The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Nov-Dec 1922)

November 4, 1922. WEST LANCASHIRE THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. 35 LEADS THE WAY. waity on the Tax seston: (By WM. HY. HUISH.) INCE writing my article last week on the question of the total abolition of the tax, great progress has been made in the West Lancashire area, and at the time of writing the whole district is thoroughly organised. The campaign was opened at a meeting held at the Palatine Hotel, Blackpool, un October 25, when Alderman E. Trounson and W. Gavazzi King addressed those who had been invited to the meeting, and a strong appeal was made to those present to co-operate with the new Entertainments Tax Committee. Mr. A. Wilkinson, Mr. A. R. Harrison, Councillor T. Else, and other members of the C.P.M.A. were present at the meeting, and Mr. A. Wilkinson, as president of the C.P.M.A., promised the chairman, Alderman E. Trounson, to give his abolition committee every support. It was arranged for another meeting of the West Lancashire exhibitors to be convened, as the attendance at the Blackpool meeting was disappointing, and Mr. A. R. Harrison, Hippodrome, Blackpool, was appointed convener of this second meeting. The meeting was held at the Conservative Club, Preston, on Tuesday last, and there was a very large attendance of exhibitors and others interested in the entertainment industry, and the following districts were all represented: Barrow, Ulverston, Lancaster, Morecambe, Preston, Blackpool, Fleetwood and the Fylde district. There were also representatives from the local Football Aseociation and other out-door entertainments; the staffs in the various places of entertainment were also represented by a member of the Musicians’ Union and the Operators’ Union. Mr. A. Wilkineon was unanimously elected to the chair, and a very interesting agenda was arranged by the convener, Mr. A. R. Harrison. The chairman stated that the meeting had been convened at the request of the Entertainments Tax Committee, and he was very pleased to see such a good attendance. He pointed out that those invited to that meeting had. been invited not as members of any particular association, but as members of an industry whose intereste were identical so far as the abolition of the Entertainmente Tax was concerned, and he, as president of an exhibitors’ Association, had agreed with the president of the C.E.A., Alderman E. Trounson, to sink all party politics for the time being so ae to be absolutely united on the question of the abolition of the tax. He understood that there were also present members of the P.E.P.M.A., and he felt certain that this Association, when they met on the following Thursday, would also decide to join forces with the Entertainments Tax Committee. Councillor Thomas Else, who addressed the meeting at some length, stated that he was pleased to be given the opportunity of addressing such an important and representative gathering. He had taken a very great interest in this question and had always been in favour of a campaign in support of the total abolition of the tax. He felt, as a Lancastrian, particularly pleased at the action of the Entertainments Tax Committee, who had honoured the county by coming down from the great city of London to open their campaign in Blackpool the previous week. Google In his opinion, in their wisdom the committec had chosen West Lancashire as their kicking-off ground in consequence of past oxperiences, knowing full well that there was plenty of vitality in the men of West Lancashire. He felt very strongly on the question of getting the public with them in this fight, but pointed out that it was most important that there should be no mistake about the public being given the advantage in the event of the tax being taken off. Councillor Leslie Knight stated that whilst he was in entire sympathy with those who had organised that meeting, he felt very strongly that the members of the staff should also be encouraged to take an interest in this question. He had, therefore, taken the liberty of bringing to the meeting his musical director and chief electrician, and he had pointed out to all the members of his staff how much this question affected. them, and he had appealed to them to use their votes in the right direction and only to support those candidates who gave an undertaking to vote in favour of the total abolition of the tax. Councillor Will Onda, who spoke as a renter and exhibitor, informed the meeting that he.was in a position to prove by his books that at the present time a very large number of his exhibitor customers were on the verge of bankruptcy, in consequence of the tax being such a burden to them. In his opinion it was a gross injustice for the Government to penalise the entertainment industry by taxing them on their gross reccipts, irrespective of a profit or loss having been made. The Government was in the position of being a sleeping partner with no capital, always in the happy position of having nothing at stake, but at all times participating in the profits. One of the directors of the North End Football Club, who was present as a representative of outdoor entertainments, stated that be was in entire agreement with all he had heard in favour of the abolition of the tax, and he felt certain that all those interested like himself would support the effort they were making in every possible way. He was delighted with the manner in which the case had been stated that morning, and, so far as he was concerned, he -would give the campaign his whole-hearted support. Many other speakers having spoken in favour of the total abolition of the tax, a resolution was unanimously passed in favour of co-operating with the Entertainments Tax Committee, and the district was organised as follows: Mr. A. R. Harrison was appointed the convener for the Blackpool area, Messrs. Walters and Deakin (Fylde), Mr. James Atroy (Lancaster and Morecambe), Councillor Will Onda (Preston and district), Mr. Gerald Hunt (Ulverston and Lonedale district), and Mr. Shyvers (Barrow district). Each candidate will be immediately approached and asked his views on the Entertainments Tax, and patrons at the various places of entertainment are to be asked to attend the meetings of the candidates, and to put questions. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday next at the Bull and Royal Hotel, Preston, at 11-30 a.m., when all interested in the entertainment world in West Txndanhtes will be invited.