Motography (Jan-Jun 1914)

January 10, 1914 MOTOGRAPHY 15 Association Holds Important Meeting Executives Advocate Consolidation MEMBERS of the executive committee of the International Motion Picture Association met in Chicago at Hotel La Salle on December 18 and 19 for the first time since the birth of the new organization last July, and before adjourning, took one of the most important steps forward since the eventful happenings of last summer, when delegates from several of the largest states in the union walked out of the national convention of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America. An hour before adjoining, to meet again in Cleveland, Ohio, the first Tuesday in March, 1914, the executive committee unanimously passed a resolution reading as follows : — "Resolved, that a committee be appointed to devise ways and means of consolidating all the exhibitors of the country into one national organization and that this committee meet with the executive committee of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America to see how this can best be accomplished and report back to the body which created it." Just before the above resolution was passed, a resolution unanimously endorsing Samuel H. Trigger's letter to the trade papers, in which he advocated a union of the Association with the League, upon the condition that the president of the League be eliminated, was passed and all those speaking on the subject of the second resolution made it plain that Mr. Trigger's letter expressed their sentiments exactly and that no consolidation could occur should M. A. Neff elect to remain president or even a minor official of the united organization. The session of the executive committee was called to order on Thursday, December 18, by President C. H. Phillips of the Association, and reports of the various state organizations were at once called for. William J. Sweeney of Chicago reported for Illinois, pointing out that the membership in his state has steadily increased, and he briefly touched upon local troubles, such as the ventilation question, the recently demanded five minute period between reels, and other impending adverse legislation. Thomas Furniss of Duluth, Minnesota, made the Gopher state's report, declaring that thirty-four members of the League out of a total membership of sixty-three, had been present and endorsed the stand taken by the Minnesota delegates to the New York convention last summer. The Minnesota association has established headquarters at room 580 of the Shubert Building with C. E. Goodman in charge. At a meeting held several weeks ago at Morris, Minnesota, attended by seventy-nine exhibitors, sixty-eight applications for membership in the Association were received. Samuel Trigger, reporting for New York state, referred to the $2,760.00 turned over to President Neff to defray the mileage of the national vice presidents attending the New York convention, and called attention to the fact that at least four of the vice-presidents had never received the sums due them. The New York Association is steadily growing and has recently added three new organizations, two in Brooklyn and one in Westchester county, with a total membership of 670. Fred Herrington of Pittsburgh asserted Pennsylvania exhibitors considered the National Board of Censorship good enough for him and that his fellow members were opposed to any state consorship boards, pointed out that Pittsburg Local No. 1 had but 80 members at the time of the New York convention, while today its membership roll includes 117 exhibitors. President Phillips summed up conditions in Wisconsin tersely, showing that of the fifty-two exhibitors in Milwaukee all but one were members of the Asso. ciation. Letters were read from the exhibitors' associations of California, Indiana and Massachusetts, showing that all were prospering and ready to affiliate with the International Association. Dr. Rhodes of Indiana would have been present but for a typhoid fever epidemic in his city which necessitated his presence there. The Massachusetts report showed that Massachusetts had withdrawn from the League and that the attempt of the League's president to reorganize a state branch there had met with very slight results. Thursday evening an elaborate Dutch lunch was given by the Chicago Association, which is reported eleswhere, and on Friday morning another business session was held, at which William J. Sweeney of Chicago was elected national treasurer of the organization. President Phillips made his annual report, showing that he had visited Minnesota and Wisconsin legislatures and, with the aid of two representatives from the National Board of Censorship, had been instrumental in preventing impending adverse legislation. National Secretary Harold W. Rosenthal briefly reported his activities since his election, chief among which was his trip to Massachusetts where he helped the exhibitors to decide upon a withdrawal from the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America. He also stated that the International Association had recently been chartered and incorporated in the state of New York and would shortly be ready to issue state charters. A letter was read from the secretary of the National Board of Censorship, in which an offer was made to appoint representatives of the exhibitors' association on the censorship board if so requested. A letter of acceptance was ordered written and a resolution endorsing the work of the National Board of Censorship, and thanking it particularly for the aid given the Association in combating state censorship was unanimously passed. The resolutions endorsing Mr. Trigger's letter written to the trade papers, in which he urged an amalgamation of the League and the Association, and creating a committee of five to meet with the executive committee of the other organization and seek ways and means of effecting such an amalgamation were next in order. Following the passage of the last resolution President Phillips appointed Samuel H. Trigger of New York, William J. Sweeney of Chicago, Thomas J. Furniss of Duluth, "B. K. Fischer of Milwaukee and Fred J. Herrington of Pittsburgh as the committee. Samuel Trigger again brought up the matter of the $2,700.00 which had been turned over to President Neff of the League to cover the mileage of the national vice-presidents attending the New York convention