The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-28
BIGGEST "MOVIE' COMPANIES UNITE.
 IN ONE CONCERN.

| New York, April 2S.-F'ol1owing conference ny the heads of seven of i the biggest and richest moving picture companies in the United States, which has been going on in Los Angeles for more than week, it was announced yesterday that these interests had eff i fetced a merger into a, single corpora tion
 The capital involved is estimated VariousIy from $25, ,0O0, 900 to $10O, ,000,- | 900, but it is probably nearer the first sum.
 l The news of the merger was made official in the afternoon in a telegram i to the Triangle Film corporation of Aitken, who has been active in bring ing it about
 MT. Aiken said that the new com pany included the following compa- nies: f Triangle Film corporation, New York Motion Picture corporation, Keystone Film company, Majestic Motion Pic l ture company Reliance Motion Pic ture corporation, Famous Players Film company and Jesse L. Lasky l Feature Play company.
 All Under Triangle Name.
 The business of all these companies will be carried on under the name and i poration, according to MI. 4Aitken's statement to the firm Financially in terested in the new combinatio are
 H. B. Srnitl1ers of F. s, Smithers 6 Co.,, bankers and, brokers, No. 19 Mas sau street, and Oscar L. Gobelman of the banking firm of Knauth, Nachod & Kuhne, No. .120 Broadway.
 The World announced yesterday that the deal was nearing completion in Los Angeles. Besides Aitken, | %l--1 ence has been attended by Presidents Adolph Kukor of the Famous Players, Jesse L. Lasky of the Lasky company and representatives of the other firms involved.
 The new. deal brings fabout some strange affiliations. Hitherto the F'a- nous Players and the Lasky, cornpa- nies have had no connection at all with the Triangle, but have released all their features through the Para mount Picture corporation, one of the largest of the distributing firms. TEe other companies in the IT erger became affiliated with the Triangle when it was organized to market their pictures last July. Vast Economy Effected.
 The merger will immediately effect a vast economy by eliminating the middle man. In this industry he is the distributor. Those who have urged the merger argue that there is no reason why company which manu-, factures films should pay 35 per cent. of its earnings to the other concerns which rent the films for the exhibit ors
 The exorbitant salaries demanded. by the popular. moving picture stars have also forced the firms to com bine.
 The deal will also put an end to the Lasky company which maintains a sin 7o10o ofOT-xY at Hollywood, Cal, while nearby is the $250, GOO studio of the New York Motion Picture corporation. These firms will now be able to work to- gether with actors and settings. Ik W. A. Bradys Views.
 william A. Brady, -e of the men who control the large World Film cor poxation and the film producing com panies which release through it, said last night:
 The Triangle merger will have no effect on the other picture companies at all $ far as competition is con cerned. There are many companies outside of the merger as strong as 1 those inside. If this merger shoul@ prove successful. however, it would not be surprising to see other film companies follow suit on account of the saving which one chain of selling agetns or distributors to each group of four or five producers would mean, instead of a, chain to each group. Eventually the motion picture indus try may boil down into two separate factions, like the Shuberts and KIaw & Erlanger.
 "As far as we Ere cencerhed, we have no reason for merging and don't want a merger
 Besides the World, other big film companies not included in the merger are the Universal. General, Mutual, Vita era pT1 IdIbin-S Se1ie- FZSSanav Met TO and Fox Film corpora ton. | A point not explained by the Aiken announcement concerns the dfstribu- ton made by the Famous Players and Lasly companies. The Paramount Pictures corporation, which has dis tributed their films. is not in the mer- ger, according to MT. Aitken and w. | W. Hodkinson, president of the Para
 mount. MT. Hodkinson also said:
 We have 8 25 years contract with the Famous Players and Lasky com panies for the exclusive distribution of their products. Under such condi- tions we cannot see how they can en- ter into any merger which would in any way change the method of distri-