MINIMUM ADMISSION

Evening Star, Issue 21637, 5 February 1934, Page 11

MINIMUM ADMISSION

FILM THEATRE PROBLEM ATTITUDE OF EXHIBITORS i~\ . [Special to the Star.] WELLINGTON, February 5. One of the grievances which led to fhe setting up of a commission to inyes.tigate the film industry in the dominion (the personnel of which is now being decided) was that film distributors were imposing in their contracts a condition which prevented theatre proprietors from charging less than a shilling for admission. Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East) introduced a measure last session to make this prohibition illegal, for he urged that suburban picture theatre proprietors were suffering a serious handicap under present difficult conditions unless they could meet the curtailed resources of their clients. That the organised theatre proprietors of the dominion are not altogether in favour of complete withdrawal of this condition under all circumstances is. evident from the annual report of the New Zealand Motion Picture Exhibitors’ Association submitted to the recent dominion conference. This report states that the minimum admission clause in film contracts has been a matter of continuous trouble since it was added to the contracts in 1930. The association’s executive recognised very early that economic conditions were likely to develop in certain cases, which would make the fixed minimum detrimental to business. “This,” it adds, “has_ undoubtedly occurred, particularly in the Auckland suburban areas. Your executive has never supported the abolition of a minimum admission clause, but has asked the Motion Picture Dealers’ Association of Sydney to allow departures from the present minimum to be made when a committee of New Zealand distributors and exhibitors agree that such is warranted.” The association’s representatives wil| give evidence on this and other questions when the film investigation is commenced.