Moving Picture World (Mar-Dec 1907)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. 499 Published Every Saturday. The World Photographic Publishing Company, New YorB. ALFRED H. SAUNDERS. Editor. J. P. Chalmers. Associate Editor and Business Manager. Vol. 1., OCTOBER 12th No. 32. SUBSCRIPTION: $2.00 per year. Post free in the United States, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands. CANADA AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES: $2.50 per year. All communications should be addressed to P. 0. BOX 450, NEW YORK CITY. ADVERTISING RATES ON APPLICATION. Editorial. More Observation. Our editorial of last week brought us a protest from a second-hand clothier and a dealer in old machines, who have gone into the film-renting business, asking us if we have any objection to them launching into the money market with these goods. It is not our right or place to object to anyone doing as he pleases with his own. This is a free country. We are pleased to see the trend of new blood into the business and wish them all success. What we object to is the promises they make to obtain business, well knowing they cannot be fulfilled after the first two or three weeks. It is their attitude that has been the cause of so much discontent in the trade. The demand for film is growing rapidly and every individual proprietor wants to have first films. The cost of production and importation remains the same, and we contend it is folly to reduce the price of hiring out film to supply the demand, like these newcomers have done. Take the last meeting of the Exhibitors’ Association, for instance. At this meeting statements were made about the price that exhibitors were getting their supply for and the firms who were undercutting the price. Our advice to these people is to let well alone and keep on as they are going ; but no, they want still cheaper rates, and have appointed a committee to go to certain firms with the offer that if they reduce the price to suit the demands of the exhibitors, the exhibitors as a body will flock to them. This is the caucus with a vengeance. The alternative is that the Association will start in the renting business to supply themselves. Supposing the renters refuse the demands thrust upon them and the Association starts in and rents. With what results? Any business man will predict this, and that is, ruin to the Association and its members. Why? Simply because the Association men will have to pay pro rata, treble, quadruple, and more per week than they do now. Their forty dollars per week will mount to two hundred dollars per. How do we figure it? That’s very simple. There are, say, fifty members in line. That means three hundred films at, say, fifty dollars each; first cost, $15,000 to supply the films needed to go round. Who pays the piper? The members, of course. And what does it cost them on the first week’s rental each, as an association, pro rata. We figure it out $300 each man. Are you members willing to put this up every week ? If not, then leave well alone and don’t cut your nose off to spite your face. There is a cry going up that the renters are making enormous fortunes. Don’t you believe it! You just put the machinery of your own think-box to work and reason it out for yourselves ; don’t let others do it for you or mislead you. You all want new films as soon as they are out. Take the above figures and ask where the profit comes in. None of you want the second or third, but if the renter is to get any returns on his outlay, you must be reasonable in your demands and give and take a little. A proprietor of a nickelodeon, taking us into his confidence, told us that he was doing fine, and when he gave us figures we said he ought to be ashamed of himself wanting a further reduction. We will give his figures for the benefit of our readers, who shall be the judges as to what this man deserves. His takings for one week were: Sunday, $47.50; Monday, $39.00; Tuesday, $43.10; Wednesday, $37.30; Thursday, $45.15; Friday, $31.05; Saturday, $68.35 1 a grand total of $31145 Against this there were : Rent, $35.00 ; operator, $15.00 ; films, $30.00 ; piano player and singer, $20.00; odds and ends, $15.00; total, $115.00; leaving profit of $196.45 for the week, and yet this man wants a reduction of the price in his film hire. This is one of the reasons why we urge the renters to show a more fraternal spirit one with the other; get together and agree upon one price all round for the hire of films, and stick to it. TO SLIDE-MAKERS AND LANTERNISTS. We have been asked if we have dropped the song slide and lantern end of the paper, with which we started, and why there are no mention of slides in the list. We have several articles ready for the press, but the great pressure on our space for news of the moving picture end, has crowded out slide review, but we hope to revert to this shortly. The Jointing and Splicing of Wires and Cables for Operators. The following points must be remembered if it is de; sired to construct a joint that will hold and not cause trouble through leakage, fusing or corrosion from internal action: Be neat about your work; keep all debris away while jointing ; never cut a conductor, wire -or cable with the trimming knife toward the metal, as the slightest nick in the metal will cause the wire or conductor to break on bending; trim all the insulating material surrounding the conductor or wire in the same way as you would a lead pencil, along the same plane as the wire runs ; see that the metal is thoroughly clean in every respect before commencing to connect up and joint ; never use an acid in soldering your joints, but use rosin or some suitable stick compound as sold at electrical stores. The writer, when a student learning dynamic-machine construction, invented the following simple solution for the purpose, viz: Take wood alcohol and dissolve in it as much rosin as will make a varnish ; apply this to the