New-York tribune., 1914-07-05
Exhibition OF Immoral Films Wi1l BE
Completely Ended by Co-opera-
tive Arrangement Between City
and National Board.

An important step for supplcmenting
the work Of the National Board OF
Censorship Of Motion Pictures was
taken this week when Commissioner
George Il. Bell. Of the Department OF
Licenses. appointed Committee OF
Seven 10 inspect the So-called wild
cat" motion pictures which are pat on
by the vicious element in the film m
dustry. The National Board. having 10
legal authority 20 compel makers 20
allow an inspection Of their pictures
is unable 10 pass on productions when
are not voluntarily shown 20 hem.
Only from 20 per cent o. the
flms turned out come IN ;hls cias F..
hat they arc nearly all of an immoral
or AT least undesirable character This
new committee will have legal power
10 close any theatres exhibiting sucn
films. and by its cooperation with the
National Board viii easily locate them.
II is an arrangement which VIII prop
ably put virtual end TO the eNhiol-
tion Of improper pictures IN this cltE'
The conference was called by Com
missioner George II. Bell of the De
partment Of Licenses az II o'clock on
Friday. July 3. 20 discuss the details
OF iNG Wnl VI AiiN N'iAAAitNNNN "
for criticising motion pictures. The
final membership of this committee IS
as follows:
Hastings II. Hart, Russell Sage Foun-
dation, director Department OF Child
Helping. l3o East 22d ST.
". r. +. Rogers, lawyer, - Cedar 81.
Mrs. Il. s. Blaikie. 100 West SD ST.
Neichborhood Workers Association.
Charles s Bcrnheimer. Hebrew Ed
ucational Society of Brooklyn and
BROOKLYN Neighborhood Workers As
sociation. Pitkin av. and Watkins 81.
Mrs. l. +. Beal, Hartley House, 4l3
West 18th ST.
Lester F. Scott, Peoples Institute, 70
Fifth sv.
The plan Of operation was outlined
by Commissioner Bell, in which he
stated the authority under which the
department may penalize the eNhloltor
with either permanent or temporary
suspension Of his license in case he
exhibits a picture detrimental to pub
lie welfare through its protrayal of
suggestive or immoral scenes. The
committee will begin its work imme-
diately.
MIR. O. C.. Cocks. advisory secretary
Of the National Board, spoke as fol-
"The plan TO be adopted in New York
CITY has been worked out by the Ma
tional Board Of Censorship IN CO.
.operation with the Department Of Ii
censes. II is the result of experience
in many cities Of the country. The
plan outlined by the board is substan-
TALLY that which has proved most sat
Ssfactorv in a number of the cities OF
7he country where the motion picture
problem is intelligenty handled and
with greater justice to the producers
md the theatregoing public II is
not. however. as drastic as that adopt
cd i'm Boston and Pittsburgh, where
only pictures approved by the National
board may be shown.
THE essentials OF the plan are as
follows:
"The Committee of Seven will re-
ooive the Official bulletin of the Ma
tional Board The aim of the commit
tee is 10 apprehend the wildcat film
With a fugitive circulation. These are
nut on the market by new and ire
sponsible manufacturers and owners
and more frequently are sample prints
from Europe. which never get outside
Of New York. and which have been sur
reptitiously imported. The presump-
ton IS that they arc morally question
able. since they have not been volun-
tarily submitted TO the National Board.
The total Of such pictures Is probably
not more than 4 or . per cent OF the
total films circulating in the city. The
New York committee is 10 concentrate
on the exhibitors who persistently
show these harmful films. simply to
swell their gate receipts at the ex-
pense OF the morals OF their audiences.
The committee has power 70 critlcise
films which arouse local criticism"
There is entire cooperation between
tho Department of Licenses. the Com
mittee Of Seven and the National Board
in receiving and following up com
plaints OF unsatisfactory pictures. he
standards Of judgment viii be those
which have been worked out from five
years experience by the National
BOARD.
One Of the results which will un-
doubtediy DC attained by this plan IS
20 protect the smaller cities IN the
whole metropolitan district from the