CINEMATOGRAPH BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19798, 19 November 1927, Page 11

CINEMATOGRAPH BILL.

i THIRD READING CARRIED. CRITICISM IN COMMONS. (Received November 18, 5.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z.-Sun. LONDON. Nov. 17. In the House of Commons on the report Stage of the Cinematograph Bill the President of" the Board of Trade, Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, accepted an amendment to omit the provision that producers of British films must be British subjects. He accepted the view that the industry ought to draw from the best talent available for its technical directors. Sir Henry Foster, Conservative member for Portsmouth Central, said this would only lead to Britain and the Dominions being flooded with films made in England by foreigners, but hall-marked as British. On the motion for the third reading of the bill Mr. A. Alexander, Labour member for the Hillsbrough Division of Sheffield, moved its rejection. He said it was a protective measure of the worst kind. He wondered whether there would soon be a bill to force British distributors to sell quotas of Australian dried and fresh fruits. The Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association had already decided upon a plan to defeat the clauses dealing with blind blockbooking of films.

The bill was read a third time by 223 votes to 125.