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

14 THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. YORKSHIRE October 14, 1922. “JIBBING.” Steps Being Taken to Form a County Association for Exhibitors: To Unite with Lancashire ? (By our Leeds ORKSHIRE is taking the bit in the teeth and heading \ _ for a county association of exhibitors. A hint has _ also been thrown out that the proposed new body should join up with Lancashire. Will there be a fusion of forces in the great counties familiarly referred to as ‘* the rival Roses?” The proposal is a highly important one, and may clearly be far-reaching in ite developments. The omission of the counties iu the appointment of representatives on the new Tax Committee was resented, and dissatisfaction is rife. The influential Leeds and District Branch has unanimously agreed, anyway, to consult the county on the question of a Yorkshire association, The step was enthusiastically taken at the October meeting of the Leeds C.B.A. members, which was a large and important gathering. The Standard Contract. The need for a step of this kind was first mentioned during a discussion on the Standard Contract, when it was reported that a joint committee had been appointed to set up a new form of contract with the appointment of a judicial arbitrator. Mr. T. H. Kaye, who presided, reminded the members that a short time ago a form of Standard Contract was sent round to them for suggestions and alterations, and the result was submitted to the K.R.S., who promptly turned it down. = The K.R.S. had come to the conclusion that no Standard Contract was nevded, but that each man should act on his own. He was not surprised at the action they took, He would have done the sume in their place. The present suggestion was that there should be a joint committee appuinted to deal with the matter, consisting of two independent renters, two members of the K.R.S., with the general secretary and solicitor to that body, and four members of the C.E.A., with the secretary and solicitor, to discuss and conclude without further reference a form of contract which should be binding for three years. It was proposed, in short, that these comparatively few men should be given the despotic power of concluding an arrangement which would not be submitted to the rank and file, nor indeed to anybody else, for confirmation. If they had confidence that these men would do the right thing, then no harm would be done. If they thought that it wae an undemocratic thing to do, however, it was up to them to protest against it. Per sonally, he was not in favour of the matter being referred to the branches. He did not know of any single thing that had ever happened which had been carried to a satisfactory solution after reference to the branches. Any proposal invariably came back mutilated or altered. He thought, however, that such an important matter as this should at least be referred for approval to the General Council. They had only had this sort of thing once before that he was aware of, and that was when they appointed four gentlemen with unlimited power to deal with the Entertainments Tax campaign, and they were all painfully aware of how that had ended. ‘‘ A Terribly Weak Position.’’ Mr. J. Jesson described the exhibitors’ position nationally as ‘ terribly weak ’’ alongside the K.R.S, ‘‘ We don’t seem to get our members together as we ought to do," he went on, ‘* After Google Correspondent.) sending our demandes to the renters desiring a form of contract, we now take up this terribly weak positien."’ The Chairman said it was not so much that the exhibitor was weak, but rather that the renter was in a very strong position. Mr. Jesson held that if exhibitors would only hang together and be loyal to each other, there would ston be no question of which was the stronger body. But the trouble was that in the C.E.A. there were far too many men with interests un both sides of the business. As a first step to getting a real association in the country, he would advocate the formation of a Yorkshire and Lancashire Association. ‘* Catch-as-Catch-Can.”’ Mr. J. F. Martin agreed with Mr. Jesson’s remarks. Until they got the exhibitors together they would do no good. They had no cohesion, Councillor Coe said that before they could have a form of contract which would be satisfactory, it must be drawn up in equity. It did not seem reagonable that four men could draw up a eontract that would be equitable and acceptable to the business as a whole. Ai that was necessary, however, was that the form of contract stygld be honest and straight. In that case he would be surprised if renters or anybody else declined to accept it. ‘‘ At present there is not exactly the proper spirit in the business that there ought to be,’’ added the councillor. There is too much jealousy, and too much *‘ eatch-as-catch-can.’’ In considering the new contract they ought to get right away from the idea of asking for a loaf in the hope of realising a good, thick slice. (Applause.) Yorkshire Lacks Representation. After it had been unanimously decided to forward a strong recommendation that the new form of .contract, when completed, be submitted to the General Council for ratification, the Chairman reported to the meeting regarding the Entertainments Tax. He said the old Tax Committee had been disbanded, and a new one formed consisting of the officers of the Association and twelve members. They were asked to make suggestions to the Tax Committee as to the best methods vf continuing the campaign. He was not altogether sutisfied with the way things were going. He had been on the General Council nearly three years, and in that time he had found a lot of things that did not please im, and some few that were very good. He had not, perhaps, been a very active member in the sense of leading in any great movement, unless he might refer to the proposed acquisition of the trade journal. He led the campaign on that occasion, and it was defeated by the branches, but he had taken part in one or two opposition things that he had considered were detrimental to the trade, such as the co-operative movement and the movement last year, in which Lord Beaverbrook was so personally interested. He had discovered, however, that in leading the opposition in these matters he had created personal enemies on the General Council, and the consequence had been thut Yorkshire was to-day suffering from a lack of representation on some of the important committees of the Counzil. (Continued on nert page).