The New York herald., 1920-01-06

merely the interpreters Of the law.
'.The remedy. in my Judgment, can come
from the producing managers of the thea.
tres. This can be accomplished through
the medium of contract entered into
between the producing managers OF the
theatresNand ticket brokers to sell tickets
at reasonable prices. This arrangement
can be made effective if the parties will
act in good faith. Fixing reasonable
prices for theatre tickets will not violate
the law OF monopoly, because entertain
ments of the stage do not come within
the inhibition of the anti-monopoly law.
In fact. the entire subject is within the
absolute control of the producing man
ayers of the theatres
i No Surprise to MT. kInw.
II expected it and ana glad the law has
been upset." said Marc Klaw. ut was a
failure from the start. told District At
torney Swami and Assistant District At
torney. Kilroe when 1t was framed that IL
would not hold water. You cannot regu-
late by law the price at which theatre
ticket can be sold any more than you can
regulate the price OF newspapers. 1t was
a makeshift measure, and every good law
yer of the city knew ii was. When the
spectators were driven off the street that
was a good move to protect the public.
But ii was apparent that the attempt to
regulate the price at which tickets can be
sold would not stand.
1T is now UP to the mana gers. They
must handle it themselves. They have
been az work OH a plan for some time.
A committee now at work includes w. ~.
Brady, Sam Harris, Arthur Hopkins and
others. i think they VIII find a way to
end the abuse The matter of sell outs
should be stopped And the method of
dealing with the hotels should be changed.
Fewer hotels should be allowed to sell
theatre tickets, ''and they should be made
to pay licensesfor every theatre whose
tickets they handle, and it should be a
high license"
'Tid Off Snys Arthur Hopkins.
Arthur Hopkins. secretary. of the Pro-
ducing Managers Association. said re-
lgarding the decision, when a HERALD re-
PORTER brought it to his attention:-
The managers are in about the same
position they were before. II there. is no
law bearing on ticket scalping, II thereon
Istitution cannot protect people against
this goueing by ticket specuia tors, the lid
lis off. 1t simply makes 1t more difficult
for the managers ito combat this annoy
ance., The playSoers are not much worse
off than they We're before. because the
enforcement: OF the ordinance has been
lax" - ~~
Nolii Il. pItSldtiI .cl 'iit = ~
ducing Managers Association. said
THE managers will have to get together
and start over again. to devise some
means to protect the public against the
extortion of spectators. Hl tho circunl-
stances OF this decision ! don't know yet
what means will be devised ] can only
say the extortion of ticket venders is re-
gardfd by us as an outrage
/ Judge. Rosalsky said the managers
were the ones to deal with the speculator
fevil, and that is right" said Florefz Zieg-
/ field, Jrs.' showed them how it could he
done by making a contract with the spec
ulators and making them give bonds for
its performance before they could get tick
cts for the 'F'ollies.' And then, there
Is the example of Chicago where they
revoke the license of theatre for selling
a ticket except at The box office, and
speculation in theatre tickets is almost un-
known. Chicago can teach New York a,
least thing or two in this respect. AS
for us here. we are back where we have
been for twenty-five years-in the hands
, of the spectators"