Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-03
The Peace Treaty
and the Movies
Py Frederic J. Haskin

New York City, Jan 3.--Movie fans
NIL over the country are now berg urged
hy the movie industry to write to their
Senator'S and ask them, for the love Of
Mike, To ratiiy the peaoe treaty, and ratlfy
il now.
IF YOU don't know your Senator
name, ask your neighbor or telephone
your local newspaper, the manager of
4 large movie theater told his audience
here the other day, "but get your message
off right away
Meantime, the supply of white paper
il rapidly becoming exhausted by mem
bers OF the industry IN sending frantic
demands to Washington for an early
ratification, and, AZ for telegraph blanks
so neny hsve been Devoted 10 this pur-
pose recently that there ere scarcely any
left for New Year fluctuations.
From this you may gather that there
liz something important going on between
the treaty and the move business. but
doubtless you are still wondering how
such n situation could sffect the movie
fan. II does in only this way II the
treaty is not ratified pretty soon, the
moving picture industry - going to be 60
hard hit that it will have b. pass the blow
on to the movie theaters and the movie
theaters will have 10 recover from II by
charging higher admission prices So
will failure to ratify the treaty take
money out Of the pocket Of everybody who
goes 10 the movies
The price Of admission 70 the moves.
however. the producers say, has not racn
III proportion 70 other prices slnee tbs
war Now there are advance ruraor-
that, II certain conditions are not anchor
ated within the next couple Of months.
the movie ae an amusement VIII be rs
expensive as the ayeragc theatrical show
II r. dire threat Surely Congress
will he out-hearted to withstand TIC
motion picture patrons.
EUROPE NOT IMPORTING FTr.wa
Tho conditions thus hinted az are
principally IN Europe Fur ~ mas stop
ped importing Inns from the United
States. because It's rate of money exchange
is 80 disturbed that It cannot afford IL Do
50. Recently. the Cs0und sterling dropp d
~ a value bflow four dollars, whlle the
frame declined 10 little over half its
normal value Naturally with It's ppr-
chasing power so handicapped, and 2Ith
its credit sadlv limited Europe Is huVng
onlv the direct necessitIes Of life. or the
raw materials from which TO manufacture
them White admitting itself 70 he
raven0tIs for amusement Il Is stoically
refusing 10 huy IT until tho rate 0f money
exchang assumes is normal equilibrium
This cannot happen until the m cd
States ratl .ea the peace ire IT., thereby
cndI the unrest ard uncertain exist
inp ~ Europe, whlch is keeping it poor
and causing American kankers 70 be
most CAUTIOUS ln the matter Of loans.
Although It is not commonly knoFn,
the American film b'Isinees has, for aevc, Al
wears, been depending upon ElroIe for
NEST of it's big profits hen the wsr
rta ted. the established producers of
motion pictures we're recovering only the
costs Of their productions IN tins country.
while the profits carnc from Europe Or,
as the movie men themselves describe #,
Europe was velvet
With the va, conditions immediately
became so chaotlc and money 50 tight
IN the belbgerent countries that there
was a sudden cessation IN the purchase
Of American films, which hit many of our
oldest movie firms had.
Later, however, the whole Of WAITING
Europe, went anuseEent-mad. The
people pho stayed at home hal % have II
In order TO keep their mental balance and
secure temporary forseduInes-s from tiie
awful tlageciiea engulfng them. Al the
same time, the amusement Industries
of Europe soon cea7ed production on
account Of the sea city OF naapower and
the necessity Tor converting every fac
tory into q war plant. France, Italy,
Great Britain and Germany ali stopped
manufacturing films, 50 that for while
the only source of supply lett 70 meet the
tremendous demand was IN America
The American movie rnsn,tfac turerS
held virtual monopoly. which brought
them billions OF dollars. England alone
says one movie authority, has been
known to pay sl00,0o0 for one of our big
pictures. Thirty thousand dollars IS a
common price. The continent is good Tor
$4,000 per picture. The total income
of one concern for one year during the
wsr, when the European trade rs, only
half alive, vas Desrly three mutton dol
lars. "