CONTROLLING FILMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 714, 13 July 1929, Page 7

CONTROLLING FILMS

RESULT OF RECENT ACT DISCUSSION AT CONFERENCE Press Association WELLINGTON, Friday. The half-yearly conference of the New Zealand Motion Picture Exhibitors’ Association was held today, Mr. O. N. Gillespie presiding. Dealing with finance the report stated: 'For the six months ending June 30 the income amounted to £1,032 35s lOd and expenditure to £O6l 11s. With the credit balance of £9O 14s 7d carried forward from lajst financial year there was a credit balance at June 30 of £561 19s 5d.” The Cinematograph Film Act. stated the report, came into force on January 1 and so the last six months have seen it in operation, although the full effect of it will not be felt by exhibitors until after October 1, on which date the quota provisions of the Act commence to apply. To exhibitors the most notable effects produced by the Act so far are, first, the operation of the section controlling the making of the film contracts, and, secondly, the setting up of an advisory committee to advise the Minister in charge on the administration of the Act. The setting up of an advisory committee under the Act is perhaps the most important development in connection with the State regulation of the motion-picture business in New Zealand. Last year the Government passed a short Copyright (temporary) Amendment Act. This Act applied in its operation entirely to performing right fees charged for broadcasting and it operates only to the end of August this year. It is the intention of the Government to bring down legislation early this session to deal with the same question. Broadly speaking, the object of the legislation will be to make it impossible for the owners of copyright to hold up broadcasting in New Zealand on account of any difficulty over fees and also to provide some means of arbitration regarding fees. A remit that it be a recommendation from the conference that where possible spot booking be the method for making talking-film contracts was adopted.

It was agreed that the conference place on record the willingness of New Zealand exhibitors to encourage the British film industry, as shown during the past six months by the exhibition of a much larger proportion of British pictures than would have been required by the quota Act, had such been in force.

A great deal of time was devoted to a discussion on the talking-film situation. '

A protest was made against the prevailing practice of charging two-way freight to the first provincial exhibition of a picture. The matter is to be placed before the film renters by the executive.

Attention was drawn to a certain form of advertising which, if continued, was certain to bring about a censorship of advertisements. The association was pledged to desist from advertising in the manner referred to in the true interests of the business, good taste and decency.