Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

Construction, Equipment and Operation SECTION OF MOTION PICTURE NEWS Everything for Theatre, ELxchange and Studio Confidence A LETTER has just been received from one of the leading dealers in the western section of the country whose sentiments concur exactly with ours. We are therefore taking the liberty of repeating that part of the letter verbatim which applies to the accessory end of the motion picture industiy, for it brings out something which is lacking to-day — something which must be realized before our industry settles down where it should be. The letter follows : * * * **VY7E might state for your information that here in this practice of price cutting has been nearly overcome because of the mutual confidence between dealers. " Confidence, truly, is the foundation upon which all business should be transacted, and in this mutual trust between dealers, we are now all securing a legitimate profit on our merchandise and service and are able to improve the quality of the goods we deliver and the manner in which tliis delivery is made. " This legitimate profit permits us to maintain a competent corps of expert assistants who can really take care of exhibitors as they should be taken care of, and such help as we maintain are often able to save exhibitors tidy sums because they are experts and able to act not only as clerical helpers, but real advisers. Not long ago, we were approached by a new face in our salesroom. This man opened up his negotiations with us something like this : *<T AM Mr. X. Ibitor of Anywhere. I am not a moving picture man. I am a business man. 1 am engaged in other lines of business. You are in this business. You should know this business intimately and well in order to maintain such an establishment as you do. I am going to place myself in your hands implicitly and want you to act as my purchasing agent from your own stock.' " This is CONFIDENCE. It is what is so often lacking in the relations between exhibitor and dealer and what should be encouraged and fostered in the future. "Don't you think Mr. X. Ibitor got a square deal? Could we betray CONFIDENCE of this nature? Would we dare to do so, because we know that as long as we take care of him we will enjoy the profit from the sales he places with us. "CoH^c?^HC^— Confidence— CONFIDENCE. That is That is what is needed between every unit of this vast industry to make it rapidly take its position on a par with other businesses that are in the forefront of the world's industries. Pardon this outburst On our part — ■ and the encroachment on your valuable time— but this is just a tiny angle upon which we happen to be cranks." T EGITIMATE profit — how does that sound? How was it brought about? Did any of you think it possible? Yes, there are many dealers who are making this profit but they are the exception and not the rule. They do not do it by combinations or deals, they do it by giving service with their goods. They make it because their customers have CONFIDENCE in them — and they in their competitors. The newly formed National Association of the Motion Picture Industry is the organization which can make every dealer and manufacturer who is a member make this legitimate profit, providing these dealers go into the organization as they should — with a determination to make the organization work for them. The film manufacturers, when the Board of Trade started, not only distrusted each other, but if you can believe it, the heads of one company did not know the heads of another even by sight. They had no trust in one^ another. ■"THE Board of Trade did not last but had it not existed the present organization never could have come into being. It made one man acquainted with another. It did away with a very large part of the distrust which with the new organization is now doing away with entirely. The film companies are now working together. The shame is that the accessory people were not an active part of the old Board of Trade. Had they been they would now be ready for the present association. Their section of the new organization would have its full quota of members ready to work. It will now be necessary for the same preliminan,' work to be gone through as has been gone through by the film manufacturers. CONFIDENCE will have to be established not only with ^ the customer, but between each other. There is only one way to accomplish it — through the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry. This applies to the dealers and manufacturers of all Accessories to the Industry. The present membership is not what it should be. Perhaps you don't know about the details of the organization. Find out what they are and get behind the movement. Write to us — write the Association direct — write to someone, but whatever you do, become interested and start working. Go after that Legitimate Profit which belongs to each one of you, by working together. Have confidence and cooperate. E. K: GiLI.ETT. Copyrif/ht, 1916, hy Motion Picture News. Inc.