The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-01-31
SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE FILM

Charleston American.
The value of the motion picture in
our American life cannot be estimat-
ed.
Long ago the moving picture thea
ter ceased to be merely a place of
amusement. The motion picture s
value as an education power IS now
realized by all thinking men and wo-
men.
We would be foolish to fail to rec
ognize the opportunities for educa-
tional and moral progress which the
! moving picture offers.
In realization of the tremendous
Importance of the moving picture in
dustry, Postmaster-General Will H.
Hayes recently resigned his high po-
sition to work for the betterment of
the movies.
The industry is demanding the
brains and the energies of the coun-
, try's progressive men and women.
We in South Carolina should recog-
nize the Importance of the movies.
We in South Carolina must be fair
to ourselves.
Our state legislature must not for
get tie moving pictures place in the
-! life of our commonwealth.
A film tax bill has passed the state
house of representatives which places
a tax of s5 per thousand feet on mo-
tion picture films. The bill is now in
the senate, and it should be killed.
This bill is theoretically aimed at
the distributors, but because of the
fact that there are no distributors in
South Carolina the burden of the tax
will fall on the theatres in the shape
of increased rentals.
The total film rental (income) of
l19 distributors serving this state
amounts to s3s3,933.6s per year, and
the proposed tax would amount to
$4,000, or twenty-one per cent of
the distributors income.
The distributors have announced
that in the event this bill becomes law
they viii shift this tax to the theatres
by increasing the cost of pictures
from twenty to twenty-five per cent.
At the present time there are 1S5
motion picture theaters operating in
South Carolina. Of these theaters,
IS are in towns Of 5000 or less; "a
are in mills and Y. NJ. C. A. theaters,
and II are theaters for colored peo-
pie.
During the past year SO moving pic
ture theaters have closed their doors
in the state because of financial loss
es. 1t is stated that 7 theaters ceased
operating last week because Of fnan-
cial loss.
The 68 small theaters which are
being operated in the small towns
cannot bear the burden of increased
taxation in this form, and they cannot
successfully increase their price of
admission 25 per cent.
If this film tax bill is passed by the
senate it will in all proba bility mean
the closing of so theaters in South
Carolina.
The moving picture men in South
Carolina have made the following in
teresting statement:
"The tax as proposed against the
distributors cannot be equitably pro-
rated among the theaters because on
ly 6 of the 19 distributors hold con-
tracts with as many as 80 to SIS thea
ters.
Three serve 25 theaters; two serve
Is; two serve 10; three serve 8; and
the remaining three exchanges serve
6, 5 and theaters each. But the
tax on a picture which plays in 5
theaters will be the same as the tax
which plays in SIS theaters. This means
that not only the small theaters serv-
ed by these exchanges must close, but
the IL to Is small distributors must
stay out of South Carolina. Thus a
virtual monopoly is established by
law.
The tax cannot but result in poorer
pictures, since the theater which used
! to pay SO for program cannot af-
ford to pay $40 plus 25 per cent, but
must seek cheaper pictures. The av-
erage film rental in South Carolina is
1925 to SO per program. The pro-
posed tax on original new prints
alone, excepting duplicates, would
amount to 20 per cent of this cost
price"
Senators of South Carolina do your
duty and kill this bill.
Pass the inheritance tax bill