Moving Picture World (Jul - Aug 1918)

1112 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD August 24, 1918 Entered at the General Post Office, New York City, as Second Class Matter Published Weekly by the Chalmers publishing Company 516 FIFTH AVENUE, AT 43D STREET, NEW YORK CITY (Telephone, Murray Hill, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1613.) J. P. Chalmers, Sr President J. F. Chalmers Vice-President and General Manager E. J. Chalmers Secretary and Treasurer James L. H off Managing Editor A Mac Arthur, Jr Advertising Manager The office of the company is the address of the officers. CHICAGO OFFICE— Suite 917-919 Schiller Building, 64 West Randolph St., Chicago, 111. Telephone, Central S099. PACIFIC COAST OFFICE— 610-611 Wright and Callender Building, Los Angeles, Cal. Telephone, Broadway 4649. G. P. Harleman, Business Representative. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. United States, Cuba, Mexico, Hawaii, Porto Rico and Philippine Islands $3.06 per year Canada 3.50 per year Foreign Countries (Postpaid) 4.00 per year Changes of address should give both old and new addresses in full and be clearly written. Two weeks' time should be allowed for change ADVERTISING RATES. Classified Advertising — One dollar for twenty words or less ; over twenty words, five cents per word. Display Advertising Rates made known on application. NOTE — Address all correspondence, remittances and subscriptions to MOVING PICTURE WORLD, 516 Fifth Avenue, at Forty-third Street, New York, and not to individuals. CINE-MUNDIAL, the monthly Spanish edition of the Moving Picture World, is published at 516 Fifth Avenue by the Chalmers Publishing Company. It reaches the South American and Spanish-speaking market. Yearly subscription, $1.50. Advertising rates on application. Saturday, August 24, 1918 Facts and Comments ARE you doing any hard thinking on the question of foreign trade? Here is a great chance to exercise your gray matter to profitable effect. Right now there is a demand for American pictures because they are the best in the World's market in quality and just about the only pictures available in any market now. But the latter condition will not always prevail ; American producers will not always have a practical monopoly of the business that has been given them by conditions forced upon other countries by the War. Once peace is declared and picturemakers of France, Great Britain and Ttalv resume operations there will be strong competition for the world market. But while we are waiting for that time to come it is up to our manufacturers and producers to so exploit their products that it may become so favorably known to the civilized world that the preference will be in our favor. Keep your mind working on it. * First in importance in considering the question of the world's market is the necessity of keeping the trade center in America. For years the greater proportion of the world's output of motion pictures has been made in America, and for as many years the center cf the world's trade has been in London. There were two reasons for that condition: one was our lack of experience in handling exports and an unwillingness to learn ; the second was a peculiar trade condition which enables picture men to get raw stock cheaper in London than in this country. The first condition we are correcting rapidly, but it is still possible to buy Eastman raw stock in London for less money than it can he purchased here. This practice may be good business for the raw film manufacturer, but it is bad for the American motion picture business. It ought to be o rrected. * * * WHAT preparations are you making for the Fourth Liberty Loan? We have gone through three loan campaigns successfully, ' but the amounts were comparatively small in comparison with the amount that will he asked in the next. Also, while the motion picture industry helped materially in he raising of the last loan, what we did was not a marker to what we will do this time. For weeks there has been a careful campaign in the planning under the leadership of Adolph Xukor. In the plans thus being made the picture interests of America will have a large and strenuous part. Everyone will have a chance to do his and her best. To a certain extent there will be plans for the exhibitor as there are for the manufacturer, the distributor and the player. Added to these plans and fitting into them harmoniously the exhibitor has an opportunity to do some thinking and planning on his own hook. Have you thought of it? Ask vourself what there is that you can devise that will strengthen the big program and induce your patrons to dig down for a few more bonds. Start the old ''think tank" working for the next drive. It starts in September. * * * SINCE the casualty lists have been coming in we have not heard a word from motion picture theatre owners in protest against the contemplated increase in the admission tax proposed by the Congressional Ways and Means Committee, now laboring on that proposition in Washington. One large operator of legitimate theatrical interests, speaking for that branch of the amusement industry, has declared that the proposed doubling of theatre taxation Mill drive half of the legitimate houses out of business, but the picture theatre men seem to have no such fears. Experience has taught them that in times of stress their business prospers, and with a prosperous business they know that it will be no hardship to meet the levy. In which case why worry? * When contemplating the ultimate increase in taxation it will be well to remember that the act of Congress imposing the new tax rates has not yet been enacted. The schedules are only in process of forma