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82 MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. staff of people who are doing nothing else, so thai it is a very im- portant thing to them. Mr. Towner. These three companies are producing 95 per cent of the films, and voii say you are censoring 96 per cent. Therefore your board is censoring only that part of the production of the three- company combination? Dr. Carter. Oh, yes; but with some of the independents films that brings it up to 96 per cent. Mr. Thacher. Why do not the other companies come in and have their films censored? Dr. Carter. I suppose it is because that small percentage are the ones who are trying to put in the wrong kind of films. It may not be so, but at any rate Mr. Thacher (interposing). It is the other fellows who cause the trouble ? Dr. Carter. I suppose thev do not come in for the reason I ]ust stated. That might be. I do not know precisely why it is that they do not do that. But there are just 4 per cent of that kind. The fact that this censoring is being done so well is another significant thing I want to bring before you—the fact that we are doing this as care- fully as possible. That* is proven by the fact that here I have some standards in my hand which the Pennsylvania State board have already adopted. They are exactly in the language of our own standards, as given in "what are called the larger standards of the national board of censors. Most of the State boards realize that we have been getting at the root of the matter and they are copying our very methods. In the third place, then, I claim that the establishment of a Federal board Avould throw the thing into what is called politics. It would throw all this work upon five individuals, according to the terms of the bill which is now bending before this committee. We have 135 peoj^le. No five ])eople could pos>:ibly pass upon all the films. As I told you on Tuesday, we have to divide out 135 people into small sections. This proposed Federal board of five members would have to be divided into five sections of one each, and even then it would be impossible for five people to pass upon all the films in that way. Then, too, in addition to that, notwithstanding the honor of the men composing that board, they Avould be continuously throAvn open to all manner of approach and to all manner of temptation in the matter of bribery and graft, no matter what might be their primal honor and integrity. I claim that this work is being done in such a way by the 135 people voluntarily, without any moneyed consideration whatsoever, that it is being done so well by the very working out of our stand- ards which are being copied by State boards, that you ought to be willing to submit to the feasibility of carrying out the work as we have been carrying it on for the last five years. I do not want to take any more of your time now, Mr. Chairman, but desire to give way to these other gentlemen who represent the motion-picture interests. The Chairman. Before you take your seat. Dr. Carter, I want to ask whether you are in favor of unofficial censorship?