Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1934)

Safurday, January 13, 1934 MOTION PICTURE DAILY Salary Probe Enters Into Tiniest Detail Missouri Passes Sales Levy of Half Per Cent (Continued from paqe 1) salaries, generally, under a Senate resolution, Rosenblatt has carried faauch further the study to be made (in the film industry. The questionnaire covers only individual compensation of $150 dollars or more a week. No time limit has been set for the return of the questionnaires, but Rosenblatt today estilinated that they should all be back within 30 days. Individual theatres are not being canvassed, it being believed that few, if any, pay salaries exceeding the minimum to be investigated, but all theatre circuits and all producers and distributors are being covered. All details of individual question' naires will be held in strict confidence and will be made available only to the recovery administrator, Rosenblatt jand his chief investigator, it was • stated. All questionnaires must be certified as correct by an officer of I the company filing the information. Includes Three Schedules '. The questionnaire consists of three schedules, each covering all three ! branches of the industry. The first j, schedule relates to finances and employment, each company being required to show, separately, for each (I of the three years, 1931 to 1933, the gross receipts, cost of supplies and materials, total capital investment, -surplus and surplus reserves, total : assets, net profit or loss, and the total number and total compensation of , company directors, executives, super: visors, clerical forces, actors and actresses, extra players, film direcjl tors, musical directors and musicians, writers, authors and dramatists, regularly and not regularly employed ; j composers, arrangers and librarians ; 1 scenic artists and designers ; costume ! designers ; sound engineers, sound technicians, cameramen, studio mechanics, laboratory workers, and all other employes. Delves Still Deeper In the second schedule the investigation goes deeper, all companies being required to furnish information regarding all individuals receiving an aggregate compensation of $150 or more a week, to show the name of the ]>erson, his position or title, weekly cash salary rate, cash salary received during the year, and all other compensation received during the year. On a separate form to be filed with this schedule, respondents to the questionnaire are required to again list these individuals and to report the names of any relatives or any such individuals who also are drawing compensation from the industry. "This information," it is explained on the blank, "is for identification purposes only and will be held in strictest confidence. This information will be detached from the questionnaire upon its receipt at this office." Schedule 3 is designed to develop intimate details concerning film companies' financial transactions with officers, actors, directors and other employes, again listing the individuals It's Art in K. C. Kansas City, Jan. 12. — A kneeling feminine figure which Roxy rejected as too shocking for New York is getting quite a play in Kansas City as a work of art. Created for Radio City by William Zorach, New York sculptor, the nude, supposedly symbolizing "The Dance," was barred as not representing the sponsors' idea. She now is in the loan gallery at the recently opened William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art here, where her unblushing charms are on display for all eyes. covered in Schedule 2. Respondents are required to explain any compensation other than regular cash salary which has been paid any individual by showing the amount of cash bonuses, commissions and other cash compensation in addition to cash salary ; the amount of bonuses, commissions and other compensation in capital stock, bonds or other securities at the market value on date deliverable; the amount of subscription rights for bonds, stock or other securities, including special options, also at market value on date deliverable ; and the amount of any other compensation, remuneration, gift, etc., not already listed. In the letter accompanying and explaining the questionnaire, quoting the President's order for an investigation and calling for the cooperation of the industry, Rosenblatt explains that the questionnaire is intended to be filled out as a composite report for all the affiliated companies, as well as a separate report for each company or enterprise affiliated with any organization. For this purpose, not less than two copies are being sent to each company and as many individual reports for every affiliate, and a general report for the entire organization. (Continued from page 1) films and all other forms of business. This bill was favored by the industry in preference to a ticket tax which called for a levy of one and one-half cents up to 25 cents and a straight 10 per cent on all tickets above 25 cents. The other bill was a one-cent footage tax on all negative and positive. Louisville, Jan. 12. — Kentucky's third special legislative session in recent months