FILM INQUIRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 17, 20 January 1934, Page 11

FILM INQUIRY.

EXHIBITORS' VIEWS.

SOME SUGGESTED QUESTIONS,

CONDITION OF INDUSTRY.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

The Xew Zealand Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association held its annual conference in Wellington this week, when the most important business comprised consideration of questions to be submitted to the promised investigation into the film industry, which has been strongly advocated by this organisation. It was decided to submit to the tribunal a request that there should be an amendment of the Cinematograph Films, Act to provide for the control of licensing of theatres either by a board or other tribunal. This request indicates that the organisation supports the principle of the Order-in-Council which was found to be ultra vires, under which the Minister of Industries and' Commerce controlled the licensing of additional theatres. The association will also advocate the amendment of the law on the question of rejection rights, and the substitution of provision giving exhibitors a fiat rejection right of 2,5 per cent. This is the association s attitude in regard to "blind booking." To deal witjT disputes, within the industry, the association will submit a request that a tribunal of arbitration be set up, composed' of two distributor and two exhibitor members, who will act as assessors with an independent chairman, whose findings shall have the force of law within the industry.

"That a standard film contract be put into force which would be equally effective on both parties, and conserve exhibitor interests equally with those of distributors," is another request to be submitted. The association also desires a provision to be enforced that no exhibitor be allowed to book more film than he can rightfully absorb. The annual report indicated that the industry is showing some recovery from depressed conditions, exhibitors, it states, having noticed an improved tendency to spend. Though a former report demonstrated that the picture industry had been so hard hit by the depression that a hundred theatres had closed, last year's figures showed a small increase over those of the previous report. The total number of picture houses screening regularly from one to six nights per week in the Dominion is 334, and if to those are added 147 small places on circuit screening more or less regularly, there are 481 halls or theatres where pictures are screened on a commercial basis. In addition, there are twelve institutions where films are screened at regular intervals.

The officers of the association are: — President, Mr. W. H. Shortt (Wellington); vice-president, Mr. W. Burton (Wellington); Dominion executive, Messrs. W. K. Barlow (Feilding), J. M. Carlson (Hutt), W. K. Kemball. jun. (Wellington), A. J. McCurdy (Upper Hutt), O. N. Gillespie and E. J. Bighton (Christchurch cinemas), and Beaumont Smith (Williamson Picture Corporation).