Moving Picture World (Jan-Jun 1910)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 211 F. S. A. Convention. The Film Service Association held its Fifth Semi-annual Convention at the Imperial Hotel, New York City, on January 28, 29 and 30. The first session was called to order on Friday afternoon, the 28th of January, and the roll-call showed 37 delegates present and five represented by proxy. Several applicants subsequently admitted to membership brought the total number of delegates present to 40. In accordance with the following list: The exchanges represented by delegates or by proxy were: Actograph Company, New York — Edw. Harrington. Buffalo Film Exchange, Buffalo, N. Y.— J. A. Schuchert. Greater New York Film Exchange — Louis Rosenbluh and E. T. Fox. Electric Theater Supply Co., Philadelphia — H. Schwalbe and J. A. McCaffrey. Alfred Weiss Film Exchange, New York City— Alfred Weiss. Imperial Film Exchange, New York City — Wm. Steiner. Imperial Film Exchange, Troy, N. Y. — Lee Langdon. Imperial Film Exchange, Washington, D. C. — Tom Moore. Miles, Bros., Inc., New York — Joseph R. Miles and H. T. Edwards. Miles Bros., Inc., Baltimore — J. C. Weidman. Miles Bros., Inc., Boston — Joseph Mack. Miles Bros., Inc., San Francisco — Herbert L. Miles. Pittsburg Calcium Light and Film Co., Pittsburg, Pa. — J. B. Clark and R. A. Rowland. Pittsburg Calicium Light and Film Co., Wilkesbarre, Pa. — Mr. Shirley. Pittsburg Calcium Light and Film Co., Rochester, N. Y. — E. M. Saun. Pittsburg Calcium Light and Film Co., Des Moines, la. — J. B. Clark and R. A. Rowland. Pittsburg Calcium Light and Film Co., Cincinnati, Ohio — J. B. Clark and R. A. Rowland. Tally's Film Exchange, Los Angeles, Cal. — (Proxy). Novelty Moving Picture Co., San Francisco, Cal.— (Proxy). Turner & Dahnken, San Francisco, Cal. — (Proxy). Swaab Film Service, Philadelphia, Pa. — L. M. Swaab. Pearce & Scheck, Baltimore, Md. — Messrs. Pearce and Scheck. Kinetograph Co., New York City — P. L. Waters. Howard Moving Picture Co., Boston, Mass. — Frank J. Howard. Duquesne Film Exchange, Pittsburg, Pa.— Mr. Warner. National-Vaudette, Detroit, Mich. — Phil Gleichman. National-Vaudette, Grand Rapids, Mich. — A. J. Gilligham. Lubin Film Service, Philadelphia, Pa. — -Robert Etris. Kleine Optical Co., New York City — J. E. Willis. Kleine Optical Co., Boston, Mass. — J. E. Willis. Kleine Optical Co., Chicago, 111. — J. E. Willis. People's Film Exchange, New York City — D. B. Bernstein. Twin City Calcium, Minneapolis, Minn. — C. E. VanDuzen. Progressive Film Exchange, Ogden, Utah — W. W. Hodkins. C. A. Calehuff, Philadelphia, Pa.— Chas. A. Calehuff. Theater Film Supply, Birmingham, Ala. — A. R. Boone. Western Film Exchange, Joplin, Mo. — J. R. Freuler. Western Film Exchange, Milwaukee, Wis. — J. R. Freuler. Western Film Exchange, St. Louis, Mo. — J. R. Freuler. Vitagraph Co., New York City— Wm. T. Rock. Lake Shore Film Exchange, Cleveland, O. — E. Mandelbaum. Imported Film and Supply Co., New Orleans, La. — J. E. Pearce. Ohio Film Exchange, Toledo, O. — J. W. Melchior. United Film Exchange, Cleveland, O. — Edward Kohl. Yale Film Renting Co., Kansas City, Mo. — A. D. Flinton. Spokane Film Exchange, Spokane, Wash. — Frank T. Bailey. Montana Film Exchange, Butte, Mont. — Frank T. Bailey. In all, 47 exchanges were represented out of a possible 79, and it is expected that the full quota will attend the next meeting, which will be held at a more central point. The Executive Committee's report recommending nine subjects to be taken up for discussion in the regular order was accepted and filed. The committee's report regarding the return of films was to the effect that they had finally secured from the manufacturers a concession of 20 per cent, rebate from the lengths of films returnable. A resolution was handed in to the effect that inasmuch as a great quantity of film older than seven months is needed for handling the business throughout the country, the manufacturers be requested 'to discontinue the return of film during the months of May, June, July and August. On the matter of credit to exhibitors it was the expressed opinion of the members of the Film Service Association that clear rules on the subject should be laid down and the support of the Patents Company invited in order to prevent members from disobeying them. Suggestions were made, first, to make C. O. D. methods universal; secondly, to limit credit to any exhibitor to a week; thirdly, that exchanges should not serve exhibitors already in debt to other exchanges. These matters having been thoroughly discussed, were finally left to a committee of three to formally regulate and secure the support of the Patents Company for their enforcement. At the evening meeting a long discussion took place on the probabilities of the exchanges being ousted from their present quarters and exchanges having further trouble on account of the erroneous ideas entertained by the public authorities in regard to the supposed danger in handling moving picture films. Many members seemed to think that most of the public misconception of this subject was due to ignorance and erroneous ideas with regard to such an accident as that of the Columbia Film Exchange in Pittsburg. J. B. Clark, of the Pittsburg Calcium Light and Film Company, spoke at considerable length on this subject. He pointed out that the Columbia accident was most exaggerated in the newspapers and that the damage caused, instead of being anything like $200,000, was very much less. He had seen an accepted bid for putting the building in complete repair for the sum of a little over $6,000. Tests by authorities that were made to demonstrate the explosive properties of celluloid were admitted by experts to be farcical and absurd. The meeting passed a resolution calling upon the Executive Committee to devise ways and means of overcoming unjust regulations in various cities of the country whose authorities are endeavoring to restrict the working of film exchanges. Independent Competition. Mr. Howard, of Boston, called for an opinion of each member as to the opposition existing from Independent exchanges in the city in which a licensed exchange was located. The opinion of the meeting was that the Independent movement was comparatively unimportant and that the only business of an Independent exchange was practically that business which a licensed exchange could not handle on account of "there being too many exhibitors in a certain neighborhood. The N. I. Film. Durability of non-inflammable film stock was largely discussed. Mr. Smith, of the Vitagraph Company, gave a technical explanation of the difficulties presented. He also stated that manufacturers had recently received a quantity of new N. I. film stock from the Eastman Company: thorough tests (The King of Entertainers.)