The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-07-14
Motion Picture Men In Chicago
Want to Form a National
F Commission.
WOULD BE cENs0Rs ALSO
All Branches Of Industry Hunt.
ing Way to Reduce Heavy
: Costs of Business.

Will the picture exhibitors anu
manufacturers now IN Chicago be
able to put over the proposal to
form a. joint clearing house ana
board Of trade and reduce the Nah
cost Of filmingY
This question Is OF vital interest
to all persons In the mon picture
business and Is OF riore than psss-
Ing interest to the patrons OF me
picture. OF whom there are tens of
thousands In Washington.
The famous war baby stocks
nave nothing on motion pictures as
set;rich-auick enterprises that have
very rich. The extravagant expendi-
lures OF the business have not been
realized because of the enormous
pronts reaped. and each man who
mas gone into the business has found
fs ra new to amaze him IN ex-
come. -
Competition has now increased the
c9st OF mining. however. The matter
q spending a quarter of million
aoIiars on pictures does not keep the
producer from making the expendi-
ture. but nowadays he requires
some definite showing as to how he
VIII get the quarter of million dol
lars back. ...0'7T :.
How Salaries SCARED. g..
One Of the greatest extravagances
In pictures is the skyrocketing Of
the salaries Of the picture stars.
Eight years ago Mary Pickford was
receiving ~ per day for her work.
n, The eoo latest PiGkford quotation was
$io,vO per Week-and Miss Pickford
declined to work for such figure!
Three years ago Charlie Chaplin
was vaudeville performer out OF a
Job. When he worked he played in
the sort Of houses that give four
p perforTna noes a, a day: or continuous
lures He played in Washington at
the Cosmos Theater-and he wasn't
the headliner of the bill by any
means! Today Charlie Chaplin is
correcting what amounts to more
snan haif a million dollars per year
For some, time past a board of
trade or clearing house, for Aim
manufacturers and exhibitors has
oeen, suggested where some sort of
r nannat of costs. ETC.. can be
At the meeting Of the exhibition
league which Is In progress In Chi
cago this week representatives Of the
manufacturers and the distributing
concerns are present urging the for
mauon OF such an organization. Ono
o. the things the organization 10 to
20 Is 10 standardize filming. Another
y TO regulate costs. And one Of
these costs is actors salaries.
Organization Proposed.
In the news dispatches that have
come - from. Chicago. the body to be
found has been likened to the ma
tional commission of the baseball
world. 1t will contain representa-
tives Of all the film organizations
that distribute pictures and ali the
organizations Of men that exhibit
pictures. 1t will control the business
end OF the picture-every phase Of II
but the actually acting.
IL Is the general opinion Of conserv-
etlye picture men In Washington
ana OF picture people elsewhere who
vie wthc situation soberly, that some
such organization Is needed to bring
order out Of the economic chaos
that now exists and to serve as a
controlling factor in the development
OF pictures. along the lines they will
One of the big factors in the or
ganization proposed will be the es-
adjustment of a standard of pro-
duction and the actual censoring of
productions that do not come up to
this standard.
To Censor Films. ,. .
As has been stated In the columns
OF The Times repeatedly. the motion
picture producers have always had
the answer to censorship In their own
hands II they cared to make It.
They can eliminate any talk Of Gen.
sorship by refusing to permit the
issue of pictures that offend. -.
One of the duties OF the new organ
izat. on will be to work out some plan
for doing just this thing. There are
many difficulties to be met by the
new organization, the film men say.
Many personal prejudices to be over
come and predictions to be con-
trolled.
1T Is believed that they can do this.
however. And It Is the opinion of the
men who are now engaged in maxi
ing the industry that a national mo-
ton picture board of trade clearing
house or adjustment bureau, which
ever 1t might be called. will result
from the conferences that are now
going on In Chicago.
1t would certainly seem to be
very important and beneficial step
one that for the picture industry
generally and one that will also re-
dound to the benefit Of the patron of
the pictures eventuallys q. NJ.