.I. , Maida Vale, where a proposed agreement has been discussed with our members and Head Office. This suggested agreement has now been endorsed. The Employment Officer has asked me to mention in these notes that it is felt that many of our members who became redundant at Associated Rediffusion have not taken full advantage of the Employment Bureau. They are, of course, entitled to register and should do so, particularly in view of the fact that we are approaching the I.T.A. and various other Programme Contractors, particularly the new ones that have been appointed, reminding them we have trained technicians in the field available. In the Shorts and Documentary field, while we have no difficulty in persuading reputable employers to carry the minimum crews as mentioned in the Shorts and Documentary Agreement on various types of film, these employers point out to us that there are small studios within the London area which do not carry minimum crews. It would be helpful if technicians who are offered work by these Companies contact Head Office immediately so that not only can we protect our members' standards but also insist that companies who are not members of the A.S.F.P. are placed on the same competitive basis, particularly in the market for advertising films, as the reputable employer. We are sorry to hear that Joe Burr, Maintenance Engineer with Humphries Laboratories over the last 25 years, has passed away. We extend to his family and to his colleagues at Humphries who have lost a very good friend, our deepest sympathy. SHORTS — continued charge of the Film Section covering distribution and production for the Co-op. Bert, of course, is still mainly in Manchester, and is still interested in the Manchester Branch. He sends his regards to all his friends in the South, and he has promised to send me more news from the North. Thank you. Bert, and best wishes to the Manchester Branch. And, now, to our General Secretary, George, may I say, on behalf of the Section, hurry up and get well, and don't worry ! Shorts and Documentary Section STEVE cox writes : The HalfAnnual Meeting of our Section has come and gone. It was held at the Crown Theatre, Wardour Street, at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, 20th September, 1956. As there was nothing controversial on the agenda the Committee decided to request the presence of a representative of U.P.A., to show us some of their films, and to have a discussion on them. The response of the members was wonderful and we had a full house — in fact, it overflowed, and I know several members went away because they couldn't get in. The fortunate ones inside first heard the Secretary's Report. The members appeared satisfied and queries were raised. Then followed a discussion of the technical activities for the Section. This brought several very good suggestions from the floor, and it was agreed that the Committee go forward and arrange meetings incorporating the ideas put forward, providing, of course, that the F. & G.P. comes across with the " lolly " — should finance be necessary. The Big Moment Then came the Big Moment. Mr. Leo Salkin of U.P.A. was introduced. May I add here that he only landed at London Airport at 4.30 that afternoon from Cannes where he had been viewing over 400 films. After a brief introduction we saw a series of TV commercials. This was followed by a discussion and Mr. Salkin explained how U.P.A., led by Mr. Steve Bosustow. came into being. After that we saw Tht Invisible Moustache of Knoul Dufxi. the film which recently received an award at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Again we had a discussion during which Mr. Salkin told us how U.P.A. differed from other cartoon companies. The finale was a one-minute TV commercial of that inimitable character, Mr. Magoo. On behalf of all in the Shorts Section 1 would like to say thank you, Leo. and the others of U.P.A. who were responsible for making our meeting one of the best ever. There is just one other item of news. I recently met Bert Hampson, ex-cameraman, but now in i contintu <l foot of pr< c< ding column i