Motion Picture Commission : hearings before the Committee on Education, House of Representatives, Sixty-third Congress, second session, on bills to establish a Federal Motion Picture Commission (1978)

MOTION PICTURE COMMISSION. 209 to put a question in regard to that. Do you refer to the negative or to the copy ? The Chairman. I refer just to the original. Mr. ScHEcii'i'ER. How much of a revenue would you wish to derive from that source? The Chairman. I should say we ought to have $60,000. Mr. ScHECHTER. Then I would say as there are about 12,500 mov- ing picture negative reels of film produced in the United States yeaily. it would be necessary to charge about $5 for each original reel of film; that would bring the revenue to about $00,000. Mr. Towner. What would you say as to the reasonableness of a fee of $5 for the original, and 25 cents for the copies? Mr. SciiEciiiTER. I think that is unreasonable and confiscatory. I think if censorship were to be put into effect by Congress because it regulates interstate commerce, it would not stop there; it would ex- tend to every State in the Union, and to every city and town. Every State legislature would put through a censorship bill. With each State saddling on a charge of $1 or $2 for a reel, or as Pennsylvania to-day is attempting to charge $2.50 for an original or duplicate reel, and $2.50 for slides, that is unreasonable and confiscatory. In Pennsylvania for slides that cost 50 cents or less they are attempting to charge $2.50 for the right to exhibit such a slide. W^ith each State saddling on such a charge for censorship, and with each city or town charging a similar or perhaps a somewhat lesser amount, there is no doubt the total will amount to hundreds of dollars on each reel of film—much more than the actual value of the film itself. There can be no question that such a law is confiscatory and amounts to taking property without due process of law. And if you are to burden us with censorship—with the national board, with the many State boards, and the myriads of municipal boards—what will be the result? Every cent that censorship costs must be imposed on the exhibitor and in turn forced upon the public, and that means, gentlemen, that it would fall mainly upon the poor people, the great mass of the people of this country who never had any form of amusement because of the former great ex- pense attached, and now having had it, will be deprived of it because of this enormous expense. The benefit to the poor man and his fam- ily will be greatly lessened. And all because of the attempt to pass a law that will never serve a good purpose in any event. Mr. Towner. What would the people think about it? Mr. Schechter. I am certain the majority of the people do not ap- prove of it. Mr. Towner. And yet you say these laws are to be passed and these impositions are to be made. Do you not think that every imposition must be in response to some law, and that is only in response to public sentiment ? The men Avho act upon such matters only respond to public sentiment which demands it. You say you would have censor- ship all over the country? If that is the case, then the people want it all oxQv the country, otherwise it would not be so. There would not be any where the people did not want it ? Mr. Schechter. I do not say that there is censorship all over the country. I do say to you gentlemen that if you in your good judg- ment see fit to pass such a law, the State legislatures and municipali-