Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-11-10
THEATRES HARD HIT
BY INCREASING COSTS
War Taxes Added to Other
Expense May Force High
er Admission Cost

The theaters of Salem will undoubt.
edly be obliged to raise admission
lprices in order to survive the flood OF
increasing operating costs. 1t is doub4
Iful if any other industry has had high
er increases in costs of doing business
lin the past few months. than have the
picture theaters. The Seattle and Port
Hand theaters some time ago were com
lpelled to advance the admission prices
lat all performances to 20 cents in the
down town picture shows and it is said
THAT with that advance, the business
lis still in an unsatisfactory condition
lowing to the tremendous increases in
| the film rentals this year. 1t is not
Igenerally known, but it is a fact easi-
lly demonstrated that the Pacific coast
cities give the public their amuse-
ments at much lower prices than do
the cities of the eastern or middle
western ktates. Here in Salem, the
theaters show the very finest film pro-
ductions on the market and they are
exhibited in a manner that is a credit
ito the city. The probabilities are that
! in the near future the theaters of Sa-
lem will be obliged to make advances
in admission costs in order to main
tain the high quality of service which
they have given the public for the
past two years.
That the public should have a clear
understanding of the matter is the
opinion of the theatre managers when
interviewed this morning. T. G. Blign
tof the Bligh and Ye Liberty. said that
he found it impossible to maintain the
thigh standard of pictures under pres
ent conditions. "Many people think
there has been no increase in cost 9th
Ier than the imposition of the war tax,
which is one cent out of every ten
cents or fraction" he said. g However,
the increase is much heavier, in real
ity. We are now having charged to us
Ia war excise of Is cents per reel per
|day. This means a money tax to each
theater of from $3.50 to $3.50 per year
upon the number of reels
booked. We have increased express
rates beginning November 1st, due to
war taxes also, and expressage is a
very heavy item with all picture shows
But the heaviest burden of all to the
film men is the increased cost of film
The first class productions, like Gold
wyn Pictures, running at Ye Liberty,
now cost me more for a single picture
than a full week s booking in both Ye
Liberty and the Bligh would have cost
about two years ago. The cost of
posters has doubled also, and the pub
lie expects seven or eight reels for its
entertainment now, whereas the aver
age show two years ago comprised four
or five reels only. My film bills now
exceed those of two years ago by sew
eral hundred dollars month, and with
other costs advancing, we will be oblig-
ed to advance our Tices or discontinue
business
Practically the same ideas were voic
ed by Geo. B. Guthrie, of the Oregon !
theater He said: "The Oregon theater |
has offered the public this fall won
derful line of star productions at the I
same prices as formerly obtained un
Ter regular programs. Our friends do
not know that Mary Pickford or Doug
as Fairbanks now cost US more than
three times what they did when in
,luded in regular programs. We havf
20 do a tremendous business now tor
break even on such features, and the
var taxes and other costs coming up
Just now, make it absolutely necessary
to ask higher admissions. The Ore
ron had hoped to succeed by increasing
prices by the amount of the war tax
,nly and has tried that plan for the
3ast ten days now. However, we are
in finding the plan to be
considerable nuisance and we regret
o say that number of patrons have
objected to the tax, blaming us for it,
when it is imposed by congress and al
war measure should have been cheer.
ully accepted, we think The result
S that we shall be obliged to ask an
increased admission in some equitable
ashton that will not overburden the
heaters and still give the public high
lass entertainment at popular pffc-
S. .
Further inquiry developed that the ,
Ian likely to be put in force would
e an advance or evening adult prices
o Is cents, war tax imposed by the
overnment on the patron, cents, To-
al 20 cents; week day matinees will
e adults cents, war tax i cent, to-
al 10 cents; Saturday, Sunday and
oEdav matinees will be adults 13 9
ents, war tax 2 cents, total Is cents; !
hlldren prices at matinees will be {
ents. war tax l cent, total cents, t
venings, children over 9 years, 3 o
ents, war tax l cent, total 10 cents
was pointed out that in this way
ne theaters would divide the cost :
ith the patron, the matinee prices be-
lg actually reduced l cent week days
nd 2 cents to adults on other days,
lille the 3 cent increase in adults wiIkl
0 toward taking care Of the extra cost S
} the theaters of film, and other neg J
~ as well as the reduction in rev A
lue from the matinees. This was com h
lred with Portland prices where
lults pay 20 cents at all performances h
nd children, regardless of age, must h
" 10 cents. =