International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1935)

18 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST May 1935 CRAFT-ENGINEER RELATIONS CITED BY I. A. PRESIDENT BROWNE TO S. M. P. E. Appended hereto is the complete text of the address by President George E. Browne of the I. A. to the recent Convention of the S. M. P. E. in Hollywood. The address is significant in that it marked the first time that a representative of organized Labor had been invited as such to address the Society, and also because it forecasts closer relations between the engineers and other workers in the field. President Browne also made several pertinent remarks anent the domains of engineer and craftsman and voiced the hope that neither group would ever intrude upon the domain of the other. President Browne being detained in New_ York on urgent organization business, his address was delivered to the Society by Thad C. Barrows, president of Boston Local 182 and a member of the Society. — Editor. I WELCOME the opportunity accorded me, as a representative of the organized craftsmen in the motion picture industry, to address this gathering of members and friends of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. Both the Society and the International Alliance have compiled imposing records of achievement in this field, and it seems to me fitting that some outward expression be given to the bonds which undoubtedly exist today between our two organizations. Obviously, the progress of both groups must necessarily parallel the progress of the industry of which we are a part, and it is precisely for this reason that I cite the urgent need for a common understanding of the aims of each other. Vastly Improved Relations I disclose no secret when I say that in the not too distant past the relations existing between engineers and other studio and theatre workers certainly left a great deal to be desired. This situation had its roots, I believe, in an almost complete lack of understanding on the part of both groups as to the place occupied and the rights enjoyed by each other. Happily, this problem — and a serious problem it was, too — has been overcome; it succumbed, so to speak, to the pressing need for results, good results, in both studios and theatres. A most important contribution to the creation of a better feeling between our groups was made by those members of the Alliance who, through long experience and unselfish devotion to the art, aided tremendously in the practical application of the engineers' work in laboratories. I cite as one example the Projection Practice Committee of your Society, which, I understand, has done consistently fine work for several years past and is generally regarded by the Society as one of its most valuable arms. The Alliance is proud to have generous representation on this Committee; and this work of several outstanding Alliance craftsmen, and their close contact with you engineers, certainly exerted a potent influence in fostering a feeling of goodwill and mutual respect on the part of both organizations. As you all know, the primary concern of the Alliance — in fact, its very reason for being — is to advance the interests of its members through obtaining and maintaining wages and working conditions. Yet, it need not be inferred from this statement that the Alliance is unmindful of the benefits which accrue to it from superior craftsmanship, through a job well done by its members. On this point alone there certainly exists a mutuality of interests between the Society and the Alliance. As a matter of hard cold fact, the Society and the Alliance are much more closely tied together by a knot of mutual dependence. How many of us ever stop to realize that representatives of our two groups see a given piece of equipment right through its entire life from the time of its design to the time when it has served its purpose and is replaced by new and better equipment? You engineers who conceive, design and build an equipment are almost wholly dependent for good results upon we who install, operate and maintain that equipment. From you, the engineers, come marvelous new devices which enable us to deliver better results; and from the projection room back to the laboratory there runs an invisible but none the less well-defined path over which travel the findings of the practical man who uses your equipments. Certainly it is to the advantage of both our organizations to do everything in our power to so broaden and smooth this path that it will become a highway over which will be sent the best contributions to the art from both groups. Mutual Recognition of Rights In our progress toward this ideal relationship we must never overlook the vital necessity for mutual recognition of each other's rights. The laboratory is the domain of the engineer and there he is in supreme command. His task it is to design, to experiment, and to manufacture, assemble and test equipments. Subsequently the equipment is installed in. a theatre, which is peculiarly the domain of the craftsman. His task it is to see that the equipment is properly installed, to operate it, and to maintain and service it. Together our two groups, as previously stated, cover the entire life of a given piece of equipment. I can conceive of no good reason for. either group endeavoring to exert undue influence within the domain of the other. The responsibility in either instance must not be divided by any hazy line but must be clear-cut and decisive, for only in this way shall we ever realize maximum efficiency by either group. Such a situation naturally bespeaks a wholesome and highly beneficial respect by each group for the ability and the true function of the other. Such mutual respect must of itself induce responsibility in the long run. All of which leads naturally to the extremely important question of competency. The Alliance recognizes the need for continuous insistence upon competency as a vital element in its present welfare and future progress. I know that you engineers will welcome the news that educational activities by units of the Alliance, although necessitating a not inconsiderable personal expense and attendance at classes after a regular day's work, are now at their peak within the period of my association with the organization. Equally welcome, I am sure, will be the statement that I as President of the Alliance will encourage the continuance and spread of these activities by our members. The organized craftsmen of this industry deeply appreciate the many contributions made to the art by the Society of Motion Picture Engineers and regard its firm stand for that which is best in George E. Browne