MOVING PICTURE INDUSTRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18323, 13 August 1921, Page 6

MOVING PICTURE INDUSTRY

RESOLUTION OF PROTEST. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, August 12. At a conference of the various branches of the motion picture industry in New Zealand there was a big muster ol delegates from all parts of the dominion representing exhibitors, theatre owners, film exchanges, and producing companies. It was resolved to oppose taking any steps to compel ex hibitora to show a minimum or maximum percentage of film productions of any one country, on tho ground that such restriction destroys the freedom of every exhibitor in supplying tho public with tho classes of goods they demand. The delegates stated that so far the public reception of British films was most disappointing. The conference also decided to oppose any imposition of duty on film, on the grounds that already the industry was unduly burdened by tho amusement tax, and the industry in its present condition was unable to bear any further taxation. It was pointed out that further film cost would mean tho extinction of many small exhibitors, as the difficulty of passing on the tax to tho public was greater than in other industries. Both licensing and tax proposals were palpably in the interests i of certain, film importers, and represented class taxation levelled at the amusements of the masses.