The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-01-17

New York. Jan. IT. New York theatrical men yesterday started a vigorous battle against the action of the Senate and House conferees at Washington in deciding to levy 20 per cent tax on tneater tickets in the new war revenue bill.
 The managers point out that the theatres responded to every call of patriotism during fhe war, helping to put the Liberty Loans over and o1r- ganAing entertainments for soldiers. They say that this work was ire qusnt1y done at an immense sacrifice of their own interests They say that because of the war and the influenza epidemic they have been travelling through exceptionally hard times, which had not been eounterbalanced by the prosperity of the last few weeks.
 Oliver NeFosee said today that the present 10 per cent, tax is all the public Woald stand and that the extra tax would fall on the managers and De disastrous to the theatrical busi- ness. Mare Kiaw declared that in- stead of getting more revenue out of the increased tax the government would get less because many theatres would be put out of business.
 Lee Shubert said that the increased tax would ferca people to desert the higher drama for the motion picture houses and thus force thousands of people out of work,
 William A, Brady contshded that instead of being taxed out of exist ehee "ths theatrical industry should be given a medal for it's efforts dur ing the war;
 Mark K1aw, president of the Unit ed Managers Protective Association, said:
 If the eanfeEees in Congress have really put the 20 per cent. tax on thAatre admissions, as I read in to- days papers, they simply furnish an .other eoEFoboratioR of that old adage that republics are pFoverbiaIl. Ha- grateful. It seems to me that Con- gFesS has been very tender of the motion pictures and the spectators, end has simply penaMzed the higher dFaRaa. In other words, the public Is to be taxed the heaviest for that bEansh of the drama which furnishes the best, and I don't know that men, tally the best is a luxury.
 No branch of business or Brefes- sion has made greater sacrifices dur ing the period of the war than the theatre, which has been handicapped by this public tax of 10 per cent. and by giving entertainments constantly la opposition to itself. During the last four or five weeks the business of the theatre has been abnormally large-a reaction from the time the public was deprived of amusement during the influenza period when many companies were taken off the road.
 ''Fhe tax collectors will find before many months pass that the govern meat will be getting less revenue in stead of more by placing that addi tioDal tax. Meanwhile disaster face! many theatrical men. The who'll thing in nutshell seems to be tha ROW that the War is over and tn best friend the theatre had in tht United States is in France, the otheI departments, simply find no furthe use for the theatre, have invited it tt fge to helli'"
 THIS tdA VIII uElNe lHe peoPf from the footlight theatres 10 tn, motion picture houses." said Lee Shu bert 'It will also throw thousand of persons out of work.
 "Semetimes we run a play in Nev York for a few months at loss and then take 1t out on the road. If tn people won't come to the theatre un der the present scale of prices the certainly will not attend with high CT tax. The action In Washington wi fesce the theatres to close up an