Kinematograph year book (1950)

602 The Kinematograph Year Book. Customs : Import duties on exposed film are 15 pesos gold or 34.09 paper pesos per kilogram, including the weight of the container. Duty on unexposed film is 3,20 paper pesos per kilogram. A sales tax of 1.25 per cent, of the value is charged on sales of film accessories, but home manufactured accessories are exempt. On March 21, 1949, new import regulations were announced. Preference is given to compensation-agreement countries including sterling area countries. There are 10 studios operating in Argentina at present, five of which are independent. About 60 feature films were produced in Argentina during 1947. — H. H. Wollenberg. STUDIOS Argentinas Sono Film, Posadas y Entre Rios, Martinez. Establecimientos Filmadores Argentines, Lima 1261, Buenos Aires. Estudios Mapol, Offices : Lavalle i/59> Buenos Aires. Estudios Palermo, Olleros 1775, Buenos Aires. Estudios San Miguel, Bella Vista. Lumiton, Corrientes ; Bartolome Mitre, Buenos Aires. Pampa Film, Av. Ameerica 1290, Martinez. Baires Film, Av. G. Pacheco e Ituzaingo, Don Torcuato, F.C. del Estado. Rio de la Plata, Uruguay 158, Buenos Aires. Fasam Estudio, Pavon 2444, Buenos Aires. Lumenfilm, Centenario 333, San Isidro, F.C.C.A. AUSTRALIA T> ROBABLY the most significant event of the * year was the decision to keep the same relationship as before between the £ Australian and the £ sterling, but to devalue the / Australian in terms of dollars. The decision to devalue the £ came late in the year, but threw panic into the ranks of the American distributor representatives. Overnight, something like £Ai million had been written off. To offset devaluation and still remit to the U.S. enough dollars to make the gap caused by the Government's decision, drastic internal economies have been undertaken ; these include some sackings and a good deal of belttightening. The effects of devaluation are still being felt and must continue to be felt for some time. One company, the Grand Theatre Co., took the initiative in West Australia and applied for price increases granted some months later. The New Year saw a slight price increase in N.S.W. theatres (the machinery of price control had earlier been taken away from the Federal Government and given to the States, which accounts for some having increases and others not.) Uniform censorship was brought in for all States bar N.S.W. and S.A. N.S.W. is still holding out, but exhibitors are voluntarily submitting to the requirements of the proposed legislation. In the first tax review of the year the film industry did not benefit from an entertainment tax cut. In August it was revealed that the largest amount ever collected in entertainment tax — £5,298,696 — had been gathered for the year ended June 30, 1949. The trade was pleased at a slight entertainment tax cut of id. on cheap seats and 6d. on the dearer seats. The tax cuts were so small they disappointed most people and went unnoticed by the public, for the most part. The Tariff Board cut import duties on 35mm, equipments and increased those on i6mm. equipments. The cuts were substantial and the increases slight, so that local manufacturers were indignant at the move. Chief beneficiary : the Gaumont-Kalee importers. The censors report showed that for 1948 many more British films had been imported than the year previously. Television was demonstrated publicly for the first time in Australia during the year. Later, the Prime Minister, J. B. Chifley promised a regular television service (Government-monopolised) in two years. The Australian Theatre in Melbourne went allBritish for three months. The Sydney Tatler tried out a series of all-British programmes, but had to abandon it after a couple of weeks because the films were attracting few patrons. The Perth Grand, towards the end of the year, had better luck. Reconditioned, it started on an ambitious programme of British screenings and scored good business with the first programme, "The Red Shoes." The Tasmanian Government bought the Theatre Royal for use as Australia's first national theatre. Greater Union bought two more Sydney suburban theatres. Cinesound, which used to produce features and has been making only newsreels for some years, went into the tele\nsion-film field, making shorts for U.S. video. Ealing began its third Australian film during the year when " Bitter Springs " went into work at Quorn, S.A. Warners started to bring 16mm. prints into the country for the Repatriation Department's circuit of ex-servicemen's hospitals and institutions. At the annual meeting of the Queensland Exhibitors' Association, backshding members were urged to stick to the rule not to pay more than 40 per cent, hire for any film. The biggest disaster of the year came in June with the long coal strike and the ban on commercial use of power. Theatremen had to run on petrol or diesel driven stand-by plants, but the industry kept screening in most cases. The crippling blow caused by the large-scale unemployment had effects which lasted right up to Christmas. Principal Circuits : Hoyts Theatres (160 kinemas) in which 20th Century Fox's National Theatres Corporation has a controlling interest, is particularly strong (40) in Melbourne suburbs. Greater Union Theatres Pty., Ltd. (124) in which J. Arthur Rank has a 50 per cent, interest. Waterman Bros, and Associate Companies 25 kinemas mostly in South Australia. M-G-M. Theatres, 8 theatres in key situations. Snider & Dean Theatres Pty., 25 kinemas in New South Wales. Far Northern Theatres has 14 kinemas in Queensland. Goldfields Pictures Ltd., 22 kinemas in Western Australia. Robert McLeish Theatres, 7 kinemas in Victoria,