The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-02
CUT RATE THEATRE
TICKETS ABOLISHED
Managers Of 50 Houses Agree
ON Methods Of Remedy
ing Evils.
GREE LIST" TO GO ALSO

Afcr q series or conferences lasting
,oariy three weeks New York theatre
managers decided yesterday upon a
doar.t, business policy to be pursued
,h,s season with regard to ticket selling.
l, was announced in a statement
,,ven out late In the afternoon that the
c,, rate ticket had been abolished. that
the MAXIMUM premium on all tickets
had bet placed at SO cents, that the
tyson company had been designated as
IN. official distributor for seats usually
,,o,i,d to the hotels and agencies m
,,a, hereafter there will be no free
lst' at any theatre. The statement
says:
hotels and other ticket agencies has re-
csiyed lust as much attention as the
90, rate tickets. The two questions
have never been separated. the object of
mis- association being to stop the con-
fnsion Of prices on the lower end and to
abolish and minimize the imposition of
eyorhitant prices on the part OF the
agencies.
"The frankest and most amlcable dis
eussion has marked these conferences,
which were attended by the Messrs.
SnlNNn. conan " f1iITlS, III Stu-
berts. klaw Il Erlanger, william A.
Brady. G. Il. Dillingham;. A. II. Woods,
All Hayman. representing the Frohman
estate benjamin Roeder, representing
David Belasco n representative OF the
Henry Il. Harris estate, John Cort, II.
VI. FraZee, Winthrop Ames, Edward II.
Lyons. A. II. pincus. Lawrence Anhalt
in fact the managers of all the two
dollar theatres in New York.
Box emce Prices to ule.
First. it was finally agreed by these
managers that hereafter there shall be
no cut rate tickets issued or any device
resorttd to for the selling OF cut rate
tickets. nor any literature or advertise
men; published announcing that tickets
can be purchased anywhere at less han
the box Office price. This, however.
does not preclude any manager who
wishes TO reduce his prices of admission
or seats regularly at his box office from
doing so. provided he sells them to the
entire public at that price.
Second, 1t was decided that there
shall be no free list.
'Third, the Tyson Company was Sc
Iected as the distributor for the tickets
usually allotted 10 the hotels and agen-
cles. il being understood that the agen-
cles now In existence shall get a certain
allotment of tickets through the Tyson
Company and IL IL exacted in turn from
the Tyson Company that II give a bond
OF s25, 900. guaranteeing that no tickets
shall be sold by It or any OF its agencies
for a sum OF more than ffty cents In
excess Of box office prices. and any
agency caught imposing in excess of this
price shall forthwith be cut off from
the sale of tickets.
'on the other hand, the managers
have bound themselves to each other &c
i've up to their share of the contracts
and the managers contract has beer
made a part of the Tyson contract.
ut was further decided that there
shall be prominently and permanently
displayed at every hotel agency where
theatre tickets are sold a sign calling
the attention of the public to the fact
that any tickets sold for more thar
fifty cents in excess Of the box office
price by said hotel or agency Is an i'm.
position on the public and calling upon
the public TO report such imposition.
To Assist the Public.
"This sign shall further inform thu
public that the statesmen or saleswomer
who handle these tickets are there &c
assist the public In getting desirable
seats for theatres and are neither cen
tors nor critics. They are forbidden &c
give their personal opinions of the merit.
or dement's Of performances or to us,
their influence to sell one theatres tick
cts 10 the exclusion of another"
This statement was signed by Sam Fl
Harris, Charles h. Dillingham;. William
A. Brady, Lee Shuhert and A. II. Woods
members of the executive committee o
me association OF managers formed fol
the purpose Of drawing up the agree
men's which Will bind the organizatio
10 HNe IN 70 the conditions imposed anS
agreed 10 by each manager.
Inc step taken yesterday Is one o
me most important of the new theatrica
season and is the first time that a grouI
or managers otherwise generally OPP
posed to ono another have come togethe'
on a common basis understanding II
HruerS so closely relating to the indi
VlCudl conduct Of their theatres.