Exhibitors Herald (Jun-Dec 1917)

EXHIBITORS HERALD 19 FIRST A. E. A. SESSION OPENS IN VIRGINIA To Confirm Officers, Define Policy, Lay Plans to Enlarge Organization, and Plan Fight on Menacing State Rights Combine; will Set Convention Date To confirm the present temporary officers, definitely define the future policy of the organization, lay plans to enlarge the organization, and set the date for the first annual convention to be held in Detroit in 1918, the American Exhibitors Association went into its first general assembly August 29 to last until September 1, at Ocean View, Va. All directors and officers from thirty-eight states, in which strong A. E. A. branches have been formed by members of the new organization, were present at this first general session since the bolt and formation last July at the Chicago convention. To Combat Combine Aside from the general routine of work, careful plans will be made to combat the big state right combine, of which the Association last week warned exhibitors throughout the country. Also, campaigns will be laid out to eradicate the prevailing deposit system, to fight censorship, and the music publishers' combine, which already has demanded that exhibitors who play the music of any publisher in the combine must pay an annual tax of ten cents per seat. While the American Exhibitors' Association is in session in Virginia, H. B. Varner, secretary of the North Carolina branch, will watch and report developments from Washington, D. C, concerning the theater tax which, it is announced, is not yet "out of the fire." Many Branches Present The strong New England A. E. A. Branch, New York, led by Samuel Trigger: Chicago, headed by Henry Schoenstadt, who is accompanied by A. J. Krug, Louis H. Frank and Maurice Choynski; Ohio, headed by Samuel Bullock, J. H. Simpson. George Heinbuch, W. J. Slimm and others, will be among the biggest and strongest of the new organization's branches represented. Indiana is led by Frank J. Rembusch, while Michigan, Pennsylvania, under Fred J. Herrington, Kentucky, North Carolina under President Percy Wells, South Carolina, Washington, Tennessee, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont, Oklahoma, represented by L. W. Brophy, and other states and cities have delegates. Plan Big Locals It is understood that following the confirmation of the officers temporarily elected at the formation of the organization in Chicago that elaborate plans will be laid for forming big locals in certain cities in all of the states and that organizers fcvill be appointed to work under General Manager Charles C. Pettijohn. Upon the exhibitors, Jake Wells, president, declares, will rest the future destiny of the new business organization. Every member will have a voice in forming the policy of the A. E. A., whose aim is to protect and further the interests of the exhibitors and the trade in general. The entire South is solidly behind the A. E. A., and every state is represented. Most of the influential theater owners of the Northern states, who were the first to break away from the old organization in July, already are at the scene of the first big session of the organization. Plans Not Known . Just what plan will be made to fight the state rights combine which is thteatening to compete with and close hundreds of theaters operated by independent exhibitors have not been announced. It is expected that before the termination of the three-day session that the most perfect organization in the history of the picture exhibition business will be completed — laid out on a purely business plan. While there has been some talk among exhibitors throughout the countryr that it might be decided upon to hold an exposition in connection with the convention to be held in Detroit next year, Central State theater owners who are members of the A. E. A. this week emphatically declared that the "convention idea" is a thing of the past in so far as the new organization is concerned. "FIVE AND TEN CENT THEATERS MUST BE TAXED,'! SAYS OCHS; TRADE PAPER CAUSES DUPLICITY Instead of Combating Federal Assessment on Smaller Houses He Went on Record as Favoring It; Put Paper's Advertising Ahead of Exhibitors' Interests This Story Was Compiled and Submitted for Publication in the "Herald'' Through Charles C. Pettijohn, General Manager of the A. E. A. New York. — Lee A. Ochs, president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors League of America, elected by that body to work for its interests, put his personal interests in the vanguard in the recent legislative fight at Washington, and instead of combating the proposed federal taxation on the smaller motion picture theaters, went on record as favoring such a tax, saying it had to come and could not be avoided, while at the same time he affixed his signature to a brief submitted by the film manufacturers, praying for relief against taxation on positive prints or negatives. Defeated by Williams That Ochs' plan to have the exhibitors of the nation assessed a ten per cent tax, with the manufacturers exempted from taxation, was defeated was due to the energetic efforts of James D. Williams, manager of the first National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., who early in the fight sent out telegrams to each of the circuit's members, urging them to use their every influence with senators and representatives to eliminate all theaters up to the twenty-five cent class in the proposed war revenue tax. This provision has passed the senate, and stands an excellent chance of being finally adopted by the conference committee of the Senate and House, although the fight is by no means over, and pressure still is being brought to bear to derive revenue from this source. Back of Ochs' duplicity to the exhibitors of the nation is found a most excellent reason. Ochs owns the Exhibitors' Trade Review, which depends entirely for its existence upon the advertising support given it by the film manufacturers. Ochs is said to have remarked to one of the prominent supporters of the effort to exempt motion pictures up to twenty-five cents: "Got to Be Taxed" — Ochs "The five and ten cent theaters have got to be taxed. There is no getting out of it and there is no use trying to fight it. On the other hand I have got a trade paper, and I have got to have advertising. You can't blame me." And yet the Ochs League at its recent annual convention in Chicago, after its most level headed and business like members had deserted, proceeded to reelect Ochs to the presidency. A. E. A. for Exhibitors Now comes the American Exhibitors Association with its genuine interest for the exhibitors. It will fight bitterly any unjust legislation which may be attempted against the exhibitors. None of its executives have personal axes to grind. They are working, and will continue to work solely for the interests of the exhibitor, be they members of the A. E. A. or not. No favor will be given with the manufacturers, because the A. E. A. officials are not interested in trade papers which are kept alive by film manufacturers' advertising. It is an organization of exhibitors, conducted by exhibitors, for the sole benefit of the exhibitor. WILLARD JOHNSON FIGHT FILMS BURN WITH DECKER PLANT S19,000 Blaze Destroys Concern's Studio at Edgewater, N. Y. The Decker Film Company plant, located at Edgewater, N. J., was destroyed by fire Sunday night, August 26. The' loss is estimated at S19.000. The original negatives of the Willard-Johnson fight, filmed at Havana, were burned in the fire.