The Moving picture world (January 1924-February 1924)

January 5, 1924 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 27 State Right Percentage Accuracy Assured by Tax Collection System IN the past it has been the practice for every State right producer to figure his own percentage tables. The fact that none of the present schedules agree indicates that the different tables have been prepared at different times and from different sources of information. This business moves rapidly, quickly reflecting actual economic conditions in the different territories. For this reason the State right percentages figured years ago are at this time positively obsolete. Especially is this true in view of the accurate information now available from which fair percentages can be determined on performance. The old method was to take either the 1910 or 1920 censor reports, taking which ever one would give the answer nearest to that which was desired, or which ever report happened to be most convenient, and from this report figure the percentages of each territory to the whole. No count was taken in such computations to the 2,000,000 transient population in the City of New York, which 2,000,000 population contains the greatest amusement-spending population in the world. Neither do such past methods take into consideration that in certain sections of the United States 50 per cent, of the population is not eligible for theatre admissions, for racial reasons. Neither do they take into consideration the accessibility to the theatre of the population of Texas as compared to that of New York. In fact, there are so many errors in the old method of computing percentages that there is little wonder that this one question has always been a point about which there is no agreement. The theory that the amount collected by the government from the different territories for admission tax gives a true indication of the relative amusement possibilities of all of By WM. K. JENKINS President, Enterprise Distributing Corp. the territories. In his table, the report by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue of admission tax collected for year ending June 30, 1923, has been taken as a base ; the amounts have been divided into territories and the percentage of each territory to the whole shown, and this is a correct distribution percentage table of admission tax paid which should be the territorial percentage. Therefore, in presenting the accompanying table, I believe that I have secured the panacea for percentage troubles, and from now on, to all right-thinking exchange men and producers, nothing but harmony will reign. You will notice the outstanding differences between this table and some of the other tables are in only two territories, that of New York and California, and any man who has visited the exchange centers of the ■United States during the past year will admit the fact that New York is the best territory in the United States. After New York, the observer in traveling from center to center recognizes that business is splendid in California, and that the construction of a new million dollar theatre has ceased to be a news item in that territory. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that these two percentages should be increased over present practice, and this is what is accomplished when the percentages are figured on past results. One of the troubles of the State right business has been that the producers formulate all the rules by which the game is played, and that the exchange men, un Distribution Percentage Table New York State $13,694,000 New Jersey 2,601,000 New England 6,125,000 Pennsylvania 5,698,000 West Virginia 529,000 Delaware, Maryland, D. C, and Virginia 2,525,000 Ohio 4,027,000 Michigan 2,736,000 Illinois 6,566,000 Indiana 1,826,000 Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota 3,040,000 Iowa and Nebraska 1,793,000 Missouri and Kansas 2,719,000 Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma 2,698,000 Misssissippi and Louisiana 884,000 Georgia, Florida, Alabama, N. C, S. C, and Tennessee 2,423,000 Kentucky 738,000 Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and North Mexico 1,152,000 Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana 2,240,000 California, Arizona and Nevada 5,196,000 Total for Continental United States $€9,221,000 Canada (Assumed 5'2 p. c. of United States) 3,814,000 $73,035,000 18.7 3.7 8.5 8.0 .7 3S 5.5 3.8 9.0 2.5 4.0 2.3 3.6 12 12 32 1.0 32 3.1 7.1 5.5 organized and without a leader, have of necessity had to play the game according to the producers' rules. In a recent article in one of the national trade papers, there was a question in big headlines: "Where, oh where, are those Independent Exchanges?" The answer to this might have been in the fact that they are out of business because they were attempting to carry more than their just part of the cost of production. In the two named territories in which there were outstanding differences in tables, the exchange casualty has been less than in any other part of the United States. In "The Survey of Current Business," as prepared by the Bureau of Census which is under the Department of Commerce, which takes into consideration figures representing basic, industrial and commercial movements, it is interesting to observe that conditions as outlined in this survey indicate the justice of the changes which have been made when determining the State right schedule. Mark Strand Improved Palatial Broadway Theatre Made More Luxurious The Mark Strand in Broadway has been practically transformed as far as the palatial interior goes, and made even more luxurious than it formerly was. The whole transformation was made without an interruption of service. The rough parts undergoing changes were successfully concealed by long satin and velvet drapery. Noisy destruction was performed from midnight to mid-day, and noiseless construction accomplished the rest of the time. Moe Mark, president, and Joseph Plunkett, managing director, supervised the theatre's transformation. $150,000 was expended. The orchestra platform was lowered and enlarged to contain 35 musicians. An improvised semi-pit was especially built to clear the view to the stage and screen proper. The roomy stage will now permit the amplification of the ballets. An entirely new stage set has been built and the acoustic properties have been greatly improved. Other changes were also made in the theatre for the comfort and convenience of its patrons. Congratulating Hoffmann Fritz D. Hoffmann, comptroller of the Crandall theatres, is receiving the congratulations of his many friends over the addi-< tion to his family on December 19 of a baby'' daughter. The latest reports from Mr. Hoffmann indicate that both mother and baby are doing well. 100.0 Hetjgotjfflatt $ut timber