Exhibitors Herald (Jun-Dec 1917)

EXHIBITORS HERALD 13 Maurice Choynski Submits Only Plan, Which Is Called Inadequate — League SideStepped Issue, Says City Collector — Sub-body to Act CHICAGO M. P. E. L. AND EXHIBITORS FAIL TO FRAME NEW LICENSE FEE SCHEDULE Lack of concerted action on the art of the theater men of Chicago has placed the matter of increasing the annual license fee entirely up to :he sub-committee appointed by the license committee chairman of the Chicago city council. Alderman James B. Bowler, chairman of the sub-body, held a meeting of his committee in the city hall on Tune 21, at which a readjustment of the license charges was discussed. The sub-committee reported to the icense committee that only one exhibitor, Maurice A. Choynski, who conducts two theaters on the North Side, had submitted a schedule, and the matter was referred back to Mr. Bowler's committee with authority to draw up a table of fees to be charged which will be adopted by the license committee and submitted to the council. Exhibitors' League Fails Mi-. Choyn ski's schedule, while appearing practical from an exhibitor's [standpoint, did not meet the approval iof all of the committeemen. The Motion Picture Exhibitors' League branch of Chicago had representatives at the various meetings in the City Hall and the president spoke at length upon the question, but the League failed to submit a table of fees which would be acceptable to the exhibitors of Chicago, although requested repeatedly to do so. Because of the inactivity of the Chicago branch of the Exhibitors' League and the exhibitors in general, the sub-committee now is going ahead and will prepare its own schedule of license fees which will be submitted to the license committee next week. How Tax May Be Framed It is intimated that under the subcommittee's plan theaters with a seating capacity of from 100 to 300 will have to pay a license of $175 per year; those with 300 to 500 seats, $350; from 500 to 1,000 seats, $700; and those with 1,000 to 1,500 seats, $1,400. This will be at the rate of about 70 cents per seat for the larger theaters and for the smaller houses, where the admission charge is less, it will run about 58 cents per seat per year. When the Chicago city council decided some time ago that the city would raise approximately $30,000 more through licensing the theaters, theater owners were notified that to safeguard their interests and not burden them excessively, open hearings would be held on the subject at which a license fee schedule would be drawn up suitable to all exhibitors. The Exhibitors' League branch was notified and, because it claimed an overwhelming membership of Chicago exhibitors, was requested to submit a schedule which would meet with the approval of its members. Hopp and League Fail Joseph Hopp. president of the Chicago branch, with a number of other league members and officials, appeared at some of the initial hearings on the question, and offered ideas for framing the license fee schedule. But this official's statements that exhibitors were unanimously in accord with his ideas on the subject, brought opposition from league members. At the time, it was declared Hopp's plan would prove very disadvantageous to the exhibitors operating houses with small seating capacities. George F. Lohman, deputy city collector, who was to have received schedules which the league and independent exhibitors were asked to submit, states that the league has virtually side-stepped the affair without presenting any schedule. Mr. Choynski, asserts Lohman, has made every effort in the interest of exhibitors to frame a suitable schedule, but has not had sufficient co-operation and support of other exhibitors to frame a measure which would prove adequate. CITY IN NEW MEXICO SETS LICENSE TAX ON ADMISSION PRICE OF PICTURE THEATERS Albuquerque, N. M. — At a meeting of the city council held last week an ordinance increasing the city tax on motion picture theaters was introduced and passed first reading. The theaters now pay an annual license of $50.50 a year. Under the new ordinance, No. 592, a graduated tax will be imposed, based on the charge of admission, as follows: Theaters charging as high as 10 cents will pay $100 a year; those charging as high as 15 cents, $200 a year, and those charging more than 15 cents, $300 a year. WAR FILM SHOWING "TANKS" ADDED TO CHAPIN CYCLE SHOWING IN N. Y. NEW YORK— The Lincoln cycle of pictures began its fourth week at the Globe Theater June 24. Benjamin Chapin has added to the program a war film showing the British "tanks" in action. JOHN FISKE LEAVES MUTUAL PUBLICITY DEPT. John Fiske, formerly employed in the Publicity Department of the Mutual Film Corporation at its Chicago offices, left the services of the Mutual May 16. GRIFFITH CANNOT GET BATTLE SCENES ON FRENCH FIRING LINE, HE DECLARES Word comes from London, England, that D. W. Griffith has returned from the battle front in France, where he has been studying the possibilities of securing actual battle scenes, convinced that it is impracticable to secure the much desired war views. Onl>isolated incidents, such as have already appeared in news weeklies and official films, can be taken and conditions were against securing a continuous record of events of any battle. Mr. Griffith says: "To take motion pictures of the struggle of the enemy's trenches means having your camera in 'No Man's Land' and the Germans are not sufficiently sportsmanlike to leave you alone undisturbed in vour work. "At the best, it is only possible to film snatches of a battle, and these could not be pieced together to give the public a sufficiently comprehensive idea of what a battle is like. As it is, while the cameraman has achieved wonders, he must remain satisfied rather with accessories of the battle than the battle itself. "To secure fighting pictures with any clear detail it is necessary to have the camera right up, for the the smoke caused by the explosion of the shells tends to throw a veil over everything, and I am afraid that however magnificently battle preparations are organized no secure place has yet been arranged in Ho Man's Land' for the picture man."