The Washington times., 1914-06-05
THE BEST
Photopldy Department in
WASHINGTON
Expert Asserts That
Exhibitors Should
Pick Their
Programs

The most serious complaint that
has been made against the editor of
this column by local exhibitors is that
in stating that exhibitors could get
the pictures they want he misstated a
fact. II has been stated that ex-
hib:tors cannot get good pictures
they cannot get the film they would
like TO get. and are compelled 10
take what is sent them. The cx-
hibitors have also said that the
statement they could get educational
pictures when they wanted them 10
show to the schools was foolish.
This, of course. in the face of the
fact that there are exhibitors in
town who HAVE gotten educa-
tIonal pictures when they wanted
them and DO show them to school
children. During the course of his
statement to the Congressional COM
mittee hearing arguments for and
against the censorship bill, the Rev.
Wilbur F. Crafts repeated the state
Tnents of the exhibitors 10 this ef-
feet. DR.. Crafts insisted that the
exhibitors were compelled to take
what was sent them. and used this
as an argument for censorship. The
argument that We have used for
censorship is exactly the opposite
that the exhibitors did not seem in
Clined to make a selection of their
pictures. and that the time had
come when somebody else must
step in and do il. If the exhibitors
would do their duty there wouldn't
be any need for a censorship, as We
have said number of times. But
they don't. And they claim they
cannot.
Therefore it is with peculiar pleas
are that we reprint statement of
". stephen Bush, the expert, who
was brought here from New York TO
oppose the censorship in this connec-
tion. With regard to the selection
of their pictures, Mr.. Bush has this
to say:
NO good cause was ever ad-
vanced one inch by loose, inaccurate,
and misleading statements. The
Rev. Wilbur T. Crafts, who has.
taken il upon himself to regulate
the motion picture industry. has de-
clsred publicly that exhibitors must
whether they use them or not
Now, every practical man knows
that no exhibitor is under any
such obligation. The time when the
exhibitor had to take absolutely and
unconditi6nally whatever the eX-
change in its wisdom saw fit to give
him is largely a thing Of the past:
The exhibitor is free to contract
for any service he desires, and he
may pick his program strictly on
the eclectic pian. The exhibitor who
prefers what is known as the lock
reel system will have no trouble in
getting served, and the man who
wants to pick his program himself
viii find no difficulty in doing so.
Changes from one system TO the
other are of daily occurrence all
over the country. One exhibitor Will
claim that he cannot make any head
way with the locked-reel system,
and another exhibitor will declare
that the locked-reel system iss Just
what he needs We are not 1rylns
TO speculate as TO what the flnal
development will be as to the pro-
duction of single reels and multiple
reels: we are only concerned with
che loose statement OF a man VINO
wants TO legislate for an industry
about which he knows nothing.
And in the matter of the edrca-
tional picture he says this
Another loose statement whohy
unwarranted, unjust, and mislead-
ing. is DR.. Crafts assertions that
there is no adequate supply OF edu-
cational pictures Any man who IS
r-apable of making such unfounded
statements must expect 10 have the
grain of salt added to whatever ne
NAV feel tempted 10 say. Dr. Crafts
does not know that Pathe Freres:
for instance have special ana
richly equipped educational studio
In Vincennes. Faris, which is in
charge of eminent scientists and
the daily upksep Of which runs
"a silly into three hgUTes. There Is
also a fine educational plant in the
Gaumont and the Eclair studios
These plants have been working
faithfully, but they nave brought no
return which would be ut all com
nara BILE to the outlay invoived. One
If the organized groups Of pro
,iucers has for some time main
tanned an educational bureau. An
these competent Witnesses will bear
ne out when We say that 'he re-
rronee from people interested w
educational pictures has heen Tar
from enthusiastic. II just about
cans the climax to have man come
along and complain OF dearth of
educational pictures : wetl-knOwn
bureau in this city but recently sent
out hundreds of circulars asking
ministers and educators whether
thev had any trouble finding "du-
crtional pictures There was but
one ToubtfLl answer; all the other
ministers and teachers replied that
they knew where to get the pic
tUree they wanted. 9. NJ.