ADVENT OF TALKIES

Taranaki Daily News, 16 July 1929, Page 7

ADVENT OF TALKIES

PERIOD OF GREAT ACTIVITY. Naturally the advent of the “talkie” pictures in New Zealand has been a matter of moment to picture exhibitors throughout the country for six months past. On this subject the semi-annual report of the Motion Picture Exhibitors’ Association, presented to last week’s conference in Wellington stated: “The past six months has been a period of unexampled activity owing to tha advent- of sound synchronised ,pic-

tures. It may, we believCj be safely assumed that the “talkies” have come to stay, and therefore all exhibitors are faced with the necessity of having to adjust themselves to the new conditions. The difficulties of the situation have been accentuated by the claim of the Western Electric Company to determine what apparatus would be served by the film distributors. This claim, if granted by the exhibitors, would virtually have meant a complete monopoly for the very expensive make of apparatus. The executive has consistently, in the interests of exhibitors generally, opposed any attempt at creating monopolistic conditions. -The situation has, of course, bristled with

difficulties, but we believe that those difficulties are now in a fair way to a solution. Western Electric has now abandoned its claim to determine what apparatus will be serviced by distributors! and the matter is now in the hands of the distributors themselves to determine whether or not they will supply film to exhibitors using sound-reproducing apparatus. This is a big step towards a final solution, and no doubt the wholff matter will quickly right itself owing to the competing forces at work.”