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72 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. Dr. Howe. Yes; and we make every ert'ort to have them fall under censorship, too. The Chairman. But you have no authority. Dr. Howe. Wo have no legal authority: no. Mr. Towner. You can compel them by refusing to approve them? Dr. Howe. Yes; we can in that way. We have a considerable number of people who go around New York all the time visiting motion-picture shows and reporting upon the individual produc- tions. That is done in order to see that the instructions are carried out, to see that the eliminations ha\e been made. The}' re})ort back to us immediately a play is produced. Xow. there comes an obdurate independent, and he puts on a Wild West show or some other kind of a show, and that is immediately announced in the trade papers; it is a matter of common knowledge and is known instantly. As a matter of fact it is known before it is released. The national board then sends one of its members to see if it is bad; it is viewed in the playliouse, and if it is a picture that we think is bad, then immediately telegrams, letters, and -o on, are set in motion through- out the country to In-ing about the cooperation of people everywhere in the large cities and communities. Mr. Towner. Just about what i)roportion of the films submitted to the board are manufactured by tho>e tliree companies^ Dr. Howe. I should supi)ose somewhere l)etween 90 and 9^ per cent. Mr. SciiECHTEK. About >^.0 or 0() per cent of the business? Mr. Towner. Then the business is practically in the control of these three companies'^ Dr. Howe. I think it is in the control of these three companies—the Universal, the Mutual, and the General—with some gi-owing. strong firms outside. Mr. Toavner. And these three com])anies are not very antagonistic to each other, because they operate together in this business. Dr. Howe. My impression is—I am speaking without knowledge— that there is pretty keen and vigorous warfare among them; but I do not know that. The Chairman. You say -2 j)er cent is noi censoi-ed ? Dr. Howe. I think that is a fact aV>ont which nobody can speak with absolute accuracy. The Chairman, 15ut you think that is approximately about correct ? Dr. HowK. I think ;il)out "2 j)er cent, l)ut it may be 5 per cent; I do not know. The Chairman, That '2 ])er cent <'an exhibit anv picture thev may sec fit? Dr, Howe, Except as they are hounded by the nntional board, yes, Mr, Towner. I do iu)t understand this nuniufacturing business, and I am going t(^ ask one of these gentlemen later about that more par- ticularly; but suppose an independent is manufacturing films and putting them on the market or having them exhibited without the approval of your national i)oard, how do you deal with that kind of a case? You have s))oken about it constantly, but 1 would like to know how you deal with such a case. Dr. Howe. Yow mean an individual film that is rejected? Mr. TowNKR. No: !iot rejected; !\ot submitted at all.