International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1954)

lA President Richard F. Walsh, being sworn in office by William F. Canavan, well-remembered ex-president of the International Alliance. Canavan presided at the installation ceremonies of the elected officers. negotiated in San Francisco. Assistance was given by Special Representative Steve B. Newman, who encouraged the locals to unify their demands, which he then presented at a number of meetings. The settlement calls for a contribution of five cents per hour (up to a limit of $810 per week for each local) . This meets the insurance company's premium and takes care of office expenses. "More recently several locals in the states of Washington and Oregon have President Walsh's Remarks on "Right-to-Work" Laws "Man's return to the primitive has reached a sad extreme in 17 American states which have adopted a law allegedly guaranteeing the 'right to work'. This means the right to work without ever joining a union. Whereas the Taft-Hartley Act forbids the closed shop, these statutes go further and outlaw the union shop as well. Thus, the employers are free to fill up their payrolls with non-union people and then to cut wages to their hearts' content. The strength which employes can gain only through collective bargaining is seriously jeopardized. "Prior to our last convention, this vicious law was on the books in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Since the last convention, it has been adopted also in Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Louisiana. "Fortunately, our good relations with most of the exhibitors in these states have kept them from using the right-to-work laws against us. But there have been some costly exceptions, and there undoubtedly will be more as time goes on." reached similar agreements with their employers. "First welfare contributions reported from Canada were negotiated this spring by Projectionist Local 348, Vancouver, B. C. "All in all, the Pension and Welfare pattern seems to be well established— so that we can now look forward to more and more plans as time goes on." President Walsh also recommended that the controversy over foreign film production be turned over to the Special Committee for further study. The convention defeated a resolution which would have barred members from holding office in an lA Local for five years after any period of employment in the executive branch of management. A move to use voting machines in the election of officers at the Cincinnati convention was defeated because of the difficulty in obtaining them in time for the election. However, the delegates went on record as favoring the use of such machines in future lA elections. Among the many prominent civic and labor personalities who addressed the gathering were James L. McDevitt, national director of Labor's League for Political Education; Carl Rich, former mayor of Cincinnati; Robert Sidell, president of Cincinnati Local 1, American Federation of Musicians, and Tom O'Brien, M. P. and general secretary of the National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees of England. Lester Isaac, managing director of Cinerama, expressed his gratitude to the lA men employed in the 13 Cinerama theatres throughout the country for their fine work in handling this show. Merle Chamberlin, projection super visor at the M-G-M Studios on the West Coast, in addressing the delegates discussed the so-called "new look" in motion pictures and took issue with the trade press for much misinformation on technical matters published in many of the exhibitor papers. He also spoke about the increasing number of damaged prints caused by faulty projection equipment, and urged the projectionists to campaign against worn-out and defective equipment. He recommended that the craft keep itself abreast of the latest developments in the industry by subscribing to such informative journals as International Projectionist. The Cincinnati host Locals were warmly praised by the delegates for their splendid handling of the strenuous task of organization and arrangements for the convention. Movie Patronage Up 5% A steady rise in motion picture attendance throughout the country was reported this month by an industry source in New York City which asserted that film patronage is now running about 5% ahead of the same time last year. The trend is expected to continue slowly upward. The principal reason advanced for the heavier attendance is the improvement shown in the quality of pictures released this year. It is felt that these better pictures enticed from their homes people who had lost the movie habit. It was also noted that merely average films benefited from the generally increased interest in the theatre. Lens-Screen Chart Offered A pocket-size chart which contains the formulas necessary for calculating any lens or screen dimension for CinemaScope or other wide-screen projection is available free from Projection Optics, 330 Lyell Ave., Rochester 6, N. Y., or through its dealers. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • AUGUST 1954 23