Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

October 5 , I 9 I 8 2169 Industry Starts Liberty Loan Drive (Continued from page 2167) one subject for more than one day ; nor to book two subjects for the same clay, whether such subjects are handled by this or another company; in other words, no exhibitor shall have more than one of the 35 subjects for any day; nor shall any exhibitor be permitted to obtain a repeat booking for any subject. "5th: No charge shall be made directly or indirectly to any exhibitor for the exhibition of any Liberty Loan print. " 6th: Instead of shipment being made to exhibitors by express, all such shipments are to be made by post under a Government frank, especially issued for the purpose. This frank will be evidenced by a label. These labels will be sent to you along with the shipment of prints. It, of course, follows that no postage will be necessary. One label is to be inclosed in each shipment for the exhibitor's use in returning the print. A heavy penalty is attached to the use of such labels for any other purpose. " 7th : At the top of each booking sheet you will write the words, ' Respectfully submitted to the Treasury Department of the United States Government." " 8th : On October 20 you shall forward to this office the original booking sheets, or duplicates thereof, showing the specific theatres and the days for which each print was on exhibition, as well as the dates for which each print was in transit. Such information is not to be conveyed by signs or hieroglyphics ; but, on the contrary, is to be plainly written, so that the actual facts are perfectly apparent to a layman totally unacquainted with the booking sheets and booking methods of the Motion Picture Industry. " 9th : For each day that each exhibitor books a Liberty Loan print, such exhibitor is to be impressed with the necessity of sending to you a record of the total amount of the Liberty Loan subscription taken at his theatre for that day. This record shall be carefully entered by you in a book kept solely for that purpose, and a transcript thereof daily sent to this office. Each page of such book shall be totalled, and the total carried over to the succeeding page, for it is quite probable that several times during the drive you will be asked to send by wire, the total of the subscriptions obtained to date by the theatres booking the prints assigned to you. " 10th : The prints allotted to you are Government property. Accordingly, you are held personally responsible for their safety. Immed'ately after the conclusion of the drive, you will be asked to return all prints to the Government. Shipping instructions for such return will be forwarded to you at a later date. "11th: This same letter of instructions is sent by the Home Office of each distributing organization, to its respective offices. In other words, all exchanges handling the Liberty Loan prints, are receiving a uniform letter of instructions prepared by the Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, appointed by the Treasury Departme.it. "12th: No excuse or alibi will be entertained either by the Government or by this ofiic-j, for permitting any print to remain idle on the shelf. " It is, of course, recognized both by the Treasury Department and by the Liberty Loan Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, that all of the exhibitors of the United States are more than anxious to perform their patriotic duty, by exhibiting a Liberty Loan subject every day of the drive, and that, therefore, each .exhibitor will see to it that he possesses complete bookings for the entire period. " It is likewise recognized with equal force, that you, and each member of yojr organization, are just as anxious to do your bit in a'd of rhe Liberty Loan, as the exhibitors are to do iheirs, and that, therefore, you will see '.o it that each print is booked solid during the drive, so that each day for each print is accounted for, by the print being on actual exhibiton, or being in actual transit. " ' By this method both you and the exhibitors will execute a 100 per cent, result. " ' From the above, it is, of course, manifest to you that the purposes of this distribution are twofold; first, to perform, to the fullest extent, our duty to the great cause and to the Government; and, second, and very incidentally, to demonstrate to the Government, by actual figures, the extent to which the Motion Picture Industry is a practical aid ; and, therefore, essential, and that all the members of this Industry, in all its branches, are more than ready and willing and capable of doing their bit to the extent of 100 per cent.' " Goldman Appointed Censor Mayor Cowgill has appointed Henry Goldman as film censor at Kansas City, to succeed Sydney J. Baker, resigned. Goldman was formerly assistant film censor, and previously was on the road as traveling salesman. COLUMBUS DAY Exhibitors Asked to Pat/ Tribute to I toll/ on That Day THE National Security League, Inc., of New York, has asked the theatre managers and exhibitors of the country to join the league