FILM EXHIBITOES

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 35, 10 August 1933, Page 5

FILM EXHIBITOES

HALF-YEARLY CONFERENCE

There was a representative gathering at the half-yearly conference of the New Zealand Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association held in Wellington yesterday at • the Commercial Travellers' Club. Mr. H. W. Shortt, Dominion president, was in the chair. ■The representatives present were Messrs. A. C. Ashford, W. Burton^ W. R. KembalJ, ju'n.', A. R. ,'.McElwain, ,'j. O'Brien, E. J. Righton, A: M. Tartakover, J. R. Vee'h.1 (Wellington), H. I\ Lamb (Johnson ville)j. : H. A. Tootell (Woburn), J. N. Carlson (Lower Hutt), A. 'J. McCurdy (Upper Hutt), S. Jackson (Palinersto'n North), W. J. Barlow (Manawatu), P. Groombridge (Feilding), R. G. Clare- (Waitara), G. Spiriley (Te Awamutu), ,G. Calder (Waikato), H. E. Righton (Wanganui), H. Thompson (Napier), T. Angell (Waipawa), F. Ganderto'n ; (Waipukurau), Rudall Hayward (Auckland), O. N. Gillespie (Christchurch), E. A. J. Priddle (Blenheim)/ G. • Cudge (Bar-' field), and the Dominion secretary (Mr. J. Robertson). Letters were received endorsing the action of the executive in bringing, forward proposals relative to the insurance of films and amendments to > the Cinematograph Act relative_ to quotas. Protests were made against" the unfair competition with which legitimate picture theatres had to cope owing to travelling cinemas—announced as industrial' exhibitions —and by certain organisations associated with 'schools and ■ religious bodied. The action of the executive in- endeavouring to bring this kind of competition under control was endorsed. . • The matter of theatre licensing and the recent decision of the Supreme Court relative to the Order-in-Council limiting the number of theatres in any one locality was reviewed at some* length. It was decided to co-operate with the Government in any reasonable movement to prevent , the overseating of any locality, without fullest inquiry. . . , The question of, the number of films which the Cinematograph Act permits an exhibitor to reject when" offered bya film exchange was again brought before the conference. A modification;of the requests made at previous conferences that 20 per cent, be permitted

was varied to provide for rejection of films ".recommended for adults" or "for universal exhibition" at the discretion of the exhibitor. : A lengthy discussion took" place on. the desirability of establishing' a general Dominion insurance scheme upon the lines of the Mutual Insurance Act ( (introduced by the late Mr. Kirkbride,' M.P. for Manukau). The proposals were unanimously approved by the conference, and referred to the executive to put the scheme into operation a/ ■ soon as possible.