for the purpose of raising revenue will get a, new tax program from Governor Laffoon next Monday. None of its details have been made public as yet. Seattle, Jan. 12. ■ — Washington's dog racing bill, regarded by theatre men as holding prospects of severe competition, has been defeated by the legislature. A general tax bill is pending. Rosenblatt Leaves For Coast Jan. 19 (Continued from page 1) the next Code Authority session slated for Jan. 23 in New York, this means that Rosenblatt, for the first time, will not attend. No alternate has been appointed as yet, but one is expected to be named before he leaves. Informal opinion at the Recovery Administration is that no one can alternate for Rosenblatt if Code Authority meetings are held in his absence. The rule is that government representatives shall have no alternates, but is not followed in all cases. If an exception is made in this case, Deputy Administrator Farnsworth would probably substitute. Theatre Union Files 38 New NRA Charges (Continued from pane 1) held at the same time members of the new local held their first mass meeting in Bryant Hall, Levey stated. He said the additional charge was made that Springer & Cocalis employes were required to work from 56 to 70 hours weekly. Other complaints filed by the union yesterday alleged that several theatre operators who were said to be working employes 52 hours weekly were requiring them to sign payrolls which recorded only 40 hours work. A hearing of the union's complaint filed with James H. Hodgson, regional NRA compliance board director, early this week, charging the Windsor circuit, Brooklyn, with working janitors 84 hours weekly, was postponed until next Wednesday after having been jet originally for yesterday. Representatives of the Windsor circuit told Motion Picture Daily yesterday that janitors and cleaners used in their theatres were not employed by them but by the American Building Maintenance Co., which contracted for the work and paid the people it used. A second mass meting of the union's members is scheduled for next Tuesday night at Bryant Hall. Levey claims a membership of approximately 2,500 ushers, doormen and janitors at this time. He said that if the union is successful in enforcing the NRA's 40-hour week in metropolitan theatres 1,000 new jobs would be created here. Yorke, West; Reeve, East G. S. Yorke, advertising manager for Fox in New York, will leave next week to take over the duties of Arch Reeve, head of Fox's Hollywood publicity department. Reeve will arrive here in the near future to assume Yorke's former position. Christie Starts Monday Al Christie, who returned from the coast this week, resumes work at the Eastern Service Studios in Astoria Monday, when Educational's "The Expectant Father," with Ernest Truex, goes into production. 'Fashions' Girls Coming Twelve maniquins of the cast of "Fashions of 1934" will arrive here by plane Thursday to attend the opening of the film that evening at the Hollywood. Orry-Kelly, screen fashion designer, will be in the party. Board Secretaries Only Will Be Paid Only secretaries of the 64 clearance and zoning and grievance boards and not the other members of these boai ds will be paid when they are set, the Code Authority made known yesterday as a result of objections by Theatre Owners of Oklahoma, which was under the impression that certain members of the boards would be paid and others would not. The unit protested, a wire from M. Lewenstein, president, said, because it wanted "simply to urge uniform treatment to all members of the boards." Topeka Gets NRA Office Topeka, Jan. 12. — Headquarters of the NRA district compliance board for Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska and western Missouri have been transferred to Topeka from Kansas City. John E. Wrenn, director of the district board, is in charge. Code Assents Now 4,000 More than 4,000 code assents have been received by the Code Authority. The compliances are rapidly arriving and 18 days remain until the entire 20,000 must be put in the mails. KMT A Awaits Reply To Rosenblatt Bid Kansas City, Jan. 12. — A. F. Baker, president of the Kansas-Missouri Theatre Ass'n., is still awaiting a reply from Sol A. Rosenblatt, division administrator, to his invitation to address a mass meeting of exhibitors in Kansas City. Baker extended the invitation about three weeks ago. The association plans a meeting of exhibitors in this territory to clarify the code before assent forms are signed. If a mass gathering is not held, the association's board of directors will meet the place the association on record with respect to the code. Cleveland Men for Code Reservations Cleveland, Jan. 12. — General expressions favored signing of the code with reservations at a special meeting today of the Cleveland M. P. Exhibitors' Ass'n. Hear Loew Case Jan. 16 Washington, Jan. 12. — Officials of the National Labor Board on Jan. 16 will hold a hearing in the case of Loew's State, New Orleans, charged with unjustly discharging four men, whom the regional labor board ordered reinstated. The theatre agreed to put back only two of the men. 1 i