Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1925)

2534 Motion Picture News PATHE FIELD REPRESENTATIVE Named for Public Relations M ISS LUCY MERIWETHER CALHOUN has been appointed by Miss Regge Doran, director of the Public Relations Department of Pathe Exchanges, as field representative of the department. The new appointee will work in Chicago and vicinity as an aid to exhibitors. Miss Calhoun started her new duties at the Chicago Pathe branch on November 9th. She is well qualified for the office, having served for three years on the staff of the Chicago Tribune as feature writer, music critic, club editor and general reporter. She also carried on public relations work with Secretary of Labor James J. Davis in the latter's pet project "Mooseheart," the Indiana Vocational School established by the Loyal Order of Moose. Miss Calhoun's contacts with the various civic groups in Chicago will be invaluable in her new work. As field representative she will carry on co-operative work with exhibitors in the Mid-West district. British Imports Show Increase Tremendous Advance in Film Footage is not Paralleled in Value THE following special report to the Department of Commerce by Alfred Nutting, clerk in the American Consulate General in London, gives an analysis of British exports and imports of motion picture films for the first nine months of 1925: For the nine months to September, 1925, the aggregate quantity of British imports of cinema films reached 170,587,388 linear feet, contrasted with 79,191,467 linear feet in the same period of 1924, and 90,459,407 linear feet in 1923; this extensive rise, however, was not accompanied by a corresponding advance in value, which increased this year to £1,114,953 against £887,500 a year ago. Of the above aggregate for the current period, no less than 154,742,426 linear feet were imported in the first six months (compared with 48.898,631 linear feet in 1924) and 87,849,206 linear feet thereof were received in the month of June last (only 6,961,309 linear feet being imported in June, 1924), in consequence of the two months' notice which was given of the intention to subject cinema films to Customs dutv on imports arriving on and after July 1, 1925. For the three months, July-September, 1925, the quantitv imported was onlv 15,844,962 linear feet, contrasted with 31,518, 439 linear feet during the same three months of 1923, when the McKenna duties were in operation. Of imports during the current cine months, blank film comprised 122,316,370 linear feet, against 53,994,350 linear feet last year, and 69,787,177 linear feet in 1923; while for the three months July-September the respective totals were 10,245,402 linear feet, 17,278,994 linear feet, and 24,789,339 linear feet. Positive films totaled 40,329,532 linear feet in the current nine months, against 20,257,269 linear feet in 1924, and 15,085,248 linear feet in 1923, the latest three months' figures being 4,278,431 linear feet, 11,295,590 linear feet, and 5,065,078 linear feet respectively; and negative films 7,941,486 linear feet in the nine months of 1925 contrasted with 4,939,848 linear feet in 1924, and 5,586,982 linear feet in 1923, the final three months recording imports of 1,321,129 linear feet this year, against 1,718,252 linear feet in 1924, and 1,664,022 linear feet two years ago. It is thus apparent that blank film has decreased the most heavily since June 30 last. It may be added that the total re-exports for the nine months in each of the years 1923-1925 show comparatively little change, averaging about 11,000,000 linear feet. 740 Theatres In New York City Commissioner's Report Shows 192 Regular and 548 Motion Picture Houses ACCORDING to a report filed by William F. Quigley, commissioner of the Department of Licenses, with Mayor Hylan, New York City now boasts of no less than 740 licensed theatres. Of this number 192 are legitimate theatres and 548 are picture houses. The report says the licensed theatres in the five boroughs have an aggregate seating capacity of 744,311. The capacity of the regular houses is 309,716 and of the picture houses 434,595. In the five boroughs the legitimate theatres and seating capacity are divided as follows : Manhattan, 124 houses with 190,969 seating capacity; Brooklyn, 43 houses with 74,981 seats; Bronx, 13 houses with 25,935 seats; Queens, 8 houses with 13,089 seats, and Richmond, 4 houses with 4,742 seats. The picture houses in the boroughs and their seating capacities are divided as follows: Brooklyn, 224 with 168,226 seats; Manhattan, 174 with 137,143 seats; Bronx, 71 with 66,743 seats ; Queens, 67 with 55,887 seats, and Richmond, 12 with 6,596 seats. The report is for the year 1924 and shows in detail the work of the department, which licenses and regulates about forty different kinds of business. The department revenue from licenses was $854,282.50, while the cost of conducting it was $222,577.86. India Launches Society To Produce Films A notice in the Official Gazette, states American Consul S. Verne Richardson, of Karachi, carries the information that the Registrar of Cooperative Societies in the Punjab, India, has granted registration tothe Topical and Educational Films Cooperative Society, Limited, of Lahore. The Society will be the only film producing society in India registered under the Cooperative Societies Act and is the first society for producing Indian films in the Punjab. An influential managing committee has been formed, representative of all classes and communities and it is expected to enrol 2,000 members to raise a capital of five lakhs of rupees (about $150,000). Membership is open to workers in the film industry, persons of the learned and skilled professions helpful to the industry, and a limited number of persons interested in investing in the industry. Shares are two hundred and fifty rupees each payable in full or by instalments of ten rupees with one rupee entrance fee. Xot more than four shares may be acquired by a single person. The Society hopes to put its first program on the market in the coming cold weather (the Indian term for winter and meaning the months November-February each year) which will probably include a super film drama as well as topical and educational >ide films. Sam Moross Resigns as T. O. C. C. Secretary Sam A. Moross who has served the Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce of New York as secretary since the organization of that bod} has resigned his office to enter the brokerage and real estate business in New York City. The board of directors accepted the resignation with regret and will tender Moross a testimonial dinner in appreciation of his long and faithful service. Canada Planning "All Canadian" Week 66 A LL CANADIAN WEEK" is the latest feature to be put across by prominent exhibitors in Eastern Canada in conjunction with the discussed probability of American producers making use of Canadian soil for the producing of pictures to qualify under the proposed Kontingent Plan in Great Britain. This Canadian Week idea follows up the visit of various producers, directors and stars to the Dominion at different times in recent months and the actual manufacture of several new productions in Quebec this year. The special week is intended to impress upon the people that the industry has reached the stage where producers are looking to Canada as a place for making pictures and, later, these features can be presented in the United Kingdom as British Empire Made productions. The "All Canadian Week" was commented upon by the Ottawa Journal as being evidence of a development in the film industry which permitted a presentation of a Canadian programme. In this connection, reference was also made in The Journal to England's proposed Kontingent Plan for the encouragement of British pictures.