Motion Picture News (May-Jun 1923)

2942 Stick with M. P. T. O., Says Rhode Also Declares National Organization Should Get Admission Tax Enforcement Modified IN a letter to Motion Picture News this week, Joseph G. Rhode, former president of the M. P. T. O. of Wisconsin and prominent in exhibitor organization councils, urges theatre owners to stick with the National organization, despite the fact that the Washington and Chicago conventions were failures. Mr. Rhode writes: " The National Association's annual convention, held at Washington last year, was a failure. This year's meeting at Chicago was the same. Very little of a constructive nature was done at either place. Yet in face of these discouraging conditions, real progress for national organization has been made. Anyone at all acquainted with organization work will admit that the present M. P. T. 0. is the biggest and most effective organization the exhibitors have had. It is three years old — a short time to build a 100 per cent national association. Rome was not built in a day. It certainly would be poor policy to do anything that would in any way tend to destroy the tremendous conscientious work of the last three years. On the contrary, thinking exhibitors who are big enough and broadminded enough to be good sportsmen will get behind the present National organization, keep it going and back it up in every possible way. " Every pioneering movement has its discouraging times. Exhibitors should shoulder the responsibilities and not shirk them if they want to get a good, big. efficient working organization. Exhibitors should be willing to keep on playing ball even if they don't make a home run in the first few games. " There is great need for immediate assistance in a national way to correct some evils that arc costing the exhibitors thousands of dollars. " One of the most exasperating, irritating, very expensive and unjust problems that the exhibitor has to contend with is the admission tax law. Little is published of fines assessed against the exhibitor, justly or unjustly, on account of the violation of this law. The government rarely broadcasts such information and the exhibitor who is fined generally thinks it policy to keep quiet and consequently shuts up. " Intelligent exhibitors may read the law pertaining to admission taxes; they may think that they understand its provisions, may be nbsolutely honest in their effort to carry out the law to the letter, yet learn from some over zealous tax collector, inspector or agent that his tickets are improperly printed — that the numbering has not been consecutive since 1918 — he slipped some time in 1920 — a number of days — and each day a separate count. " Here is an opportunity for the National association to get busy immediately, in securing a modification of the enforcement provisions of said law, also a word from the proper department to the tax men to use some discretion. " Then the National organization should begin now to put in a plea for the repeal of said law just as soon as Congress convenes again. " Inasmuch as the government or the exhibitor rarely broadcasts the fines assessed I believe it would be a very good idea, in order to get at the matter intelligently, to ask exhibitors from every section of the country, who have been fined for trivial offences, to send in an account of same to the M. P. T. 0. at 132 West 43rd street, New York City. " This in behalf of the honest exhibitor only. The dishonest exhibitor has no consideration coming and should get his just deserts". Here is a chance for service." Loew Adds Three Houses To Circuit Three houses have been added to the Loew circuit. Two of these are in New York and one in Omaha. The Lexington Opera House has been purchased outright and will be reopened in the fall with a straight picture policy. The Borough Park in Brooklyn has also been purchased and will continue as a straight pictures house. The third house is the Empress, Omaha. Motion Picture .Mew .« British Film Editor Guest of Honor at Luncheon A LUNCHEON was given at the Astor on Wednesday of this week in honor of Frank Tilley, editor of The Kinematograph Weekly ("Kine") of London. It was arranged by Bert Adler, who is New York correspondent for the publication. Harry Reichenbach acted as toastmaster. Brief talks were made by several of those present, including John Flinn, J. Stuart Blackton, Nathan Burkan, Abe Berman and others. English exhibitors are somewhat behind Americans in presentations, Mr. Tilley stated, but he doubted whether the Broadway type of presentation would ever be popular in England. Ritter's Views on Exhibitor Organization (Continued from page 2941) ting the results he knows should be secured, he should readily get someone else interested, give him the same effort that he would put forth were he leading, and you can't stop such a combination. " The personnel of the national organization should consist, I believe, of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, board of directors, paid organizer and business manager, with competent office help. The president, organizer and business manager, with the office help, should be paid a salary and to them the exhibitors of the country should then look for results. We must get away from this joke of having people donate their time to do our business. What would you think if you had a theatre manager who wanted to donate his time to the management of vour theatre? " An executive board should bo formed with the presidents of the various state or sectional units as members, and to them should be referred any national problem before it is decided by the board of directors. " The board of directors should meet at least every two months and the board members should have their expenses paid to these meetings, which, I feel, it would be advisable to hold in various parts of the country. Exhibitors in the vicinity of the meeting should be welcomed to these meetings. " A financial statement of the condition of the organization, together with the income and expenditures, should be issued every two months and placed in the hands of every state president. The administration of an organization, made up of many units, is a matter that should be watched very carefully — because of the confidence that must be established. Let's have everything on top of the table. I was treasurer two years ago and did not have the financial report until after the Washington convention closed, and I did not hear either statement read at Chicago or Washington. " If a member of the board of directors, or the administrative personnel does not function, provision should he made for his removal and the election of a successor, not by the board itself, but by the executive committee. " The business of organization is the application of the same business foresight and judgment that you give to your own theatre business. Let's apply it to national organization, and then watch for results. Remember, successful state or national organization is not the result of accident, but of honesty, hard work and horse sense." Minnesota Issues Reply to Statement by Sydney S. Cohen A STATEMENT issued by the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Minnesota June 12, and telegraphed to the trade papers, makes reply to the statement given out last week by Sydney S. Cohen with regard to Minnesota's withdrawal from the national organization. " Minnesota has withdrawn from the national organization, choosing to go its own way in protecting the interests of its members," the telegram says in part. "Minnesota withdrew from the national organization only after it had satisfied itself that no longer could it look to the national organization with any hope for the protection to which members of a national association of this kind are entitled." Mr. Cohen's claim that " First National controls the Minnesota organization " is denounced in the strongest terms as untrue. The statement continues: " So far as Sydney Cohen threatening to invade Minnesota to establish another paper unit to affiliate itself with his monarchy, we in Minnesota accept this challenge gladly and will welcome Sydney Cohen or any of his henchmen to come into our territory at any time, either for the purpose of trying to disrupt one of the strongest exhibitor organizations ever formed in the United States, or for the purpose, as above stated, of creating another paper unit. We have confidence in our members and they likewise have confidence in our officers." The statement is signed by J. B. Clinton, Duluth; Joseph Friedman, St. Paul; George Carisch, Minneapolis; A. A. Kaplan, Minneapolis; W. L. Nicholas, Fairmont; Jay Dundas, Sioux Falls, So. Dakota; V. B. Valleau, Bismarck, No. Dakota; Harvey Buchanan, Superior; H. B. Johnson, Rush City, and C. H. Hitchcock, Minneapolis.