Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1929)

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68 BETTER THEATRES SECTION OF December 21, 1929 Like the magic of hidden hands Syncontrol operates your curtains harmoniously with Sound and Scene! Red and green indicators at control station make hitch impossible. A V alien Product V alien Guaranteed V ALLEN ELECTRICAL COMPANY, Inc. Akron, Ohio, U. S. A. prises the Departments of Cortes, Santa Barbara, Copan, Ocotepeque, and Gracias, there are believed to be only five motion pictures theatres. Two of these are located at San Pedro Sula, another at Puerto Cortes, and very small ones at Santa Barbara and Trinidad. Three of these houses have two American projectors each. They were all used machines at the time of their purchase. Arc lamps and screens. — There is but one mirror-reflector arc lamp in use in this locality. Screens are of canvas, painted with an aluminum preparation or with white paint. Dealers. — No local firms would be willing to handle motion picture projectors since the potential demand would not warrant it. For the most part, importations are made directly by the proprietors of the theatres. Visual education. — Visual education with motion pictures has not taken hold in educational institutions, and it is believed that the Government representatives can not be induced to manifest any interest in the purchase of this kind of equipment, since the allotments made by the Central Government would not suffice for such expenditures. The local government officials in charge of public education are the inspectors of public educacation, one of whom is designated for each department. These officials are under the direction of the Ministry of Public Instruction of Tegucigalpa. NICARAGUA CORINTO From report by Consul Christian T. Steger Standard projectors. — Of the 24 motion picture theatres now in operation in the Corinto district five use projectors of French manufacture and the remainder have American machines. The cost of the latter, including duty and delivery charges, amounts to approximately $750 each, whereas the total cost of the French machine is about $200. Despite this considerable difference in price, the American machine enjoys a decided preference, owing to its superior quality, greater ease of operation, its dependability, and its longer life. Most of the French machines now in use are several years old; the American machines are, as a rule, comparatively late models. Only one theatre in this district has two projectors. Generators. — Generator sets are not used in this district. Since few municipalities supply public current, and even these few are not entirely dependable, theatres are equipped with individual electric plants which furnish current for the projectors and for lighting the houses. These plants produce direct current. Arc lamps and screens. — In most of the theatres high-intensity arc lamps are in use; only three theatres use mirror reflectors. With the exception of one theatre, which has the "silver screen," all motion picture screens are of simple white fabric. Dealers. — There are no distributors of motion picture equipment in Nicaragua. All of it being imported directly by the theatre owners. American manufacturers desiring to enter the local market would find it advisable to endeavor to appoint one of the two distributors of motion pictures as a representative for western Nicaragua. These two distributors own several theatres and excercise control over others; consequently they would be the logical representatives. Visual education. — Public education is under the jursdiction of the Ministry of Public Instruction. Little progress in educational matters has been made, and new developments in visual instruction are unknown. The use of motion pic tures as an adjunct to instruction can not be expected to develop in the near future. BLUEFIELDS From report by Consul Samuel J. Fletcher While the district of Bluefields comprises the entire eastern half of Nicaragua with an area of approximately 25,000 square miles, it is but sparsely settled. There are no cities along the entire coast, and the largest town, Bluefields, numbers only 7,000 inhabitants. It is evident that the market for the sale of motion picture equipment is limited. Before the Nicaraguan revolution of 1926-27 there were about nine small motion picture houses along the coast, but at the present time there are only two in operation, one at Bluefields with a seating capacity of 400, and the other at Puerto Cabozas with a seating capacity of 250. Standard projectors. — The only projectors in use or that have been used in this district are those of American manufacture; their cost to motion picture theatre owners ranged between $450 and $1,000. While the theatres are not, as a rule, equipped with more than one projector at the present time, there are actually seven in reserve. The two in operation are of the latest model. Generators. — Owing to the fact that all motion picture theatre owners have individual electrical plants, there would appear to be no market for sale of generator sets. Arc lamps and screens. — Low-intensity and mirror-reflector arc lamps are used in the two theatres now in operation. Other theatres use incandescent lamps. The two theatres in operation use "gold fiber" screens. Dealers. — There are no equipment dealers in this district that would be interested in handling motion picture projectors, either theatrical or nontheatrical. The only individual along this coast interested in motion picture equipment is I. J. Riorda, Bluefields, Nicaragua, the owner and manager of the theatres at Bluefields and Puerto Sabezas; he has been the sole purchaser of projectors or equipment in eastern Nicaragua. PANAMA From report by Commercial Attache George Curtis Peck Standard projectors. — Only two makes of projectors are used in the theatres of Panama and the Canal Zone, both of these being of American manufacture. All theatres in both jurisdictions have two projectors, which are all said to be comparatively late models. There are 30 places where motion pictures are regularly exhibited in Panama, these being located as follows: In Panama City, 5; in Colon, 2; in other towns of the Republic, 4; in the various clubhouses in the Canal Zone, 10; in the several United States Army quarters, 9. In addition, there is perhaps a score of small picture houses scattered throughout the. country.