International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1937)

24 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST April 1937 Letters to the Editor Service Data Scarce in Canada; Suggests Section I am servicing RCA equipment in my theatre under particularly trying circumstances, since it is practically impossible in this part of the country to get information along certain lines. It is certainly a hard proposition to keep up with the times here, as craft service is so limited. I. P. contains a lot of data, but even it has its limitations when it comes to questions of servicing. Would it be possible to have a page set aside for questions or for experiences gained in the servicing field by the subscribers to I. P.? W. Hoy Calgary, Alb., Canada Because of current negotiations looking toward unionizing electrics' servicemen, these companies have clamped down hard on all service dope, figuring that they are not interested in helping a craft which might grab their service work. Data formerly given cheerfully to I. P. is now refused. It certainly would be possible to have a service page in I. P., if the boys would keep it going with contributions. Cathode Ray Oscilloscope A Fine Projection Tool The standards of acceptable sound reproduction in the theatre are constantly being raised. Engineers' and manufacturers' announcements of new technical developments and equipment are a constant reminder to the projectionist that his is the responsibility for the perfect presentation to the public of all the artistry and technical skill that have gone into the making of a production. It is to be expected that new test equipment and methods of service procedure would be a natural result of these improvements. The latest, and perhaps the most interesting and versatile, service instrument is the cathode ray oscilloscope. While most engineers agree that its potential applications have yet to be fully realized, enough is known about it to justify its acceptance by projectionists. Tests that can be made of a sound system may be classified under the general headings of Static and Dynamic. Static tests are the conventional voltage, current and resistance tests that we are accustomed to making. In such tests we are checking fixed operating conditions, and while it is necessary to check these constants, experience has shown that this is not always sufficient. We have found that it is possible to experience operating difficulties with a system in which all static conditions are correct. Development of the oscilloscope has opened a new field of testing procedure and has greatly simplified the method of locating the source of these difficulties that are not indicated by Static tests. The projectionist may now observe with this instrument the signal at any point in the entire system — from the output of the p.e.c. to the input of the voice coil. This observation of the signal is a Dyna mic test, and in addition to indicating incorrect fixed operating conditions, it makes it possible to trace the source of hum, extraneous noise pickup, and what is perhaps most important, all forms of distortion. Projectionists will quickly appreciate the utility of an instrument that can be used as a visual output meter at any point in the sound system. Its use during an emergency will quickly isolate a defective part or unit of the system and will leave more time for the repair or replacement of the part at fault. Experience has shown that it usually takes far more time to locate trouble than is needed to make a repair. The method of proceedure at such a time will be largely governed by existing conditions and the familiarity of the projectionist with the test equipment at his disposal. It is not to be assumed that the oscilloscope will replace conventional test equipment in the projection room. It is, however, a valuable addition to this equipment and will undoubtedly find wide acceptance where the highest quality of sound is consistently maintained. The new low-cost RCA-913 Cathode Ray Tube with its correspondingly lower priced associated equipment should do much to popularize this equipment among projectionists. This equipment will not find much acceptance and is not intended for men who do not understand the basic theory of electricity. However, those who have made the effort to study the elementary principles of their work will find much of interest and value in the Cathode Ray Oscillograph, and it will serve to clarify much of the theory that has been so difficult to visualize. It would be impossible in such a brief discussion to mention all of the uses of which this instrument is capable. They merely represent the experiences of the author, who has used a Clough-Brengle Model CRA oscilloscope for about a year for both routine and emergency testing. G. Carleton Hunt Miami Beach, Florida WIDEN I. A. THEATRE FIELD UNION DRIVE TO INCLUDE ALL UNORGANIZED WORKERS NEW angles to the powerful I. A. organizing thrust in the motion picture industry developed during the month when it became apparent that full use would be made of I. A.'s jurisdictional claim to every classification of worker, except managers, in the business. Exchange workers are already in the I. A. bag, and their direct charters will vanish like the snow in the Spring. Next in line for organizing are theatre service workers — • ushers, doormen, cashiers, cleaners, etc. — with no strong opposition in sight. I. A. consolidated its exchange organizing position meanwhile. The drive that started in Boston has now spread throughout the country and likely will be completed within 60 days. Unionization has meant wage increases of from $5 to $11 for this type of labor. Typical demands are those of Boston and Cleveland exchange workers: the latter wants $24.50 for head inspectors and $22.50 for inspectors (a $7 increase) vacations with pay, a 40-hour week, time and onehalf for overtime, and a closed shop. Boston shippers now receiving $27 have been offered $37.50, and a closed shop is assured. Even exchange bookers and salesmen are interested in organizing, but the commission status of the latter makes their participation doubtful. When, as and if I. A. cleans up everything it is now grabbing for, it will be strictly a vertical union, A. F. of L. sentiment to the contrary. In the path of this I. A. cleanup are several crafts over whose jurisdictional claims I. A. appears certain to ride roughshod. The only jurisdiction I. A. is recognizing now is that of I. A., according to present tactics. When the battle is over the only union in the picture business worth thinking about apparently will be I. A., the others seemingly being destined to assume the roles of mere hangers-on. Studio Utility. Employees Union, Local 724, on the Coast has already filed a complaint against I. A. with the National Labor Relations Board, charging that I. A. is "raiding" its membership. Reported C. I. 0. organizing activities in Hollywood are taken seriously by practically nobody, the futility of trying to buck I. A. being apparent. The Empire Projectionist Union of Hollywood is reported to have affiliated with the C. I. O. A 10 per cent increase in wages for the approximately 20,000 members of four internationals — I. A., the Teamsters, the Carpenters, and I. B. E. W. — was the outcome of the recent New York conferences between Labor and the producers on the five-year Studio Basic Pact. This increase of $3,000,000 annually to studio payrolls does not apply tc the Musicians, who will negotiate a separate pact. George E. Browne, I. A. head, announced that he would support the request of the Screen Actors Guild and 14 other Coast labor groups for admission to the Basic Pact, in conformance with a resolution adopted at the last A. F. of L. convention. Exhibitor leaders, in noting Supreme Court approval of the Wagner Labor Act, expressed concern that various states might enact similar legislation and thus place the smaller theatres within reach of union organizing drives. At present these theatres do not come under the Wagner Act. The De Luxe and the Consolidated film laboratory plants in the East have signed a closed-shop agreement with I. A. Local 669 of New York.