The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Sep-Oct 1922)

September 23, 1922. THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. 13 C.E.A. PRESIDENT AND THE TAX. EFFORTS TOWARDS BETTER ADJUSTMENT. Advocacy of a Flat Rate—Wanted, a Unanimous Voice— Interviewing the Prime Minister-—Bookings and Contracts. the presence of several of the national officials at their mecting last week. It was a red-letter day in the branch’s history, as it was the first occasion on which thie president of the Association has attended a meeting of the branch. The party was on its way to Edinburgh to attend a meeting of the National Council, and were the guests of the Executive Committee of the branch at a luncheon provided at the Crown Hotel, Newcastle, where a meeting of the members was afterwards held. Mr. J. S. Snell presided at the luncheon, and was also in the chair at the meeting which followed., The party included Alderman KE. Trounson, Major A. J. Gale, Councillor Thomas Thompson, Mr. W. Gavazzi King, Mr. Norman Hart, Captain J. W. Barber, Mr. Sidney Bacon, and Captain J. H. Dovener, chairman of the North-Eastern branch of the C.E.A.; together with Mrs. Trounson, Mrs. Dovener, Miss Ning, and Miss Dovener. a Northern branch of the C.F.A. were honoured with Alderman Trounson and the Tax. The President of the Association, who was heartily applauded on rising to address the meeting, paid a compliment to the work of the chairman of the branch, Mr. F. W. Morrison, one of the Council delegates, and Mr. J. Coverdale Bell, on behalf of the Association, The Northern branch was unlike many other branches that he had visited because it did not want any help. The Northern branch was a greater help to the Assuciation than the Association could be to the branch, chiefly ou account of its solidarity and the unusual high proportion of exhibitors in its area who were members of it. Advocacy of a Flat Rate. Speaking on the Entertainments Tax the president said that it was a matter which of necessity must be dealt with in the immediate future. The question at present was, what was to be the future policy of the Association? That was a matter of the gravest moment. His opinions were purely personal, and did not involve any committee or sub-committee of the Association. He took that opportunity of expressing his own view on one or two matters which would have to be dealt with by the General Council at the Edinburgh meeting. Total abolition was absolutely out of the question with the present House of Commons, and, in his judgment, was out of the range of practical politics for some time to come. If they cared for his opinion and would not think him presumptive in offering it, it was to go for a flat rate of 124 per cent., and his firm opinion was that it could he secured, provided, firstly, that the whole of the branches spoke with one voice. Secondly, they had to agitate, educate and organise—three essentials. Wanted—A Unanimous Voice. If the Association decided on another scale he would’ devote practically the whole of his time to securing it. when they got ft unanimous vote on it, but let them) be unanimous and pre Google pared to eliminate any political opinions they might hold for the time being. It was unfortunate that there were so many exhibitors outside the Association. There was not a single exhibitor in the country who did not owe a debt to the Association. If they could only induce the exhibitors to come in, it would strengthen the hands of the Association considerably. They were a Trade Union, working for the common good of the whole of the trade, and there was no Trade Union in the country which had maintained its membership during the last twelve months to the same extent as had the C.F.A. The big houses were coming in, in some cases absolutely unsolicited; therefore, it was obvious that there must be some merit in the Association, One did get somewhat tired when they thought of those men who were trying to reap all the benefits without contributing their part. Interviewing the Prime Minister. Relieving the Entertainments Tax to be a dominant question, ho felt that they really wanted to find out, if possible, what were the feelings of the Prime Minister on the matter. He did not think he was divulging anything he was not entitled to divulge if he told the mecting that he had approached the Prime Minister some short time ago, asking him to receive a deputation from the C.K.A. His message was conveyed to the Prime Minister, quite fully, and he (the speaker) immediately found himself up against the proposition, First, whom did the deputation claim to represent: and, secondly, what was it up against? His message to the Prime Minister was that they were up against no party or parties, or individuals, and that they were out for an alteration in the incidence of the tax and intended to have it. What they wanted was to know how many members of the Cabinet were in favour of that, whether the Prime Minister was in favour of that, and would he receive a deputation to discuss the merits of the question, He pointed out to the Prime Minister that the bulk of the members of the Association were exhibitors who owned simply one house, and that such members were known as small exhibitors. The tax was jeopardising the bread and butter of these men, and that the question of polities did not enter into the matter.. He asked the members of the Association to have no politics whatever until that question was settled. That might appear a selfish position to take up, but they were out for a stern fight. and they must have one common platform, one joint aim, and if they stuck to that they would win through. (Applause.) The members of the Association had called him to the chair in the most critical year in the history of the kinema trade, and he was feeling the responsibility very heavily. Bookings and Contracts. Alderman Trounson concluded by referring to bookings and contracts. The unfortunate man was the one who did not respond to the advice given by the General Council of the (Continued on next page.)