The Nickelodeon (Jul-Dec 1910)

July 1, 1910. THE NICKELODEON. 15 Of Interest to the Trade By L. F. Cook More Exchanges to General Film Company The General Film Company reports that during the last two weeks a number of exchanges have been offered and the company has bought the exchanges named below : Actograph Company, New York, N. Y. Actograph Company, Albany, N. Y. Pittsburg Calcium Light and Film Company, Rochester, N. Y. Motion Picture Supply Company, Rochester N. Y. Buffalo Film Exchange, Buffalo, N. Y. C. A. Calahuff, Philadelphia, Pa. Electric Theater Supply Company, Philadelphia, Penna. Theater Film Service Company, Chicago, 111. Monday, June 28, the Chicago office of the General Film Company was opened at 85 Dearborn street, occupying the old quarters of the Theater Film Service. F. C. Aiken, former president of the Theater Film, is now Chicago manager of the General Film Company. Independent Meeting at Cincinnati The National Independent Moving Picture Alliance and the Associated Independent Film Manufacturers held a joint session at the Sinton Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 17 and 18. Notification of this meeting had been given at the previous Detroit meeting and the members assembled promptly at 11 o'clock Saturday morning. Roll call revealed the following Alliance members, many of whom held proxies for other exchanges present : Eugene Cline ; Robert Bachman ; C. R. Plough, Anti-Trust Film Exchange; J. L. Reiley, American Film Exchange ; T. A. Reiley, Southern Film Exchange; Arthur Lucas, Savannah Film Exchange; Max Lewis, Chicago Film Exchange; H. E. Smith, Toledo Film Exchange ; J. W. Morgan, Morgan & Fearis ; Charles Amer, Buckeye Film Exchange, Dayton, Ohio ; Ray Grombacher, Pacific Exchange, Seattle, Wash. ; J. Manheimer, Paramount Film Exchange, New York, and Charles Gorman, Boston Film Exchange. The manufacturers present were as follows : Edwin Thanhouser; A. G. Whyte; David Horsley, Centaur Film Co. ! ; Mark M. Dittenfass, Champion Film Co. ; R. Prieur, Lux and Le Lion; George Magie, Kinograph Co. ; Arthur McMillan, Carson Co., and I. W. Ullman, Columbia Film Co. The Great Northern Film Co. ; T. E. Powers, Eclair Film, and Paul H. Cromelin, representing the Columbia Phonograph Company. The Motograph Co. were represented by proxies. Most of the morning session was taken up by Mr. Cromelin, who told much of the inside history of the formation and work of the associated manufacturers. It developed that at the recent convention of that body it was decided that outside of the licenses already in existence the Columbia Phonograph Company was to issue fifteen licenses under the Branchi and AmatJenkins patents to members of the association and that after these fifteen had been accepted the Columbia Company bound itself to issue no more licenses except after being authorized to do so by the Associated Manufacturers. The platform upon which the manufacturers are standing, which, according to Mr. Cromelin, has only one plank — namely, an open market. At this point Mr. Cromelin said in part : "For ourselves, all we ask is an open market, allowing us to ship our goods direct and under such conditions as we individually elect to impose. There is nothing in our proposition which will prevent those manufacturers who so choose to ship their films through the Sales Company. In fact, to such exchanges as desire it we will ship our own films through the Sales Company and pay them in accordance with their services, but we are fighting for an open market and we are here to tell you exchanges that we only desire the right to deal with you direct if you so desire. We want the quality of all independent films to be the only basis of competition. At the beginning of the afternoon session the manufacturers announced to the Alliance that they were present for business and preferred to live up to any requirements that that body chose to impose. This started a long discussion of the situation at large, each renter and manufacturer expressing his own individual opinion on the question and also of the measures to be adopted towards backsliders. The spirit of the meeting was that the time had arrived to carry the war to the enemy's camp. Of course there were some there who favored the Sales Company, and with these members the Alliance worked faithfully but with but poor success. Sunday was spent in devising ways and means of carrying out the ideas of the previous day and of striving to win over exchanges from the Sales Company. The meeting was adjourned at 2 :45 to allow the New Yorkers to catch their train, and the rest, as guests of T. A. Riley, went over to Kentucky side for chicken, fried chicken, that melted in their mouths ; chicken that was surely hatched for the gods to eat, and was enjoyed only as one can enjoy anything when he is the guest of a real "good for sure" Irish host. Here's to our host, T. A. Riley ; glasses bottom up, boys ! Later address show that the associated manufacturers and the Sales Company have patched up their differences and are prepared to work in harmony. There will be a new board of twelve directors, six from each side, who will elect new officers. The manufacturers are to solicit their own orders, films to be shipped through the Sales Company, checks are to be accepted for C. O. D. shipments, but this money may be returned direct to the manufacturers if it is so desired. Each exchange is to be allowed to select its own program and after August 1 only members of the Alliance will be allowed to purchase films through the Sales Company. Shop Xalk. A marvel of stage craft is "The Stars and Stripes," Edison's Fourth of July film, released July 1. It is without question most elaborately staged. In addition to the expense of constructing replicas of the two famous vessels, the "Bon Homme Richard" and the "Serapis," and the minor details of costumes and settings, there are a great many people employed in the