in a tribute to Italy on Columbus Day, October 12. It is suggested that theatres fly Italian flags and use as part of the musical program the Garibaldi Hymn. Exhibitors played no small part in the celebration of our own national Flag Day, and it is felt that they will, as usual, come to the front and lead the populace in paying fitting tribute to our great ally, Italy. The Security League has said: "The patriotic services of the industry cannot be overestimated. They have been ever ready to do their part." Exhibitors who have formed no plan for this day are invited to get in touch either with the Security League, 19 West 44th street, New York, or MOTION PICTURE NEWS. Anderson Forms League for Mutual Benefit Additional indications that exhibitors can accomplish more in league with each other for mutual benefit than by operating separately and pulling several ways were brought to the attention of Motion Picture News this week in a letter from F. G. Heller, an exhibitor of Anderson, Ind. The letter follows : " As president of a newly formed local Exhibitors' League, I feel that we have some news that is worth publishing. As exhibitors in Anderson, we are all on most friendly terms and feel that we can accomplish much with a little organization of our own. This is unusual, nevertheless true. While Anderson has a population of perhaps 25,000 people, with eight theatres, seating approximately 5,000, we believe there is room for all of us if we conduct our theatres in the proper way, and to this end we intend to put forth our greatest efforts. The operators, musicians, electricians, stage hands, film producing companies and in fact most every branch of the industry are organized, so why not the exhibitors ? " While it is true that the exhibitors of Anderson have not experienced a great many difficulties with film companies, employes, etc., yet little things occasionally arise that can be more easily settled by an organization rather than by the individual. " The new organization will be known as the Exhibitors' Co-operative League of Anderson and the motto adopted is ' A square deal for all.' " Officers elected as follows : F. G. Heller, president ; J. J. Ryan, vice-president ; D. Fitzgerald, secretary and treasurer. U. S. Division of Films in New Quarters Coincident with the removal of the Division of Films. Committee on Public Information, to its new quarters in the big office building at 6 and 8 W. Forty-eighth street, Director Chas. S. Hart announces several important changes in the alignment of the staff. W. J. Maclnnes. who assisted in planning and furnished a great deal of the copy for the big advertising campaigns on different war activities, including the Liberty Loan and Red Cross drives, from their inception, and who came from Chicago to establish the " Official Film News," pub-' lished by the Division of Films in the interest of the Government war pictures, is named as Director of Advertising and Publicity, and will have entire charge of all exploitation, except that of the Bureau for Community Co-Operation, which continues in charge of Rycrson Ritchie. All publicity for the Division of Films, including the designing and placing of trade paper and daily newspaper advertising, poster and window displays, and other methods of stimulating public interest, will be included in the Department of Advertising and Publicity. Willard D. Coxey will be manager of the Press Bureau, under direction of Mr. Maclnnes. Howard Herrick, recently in charge of press publicity, will be associated with Manager George Bowles as Assistant Manager of Feature Films. At the present time the Division of Films is using only the sixth floor of the Fortyeighth street building, but when the work of fitting up the offices is completed three entire floors will be utilized. The Executive Offices will be on the seventh floor, the Sales Department on the sixth and the Educational Films Department on the fourth. Peach Seeds Admissions for Kansas Theatre Ten peach seeds was the admission price to the children at the Empress theatre, Paola, Kansas, September 14. More than nine thousand seeds were collected at the special matinee, with which the town started its campaign to meet the Governments appeal for peach seed. Paola is the first town in Kansas to make an organized effort in this direction. Theatre patrons are expected to drop peach seeds in a box at the entrance all next week — in addition to the regular admission. A hundred thousand seeds by next Saturday is Paola's goal. New Exhibitors' Branch Is Now Incorporated Peter Schaefer of Jones, Linick and Schaefer of Chicago, informs Motion Picture News that the recently amalgamated exhibitors' organization, of which he is president, has incorporated under the laws of Illinois as " National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, Exhibitors' Branch." Twenty officers and directors had attached their names to the corporation papers. miumMiimiiHmiminiHi.nmrnimiimiirnnmiimmniiimiin;:iBUY LIBERTY BONDSm iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin nmmiimin mini im