The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1911. THE CINEMATOGRAPH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 59, 24 October 1911, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1911. THE CINEMATOGRAPH.

No ■ more popular form of entertainment has appeared of late years than the moving picture show and if some reasonable judgment is used -by the: proprietors of such entertainments in the selection of the films shown, there is every reason to believe that they will continue to grow in popular favour. Naturally much is being written, about the cinematograph and many of our readers will be interested to learn that an American journal devoted to the events and happenings of moving picture world has, been searening out early history of the industry. The writer expresses the view'* that if the device of the cinematograph can be said to have originated with any one person, that credit belongs to Edward Muybridge, of California. Muybridge gained fame many years ago by Ids series of instantaneous pictures of trotting horses in, motion, which revealed to zoologists and artists the actual method of the animal’s progress. The Governor of California had a fast trotter, of which lie was very proud and Muybridge took many photographs of it. Muybridge thought of an ingenious scheme for showing the animal’s paces in photographs. Ho placed a number of cameras along the track over a distance of onetenth of a mile, from these stretched silk threads across the track at about a height of the horse’s knee. The horse broke each, thread, and each break caused a picture to be taken. When these snap-shots wore placed together and turned over quickly, the horse was seen in motion. So far back as 1885 Muybridge, in England, constructed tiio first moving picture camera, and in 1887 the Washington Patent Office began to receive applications from a. number of inventors of movingpicture apparatus. The Edison Company did not come into the business until 1890, but since then has made U]i for lost time, for it is now a member of the larger of the two trusts that control the manufacturing of cameras and films. For some years iho -cinematograph attracted little attention. Then the vaudeville managers saw its possibilities as a. “turn,” and a boom set in. But competition became so keen and expensive that he leading men in the business formed a trust to control the output. This controlled the market until its exactions caused a revolt, and the formation of a second trust. The whole business in America is said to be in the bands of these two combines. Edison draws a royalty of half a cent, per foot on ('very foot of film manufactured for the trust to which his company belongs. From this source alone bis income is £IOO,OOO. The Edison Company divides with the Biograph Company a tax of two, dollars

a work on ovary machine used by an exhibitor. A third combination is •mV. - bceanninc; opera t inns, the Kincmacolour Cniupany, with a capital of (■ 000,000 dollars, and the expectation

h-.t its now colour process will rovor,lionise the industry.