Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-14
Proposed Film
Duty in America
Alarms British
English Producers Say 30 Per
Cent Tax Will Cause Dead.
lock in Interchange of
Negatives.
BY GRAFTON S. WILCOX
,hicnso Tribune Omaha Bee Leased Wire.

Chicago Tribune-Omaha Bee Leased wire.
Washington, Aug. 13.-Whether
the American people are to see IN
future any foreign films whatever,
or only those produced by Mary
Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie
Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and other
stars and lesser lights exhibited ex-
clusively by American producers in
surroundings exclusively or almost
exclusively American, is one of the
problems now being seriously con-
sidered by the finance committee OF
the senate. f,
One of the features of the Ford
ney tariff bill recently passed by
the house and awaiting action by the
senate is the drastic provision IN
paragraph l,450 by which the bill
seeks to encourage" the moving
picture industry in the United States
at the expense apparently not only
of foreign producers but of American
audiences.
Heavy Duty Imposed.
Under the proposed law, the rate OF
duty on Photographic film mega
tives. imported in any form, for use
in any way in connection with NOV
ing picture exhibits, or for making
or reproducing pictures for SUCH
exhibits, is 80 per cent ad valorem'.
Some of the effects of this provl-
sion, should it be enacted into law,
are pointed out in letter signed by
Is members of the British producers
committee of the Incorporated Asso-
citation of Kinema-Tograph Manu-
facturers, who were sufficiently
stirred by the impending disaster to
~write to the London Times about it.
Tax Is Prohibition.
"The true gravity of this tax does
not appear at first sight," says J..
Brooke Wilkinson, secretary of the
committee in the letter, a copy OF
which has just been received in this
country. at is so per sent ad valorem
duty upon all cinematograph pictures
imported from abroad, but the ad
valorem is based upon the cost OF
production of similar work in the
United States. Now, the cost of pro-
duction in America is admittedly
about FIVE times as heavy as it is in
this country fact which is due to
the inflated salaries paid to artists
and to the technical staff. No doubt
these things will find their own level
in the course of years, but at the
present time, tax based upon cost
of production in America is not mere
ly an import duty but prohibition.
"a picture which costs $4,000
to produce in this country would cost
f50,000 to produce in America on
the same scale and import duty Of
9l5,O00 would obviously prevent its
entry into that country"
49, Strikes at Peace Influence.
"The matter" he continues, "is
one which goes far deeper than a
mere blow at a home industry; it
strikes right at one of the most
potent influences working for the
peace of the world. The power of
the cinematograph pictures is far
greater than most people realize. By
its means, people separated by half
a world learn subtly and uncon-
sciously of one anothers' doings.
Hitherto the screens of this coun-
try have been freely open to Amer
ican films which introduce scenes of
American life to the people of this
country, but if British film manufac-
turers are to be entirely debarred
from the opportunity of reciprocally
performing the same office in the
United States with regard to English
ideas of life, there will be no option
but to prevent the practically free
importation of American films into
this country and then we have the
deadlock complete"