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268 ^> ^> ^> The Motion Picture Industry
for each board. Each secretary is directly responsible to this head office for the proper operations of the board.
As has been indicated, one of the functions of these various local Film Boards of Trade was to select the distributor representatives for the local Arbitration Board. The exhibitor members on these Arbitration Boards were usually chosen by the local exhibitor associations.11 These Boards of Arbitration consisted of six persons, three of whom were members of the Film Boards of Trade and three of whom were proprietors or managers of ''theaters not owned or controlled by producers or distributors". The term of office of the arbitrators was for one month 12 or until their successors were appointed. In cases where the six arbitrators could not reach a decision, a seventh arbitrator, not connected with the motion picture industry nor in any way interested in it, was called in. In 1928, out of 23,869 claims filed, a seventh arbitrator was necessary in only 28 cases. No member of the Board of Arbitration could act in any controversy in which he had an interest. The cost of maintenance was divided equally between the Film Boards of Trade and the local exhibitors' association. As a matter of fact, these costs were almost negligible. Generally either the secretary of the Film Board of Trade or the secretary of a local exhibitors' association performed all the clerical work.
The procedure in trials before these Film Boards of Trade was extremely informal. In a broad way it was governed by the rules and regulations, to which reference has already been made, and which may be considered a part of the arbitration clause of the Standard Exhibition Contract.13
11 In the absence of a local exhibitors' association the president of the Film Board of Trade requested the president of the local Chamber of Commerce to appoint the exhibitor representatives. Failing here, the same request was made to the mayor or other chief executive of such city. If this also failed, then appeal was made to the president of the American Arbitration Association.
12 In the Uniform Contract the term of office was for one year. This was changed to three months in the First Standard Exhibition Contract and reduced to one month in the New Standard Exhibition Contract.
13 An interesting discussion concerning the character of trials in arbitration is to be found in the Harvard Law Review, May, 1927 (pp. 929-942),