Film Year Book 1927 (1927)

VIRGINIA Lynchburg The Advance — David Wright. Newport News Times-Herald — Warner Taz force. Richmond News-Leader — ^Mrs. Helen de Motte. WASHINGTON Seattle Post-Intelligencer — PLverhart Armstrong. Star — Peggy McLellan. Times — Mitchell Sutherland. Union Record — E. J. Mitchell. Spokane Daily Chronicle — Ray Budwin. Press — Jack Grover. Spokesman-Review — Margaret Bean. Tacoma Ledger — L. L. Clemans. News-Tribune — J. H. Green. Times — 'Joseph T. Crowe. WEST VIRGINIA Charlestown Mail — L. S. Cameron. Wheeling Department Register — Edwin C. Cornwell. Telegraph — R. T. Beans. WISCONSIN Fond Du Lac Daily Commonwealth — Maude F. Utter. Madison Wisconsin iState Journal — Nelson M. Jansky. Milwaukee Journal — Mary Mack. Leader — 'Karl Schauermann. Sentinel — Helen R. Spear. Wisconsin News — Peggy Patton. Arbitration and the Film Boards of Trade A DECISION of considerable importance was handed down in August, when the Department of Justice found that the Film Boards of Trade were legal. With the exception of certain practices used in isolated territories, the system of arbitration as practiced by these Film Boards was held entirely within the law. A probe of the Film Boards was begun in February, 1925, when the M. P. T. O. A. at a convention in Milwaukee flayed the workings of the arbitration boards, declaring them illegal. Department of Justice operatives immediately set to work among exhibitors in many sections of the country securing data, and continuing on the case for eighteen months. The text of the decision of the Department of Justice, in which endorsement of motion picture arbitration was made, follows : "Following complaints received from owners of moving picture theaters, the Department of Justice has during the pas't 18 months conducted an extensive investigation of the operations of the Film Boards of Trade, with a view to determine whether or not there had been a violation of the Anti-trust law. "The Film Boards of Trade are organized by the industry for the purpose of enforcing awards made by Boards of Arbitration in disputes between motion picture distributors and exhibitors arising under contracts for the leasing of motion picture films. "There are 32 Film Boards of Trade located in the principal cities of the United States, and there are 32 Boards of Arbitration. These Boards of Arbitration are made up of three representatives of the distributors and three representatives of motion picture theater owners, and act by reason of a clause in the motion picture film contracts requiring that any dispute under the contract shall be referred to a Board of Arbitration before either party resorts to a court of law. "That this plan as conceived and executed, provides a fair, just and economical method of dealing with disputes is evidenced by the fact that during the past two years 10,325 awards have been made by these Boards and of these only 37 have required reference to a seventh arbitrator to reach a decision. "Certain practices which had been adopted by local Boards were objected to by the Department of Justice, and at its instance the Film Board of Trade has amplified its rules and regrulations relating to arbitration so as clearly to prohibit members of local Film Boards from pursuing such objectionable practices." The "certain practices" referred to, deal with the cash-credit system as exercised by several of the Film Boards. Failure of an exhibitor to abide by an arbitration decision would result in other exchanges insisting upon a cash deposit which, they maintained, was essential .^s a safeguard against similar moves on the theater owner's part. The exhibitor often found himself paying out considerable money in order to insure service. In some instances, exchanges that were members of the Film Boaids actually refused to supply service. These practices were ordered out by the Department of Justice. Arbitration Board Reports, 1924-1925 1924 1. 11,197 disputes between distributors and exhibitors involving $2,119,622.56, were disposed of during the year 1924 2. 5,697 disputes, involving $871,035.74 were settled and disposed of without submission to Board of Arbitration between time complaint was made and the meeting of the Boards to hear same. 3. 4,875 awards, involving $1,077,968.99, were made by the Boards of Arbitration 4. 332 disputes, involving $132,115.48, were withdrawn by complainants 5. 293 disputes, involving $38,502.35, were dismissed by Boards of Arbitration 6. 15 of these disputes required a seventh arbitrator 7. 520 disputes, involving $140,234.00, were pending on January 1, 1925. 8. 4 disputes were litigated after arbitration 9. 1 dispute was litigated before arbitration. 1925 1. 11,887 disputes involving $2,542,544.40 were disposed of during the year 1925 2. 4,269 disputes involving $802,747.69 were settled before submission to Boards of Arbitration 3. 5,450 awards involving $1,351,206.72 were made by Boards of Arbitration 4. 554 disputes involving $124,797.23 were withdrawn by complainants 5. 292 disputes involving $87,147.86 were dismissed by Boards of Arbitration 6. 22 of these disputes required a seventh arbitrator 7. 539 disputes involving $205,216.71 were pending December 31, 1925 8. 17 disputes were litigated after arbitration 9. 1 dispute was litigated before arbitration The Film Boards of Trade BACK in 1912, when the Denver territory was bounded on the south by the Mexican border, on the north by the Canadian border, and included Utah, Idaho, 777