Motion Picture Magazine (Feb-Jul 1915)

. Motion Pictures came into popularity riot very many years ago with a rush, and the interest in tliem is still increasing day by day. The film on which they are printed is of highly inflammable and explosive nature. There were many casualties, resulting in loss of life and property. As a consequence, stringent laws were enacted to safeguard the public, and these laws have, from time to time, been made more severe as a result of still further catastrophes. The regulations in question were made without any thought of possible future developments in the industry tending to greater safety. The need of a small, portable, low-powered projecting machine soon arose, and some halfdozen or more makes were placed on the market. All of them work on the theory of low power, using not more than four amperes. The leading machine of this kind has a special air-duct system which .carries the generated heat of the baby arc-light away from the film, thus making the machine doubly safe ; in fact, the makers claim that inflammable film may be held fixed in the rays of the arc for an indefinite period without the least danger. None of these low-power machines have come into the great use that is their due, simply because of the regulations that absolutely demand an expensive fireproof booth and sundry other things. Fire officials and fire insurance men stand on the argument that all projecting machines are equally dangerous, and the laws fixed by them must therefore stand. This is wholly unwarranted by the facts. Motion Pictures should today l;e in every school as part of the training methods, because no instruction is clearer and so speedily effective as that given to the eye thru Motion Pictures. Yet schools are prevented from adopting the service because it would be impracticable to install the high-power machines and engage licensed operators for the daily service. There are available low-power machines ideally fitted for such needs as the school, the church, the manufacturer for displaying his wares and methods, and even the home for private amusement. The use of such machines should be allowed without a fireproof booth, but. for further safety, a law should be enacted that they may be used only with safety film — film of the slow-burning type. The law should really go much further. There should be national legislation prohibiting the use of all inflammable film, and it's a rather curious thing that no one seems to have taken the initiative in bringing about such legislation. The danger besetting inflammable film is ever present and bound to result some time in a calamity. There are too many recent happenings to prove it, the most notable being the very large and disastrous fire at the big Edison plant in Orange, X. J., where inflammable film played the leading role. In another instance of not many weeks back, film carried by a passenger on a railroad train took fire and resulted in the serious injury of a number of people. There are many minor accidents of which the general public is not made aware. It would seem, therefore, a logical step to prohibit the use of inflammable film. The question naturally arises. Why has it not been done heretofore? Doubtless such a move would invite the immediate hostility of the big film exchanges and their allied industries, tho that is a shortsighted policy. Safety film is bound to come soon or late, but the sooner the better. It may be argued that it is not so durable and that it costs more than the other. The former is entirely wrong. It can be shown that safety film is gettable which is in every sense as good, strong and lasting as the best of inflammable film. That it costs more is at the moment true, but who will deny that when there is a general demand for safety film the prices 9?