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Calendar No. 573
T6th Congress ) SENATE j Kept. No. 532
1st Session ) \ Part 2
TO PROHIBIT AND TO PREVENT THE TRADE PRACTICES KNOWN AS COMPULSORY BLOCK BOOKING AND BLIND SELLING OF MOTION-PICTURE FILMS IN INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE
June 7 (legislative day, June 5), 1939. — Ordered to be printed
U.S. Cono^Tes'^ . ?)er^aIt£ . Mr. Smith, from the Committee ,on Interstate Commerce, submitted ^ the following
MINORITY VIEWS
[To accompany S. 280]
The minority does not concur with the majority report on S. 280 submitted by Mr. Neely, from the Committee on Interstate Commerce, to whom was referred the bill (S. 280) to prohibit and to prevent the trade practices known as compulsory block booking and bhnd selling of motion-picture films in interstate and foreign commerce.
It is our opinion that this bill, as a control over the licensing of motion pictures, is not necessary. Our judgment is that no injury to the commerce of the United States in the hcensing and distribution of motion pictures warrants legislation that wiU result in radically altering a system that has proven to be economical and practical to all three branches of the industry.
We are of the opinion that the enactment of this bill into law would result in decrease of employment both in production and distribution and an increase in cost to the theater owner and the public.
The subcommittee of the Committee on Interstate Commerce held public hearings on the bill from April 3 to April 17, 1939. The record of these hearings, printed for the use of the Committee on Interstate Commerce, covers 651 pages. Immediately after the record of the subcommittee hearings were printed, a majority of the Committee on Interstate Commerce voted to report the bill to the Senate. Senator Neely has submitted a report favoring the bill.
Of the 48 witnesses who came to Washington and appeared before the subcommittee during the hearings on the bill, the record shows that 34 testified in opposition to the bill and that 14 were in favor of it. All of the \yitnesses from the motion-picture industry who appeared at the hearings, except the 5 spokesmen for an organization Imown