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THE FIRST YEAR IN HOLLYWOOD, 1922-1923 335
CREATING A SELF-GOVERNING ORGANIZATION
I believe that the new Association's members realized as well as I did that its success would depend on our concentrating at once on matters of agreement, not of disagreement. If we began by talking of competitive problems, trying to iron them out first, we might go on the rocks before we ever got out to sea. It was not easy to forget that an earlier attempt of the industry had dissolved for just this reason. In commenting on the Association's special character, Dr. Raymond Moley, in his book, The Hays Office, wrote: 'The MPPDA turned out to be an association quite unlike any of the others, in fact an organization unique in American industrial life. ... It was to be the expression and fulfillment of their co-operative impulses. It was to be the industry governing itself — in its own and in the public interest."
The next step was to draw up bylaws. Though allowing for latitude of action, they made responsibility for such action very definite. Stability was guarded by allowing a producer or distributor member to withdraw only upon written notice of his intention, given six months in advance. Wide industry representation in the Association was encouraged by providing unlimited membership in five classes.
Class A: Producers of motion pictures
Class B: Distributors of motion pictures
Class C: Individuals appointed by members of Class A
Class D: Individuals appointed by members of Class B
Class E: Other individuals
Place was even made through "Certificate of Affiliation" for participation by other groups, like chambers of commerce, directly interested in any branch of the motion picture industry.
From the beginning, most of the big companies were members, so that the Association comprised a large percentage of the industry. So far as general matters like censorship were concerned, the MPPDA was recognized as speaking for the whole industry, and we made it clear that all services of the Association were at the disposal of all motion picture companies, members and non-members alike. Thus, when the Association's Production Code seal later came to be the hallmark of an approved picture, all companies had exactly the same privileges in connection with securing and displaying it.
A beginning on trade practices was made in the bylaws. The Board of Directors was empowered to make provisions for the observation of "accepted standards of morality and good taste in the content of motion pictures," to register titles in order to avoid conflicting use by different producers, and to employ arbitration in cases of dispute.
Article IX of the bylaws concerned me most directly because it defined