The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-03

NEW YORK. Jan. 3.-Movie fans all
over the country are now being urged by
the movie industry to write to their
senator's and ask them, for the love Of
Mike, to ratify the peace treaty, n
ratify it now.
IF you don't know your senator's
name, ask your neighhor or telephone
your local newspaper" the manager of
q large movie theater told his audience
here the other day, but get your mes
sage off right away.
Meantime the supply of white paper is
rapidly becoming exhausted by members
Of the industry in sending frantic de-
mands to Washington for al early rau-
f~ication, and, as for telegraph blanks,
so many nave been devoted to this pur-
pose recently that there were scarcely
any left for New Year fluctuations,
From this you may gather that there
is something important going on be-
tween the treaty and the movie busl-
ness, but doubtless you are still won
dering how such a situation could al
feet the movie fan, 1t does in only this
way: If the treaty is not ratified pretty
soon the moving picture industry is go
ing to be so hard hit hat 1t will have
to pass the blow on to the movie the
aters, and the movie theaters will have
TO recover from II by charging higher
admission prices. So will a failure to
ratify the treaty take money out of the
pocket of everybody who goes to the
movies.
The price of admission to the movies,
however, the producers say, has not
risen in proportion to other prices since
the war. Now there are advance ru-
moTs that, If certain conditions are not
ameliorated within the next couple OF
months, the movie as an amusement,
will be as expensive as the average the
atrical show. 1t Is a dire threat. Surely
congress will be stout-hearted to with
stand the motion picture patrons.
The conditions thus limited at are
| principally In Europe. Europe has stop
! ped importing films from the United
States because Its rate of money eX-
change is so disturbed that 1t can not
afford to do so. Recently the pound
sterling has dropped to a value below
81, while the franc declined to a little
over half its normal value. Naturally,
with its purchasing power so handl-
capped and with its credit sadly limited,
Europe is buying only the direst neces-
stiles of life, or the raw materials from
which to manufacture, them. While ad-
hitting itself to be ravenous for amuse-
ment, it is stoically refusing to buy un-
I'll the rate of money exchange assumes
its normal equilibrium.
This can not happen until the United
States ratifies the peace treaty, there
by ending the unrest and uncertainty
existing in Europe, which Is keeping it
poor and causing American bankers to
be most cautious in the matter OF loans.
Although it Is not commonly known,
the American film business has, for
several years, been depending upo Eu-
rope for most of its big profits. When
the war started the established produc-
ers of motion pictures were recovering
only the costs of their production in
this country, while the profits came
from Europe. Or, as the movie men
themselves describe it, Europe was vel
vet.
With the war conditions Immediately
became so chaotic n money so tight
in the belligerent countries that there
was a sudden cessation in the purchase
of American films, which hit many OF
our oldest movie firms hard.
Later, however, the whole of warning
Europe went amusement a The
people who stayed at home had to have
it in order to keep their mental bal
ance and secure temporary forgetfu'ness
from the awful tragedies enGrlfing
them. At the same time the amuse-
ment industries of Europe soon ceased
production on account of the scarcity
Of man power and the necessity fer con-
verting every factory into a war plant,
France. Italy, Great Britain and Ger
many all stopped manufacturing films.
so that for a while the only source OF
supply left to meet the tremendous de-
mand was in America.
The American movie manufacturers