New-York tribune., 1919-01-21
Tax Bill Stops
II New Shows.
Say Manager,
All Productions Held III
Morris Cest Announc..
After Hurried Mectip,
Thousands Lose Jobs
klaw & ErIanger and Sim.
berts Join With Othe,x
in Fight Against Increas,

New York producers, represents. :
the biggest theatrical interest,", !
America, have stopped the preparatn,
of all new ventures pending a decis..
from the Congressional conferenes
committee on whether the new % No.
cent admission tax, which they decls,.
will ruin the theatrical industry. is "a
so through.
Plans for scyenty-one new prod,r.
tions have been brought to sudas,
halt, Morris Gest, chairman of the far
protest committee of the United Thru.
tire Managers Protective Association
announced following a conference yes.
terday of representative producers
The interests which decided. accora
ing to Mr.. eGst, that it would be nm.
wise to go ahead with new shows and
who were represented at the confer
ence were Klaw &. Erlanger, Smith
Golden. Arthur Hammerstein. Lee and
j. }. Shubert, Charles B. Dillingham;
William a. Brady, John Cort, David
Beiasco and Larry Anhalt
Some of these shows were alresd,
in rehearsal. These rehearsals vii
stop said Mr.. Gest. For other pro.
auctions, scenery and costumes wcr,
being made. All that has been shand.
oned. If the tax goes tbronuh !,
would be folly to attempt TO rat these
new shows out. Bankruptcy and rum
would follow.
Thousands Affected, Says Gest
"Our decision to cancel plans mend.
ing developments affects the status Of
thousands of men and women out on
tthe road and others who would %
out in the 200 or more road companies
that would have been organized when
these new productions got under way
careful survey shows that it throws
out of jobs Immediately 5000 persons
who were working on the constructor
OF scenery, as well as large numbers
of costumers.
"a total capital of about $500 OOO
would have been invested in these neE
productions. AT least $1000O00 i
already tied up in them. The salar
total we would have paid out would
have been enormous"
Other developments of the day in.
clude the dispatch of another cable 70
President Wilson, urging his interven-
ton. the passing of protesting rsolu-
tons by the Merchants Association o.
New York; protest to Washington by
Thomas d. Green. president of the Ho.
tel Association of New York City;
other protests from the Stage Women's
War Relief and from Major Abram D..
Gillette of the Red Cross.
Message to Wilson
The message to President Wilson
was dispatched the Washington and
Secretary Joseph p. Tumulty has prom
ised to forward it to Paris with the
Presidents regular daily dispatch. 1t
reads:
Proposed increased taxation ruin
Gus to amusements, the people of The
theatre and public morale. Implore
your intervention"
1t is signed by the managers asSo-
citation.
Chairman Gest also announced that
the number of signatures obtained all
over the country on the anti-tax petl.
tions now totals 100000.
The telegram of protest given out
by Mr.. Green pointed out the "east
financial loss which would fall not only
upon the theatrical managers and en-
ployes, but upon the hotel men, the
restaurant men, real estate men and
hundreds of others" it concluded.
"By decreasing attendance and driv-
ing thousands of theatres out of bust
ness, the revenue to the government
would be less than If the present "
per cen tax was retained"
Rachel Crothers Telegraphs
The wire sent to Senator Simmons
chairman of the Finance Committee
by the Stage Women's War Relief was
signed by Rachel Crothers presiden.
of the organization. It said the new
tax would bring "desuitution to vast
army and destroy great art and
great. industry"
Marc Klaw last night gave out the
following telegram he had dispatched
to General Emmett Newton, at Wash
ington:
Il don't know whether the messags
you sent me that the conferrees are
reconsidering tax is correct or not, but
! do know the Democratic party is rid
ing for the biggest fail it has had since
1861. When the theatres get started
as a political organization it is going
to hear something. What they hs'S
done is a dastardly, treacherous out
rage"