The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Jan-Feb 1923)

January 13, 1923. THE FILM RENTER & MOVING FiCTURE NEWS. 9 THE LANCASHIRE CINEMA: TRADE BENEVOLENT FUND. Reply to the Late Chairman, Mr. Fred Carlton. By WALTER STOTT. N your issue of December 23, ‘reference was made to I the financial position of the above fund by your Manchester representative in his notes, and as the hon. treasurer of this fund, I took exception to this paragraph and lost no time in informing your local representative of my objections. i find in your issue of January 1 that Mr. Fred Carlton again alludes to this subject in an interview that your representative had with bim, and reading between the lines one can cnly assume that the paragraph that app eied on December 23 was inspired by Mr. Carlton. For some considerable time past there has been a great deal of idle talk in Manchester trade circles with regard to the Trade Benevolent Fund, and as Mr. Carlton has gone out of his way to misrepresent the position through the columns ot your widely read journal, I claim your indulgence to be allowed to reply to Mr. Carlton and those others whom your representative referred to in his paragraph of December 23. Mt. Carlton is reported to have stated in his interview that the local Trade BenevolentFund was founded under the auspices of the C.E.A. and K.R.S., and that the C.E.A. were anxious that it should be set in working order immediately. He then goes on to state that it is through no fault of the C.E.A. that the delay has been caused. I have no quarrel with Mr. Carlton in his effort to. secure all the publicity possible for the Association for which he naw acts as organiser, and we all know ‘* Freddy ” is a pastmaster in the art of publicity; but, at the same time, where mny personal honour is concerned, I am not going to allow Mr. Carlton or any other man to get away with a stunt of this kind without protest. I therefore think it necessary that a true statement ef-the facts should be given by mo in reply to Mr. Carlton; your readers will then be given an opportunity to sce both sides cf the picture. In the first place, I deny that the Trade Benevolent Fund was founded under the auspices of the C.E.A. and K.R.S., and this fact is well known to Mr. Carlton. The first meeting in connection with this matter was held at the Kinema ‘Exchange on Monday, Deeember 6, 1920. This was a meeting of all sections of the trade, and was convened for the purpose of organising a Kinema Trade Carnival on similar lines to those held at Liverpool and Ieeds, and Mr. Carlton was appointed chairman of the General Committee and Mr. A. M. Graham (Pathé) vice-chairman, myself as bon. Treasurer and Mr. Wm. Hy. Huish as general organising secretary. It is true at that time I was a prominent member of the K.R.S. and hon. treasurer, of, the Manchester branch, and Mr. A. M. Graham was chairman of ‘the branch. Mr. Huish was also the organising Secretary otf the C.E.A. Several gentlemen not associated with any organisations were elected on the Committee at that meeting, and it was left fcr the C.E.A. and K.R.S. to nominate eight of their members on to this Committee. This jcint Committee immediately set to work to organise the first trade carnival in Manchester, which was held at the Free Trade Hall on March &, 1921. During the three months that elapsed between the holding of this meeting of members of the trade, and the date of the carnival, the Committee held several meetings, at which the chairman, Mr. Carlton, was not present, and at these meet ‘ings many dase tool: lee ath regard to the manner in which any profits that might be derived from the carnival should be used, it being finally decided that they should be placed as a nucleus for the formation of a local Trade Benevolent Funa. On July 18, 1921, a general meeting of the Carnival Committee was held, over which Mr. Carlton presided, and the balance-sheet and statement of accounts was presented by me . us the hon. treasurer, showing a net profit of £97 7s. 3d. My statement of account was received and adopted and a copy of the balance-sheet giving a full detailed statement was handed to each of the representatives of the trade journals. The Comnittee having now completed the work for which they had been appointed, decided before they disbanded. to appoint a small Committee to consider a scheme for the formation of a Trade Benevolent Fund, and the following gentlemen consented to act on this Committee : Messrs. Loader, Midgley, Carlton, Brearley, Huish and myself. The Committee were empowered to make . the necessary arrangements for: the holding -of a carnival the following year, and so scon as they were ready with a practical scheme for the formation of a Trade Benevalent Fund. This Committee was instructed: to convene: a special “nesting of all sections of the trade'in ondgr to discuss the scheme. This general meeting was held on Tuesday, December 6, 1921, at the ‘Western Import Offices, but was not. by any -meang held under the auspices of the C.E.A. or K.R.S. As a matter of fact, on ‘that day and at the same hour, a mecting of -exhibitors was being held at thé Midland Hotel, Manchester, in connection with the breakaway from the C.E.A. Mr. Carlton, who arrived after the meeting had been opened, on being elected to the chair, told those present that he had been detained in cdnsequence of the meeting at the Midland Hotel, and stated that several prominent exhibitors had asked him to apologise for their absence. Heo assured us that he, as one of the conveners of the meeting at the Midland Hotel, know that many of his co-exhibitors who wore detained at the Midland meeting wére entirely in sympathy with the Benevolent Fund scheme, and during the meeting he left the chair to telephone to Mr. H. D. Moorhouse at the Midland Hotel to ask that gentleman if he would act as one of the trustees of the Benevolent Fund, and on returning to the meeting informed us that he had made satisfactory arrangements with Mr. Moorhouse. There was no niention at that meeting, or any of the many committee meetings that have been held since of the C.E.A.. K.R.S., or any other trade organisation being identified with the formation of the Trade Benevolent Fund. Now with regard to the remarks reported to have been madi. by Mr. Carlton when he was interviewed with reference to the balance-sheet of the second trade carnival. I cannot for the life of me understand the mentality of a man who adopts an attitude such as that adopted by Mr. Carlton. He informs your readers that ‘* nine months seems a long time to take to prepare a simple balance-sheet.”” Much as I dislike to hurt the feelings of any man, I feel I must speak out. Mr. Carlton, as chairman of the Committee,” was well aware of the renson why this balance-sheet cannot he prepared, | and if there js any blame (Continued on next page.)