Evening star., 1924-12-21
THE GROWTH OF THE MOVIES
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

come great instrumentality for
selling" America to the world From
business standpoint the film is a
reflector of industrial conditions. the
use of machinery. the ways of COM
merce and trade and everything that
is typacally American. 1t has become
a great asset of American salesman
ship abroad.
The growth of this foreign business
is shown by Government figures. In
1913, 80, 100000 feet OF films were ex-
ported. In 1923, the last year. for
| which complete data are available,
20o,oo0,000 feet of film went into the
foreign trade. The percentage of
| American films used abroad is be-
| tween so and 90 per cent On the
other hand, only 425 foreign pictures
were sent here for sale in 1928 and
OF these only six were actually sold
and exhibited. Twenty-Five per cent
of the American motion picture in
| dustry is now done abroad
Because the movie is the democracy
OF entertainment some of the things
that are now being done are matters
| of common concern. Will III,
Hays, president of the Motion
Picture Producers and Distributors.
has from the beginning of his
| connection with the industry pro-
ceeded on two major axioms-frst. to
put the industry on a business basis
and. second. to make it subserye more
and more the public interest and the
public service.
What the Gar Sees,
The czar OF the screen business sees
| tremendous progress along MANY
lines. These include better and bet
ter pictures. HIS estimates that ont
OF every 666 pictures produced in one
year there were only so that de-
serve criticism, and only s that
were bad and deserved elimination.
| with better and better pictures he
! sees better cooperation with the pub
| lic' the elimination of waste and ex-
traVagance from the industry, its ap-
| piication in a greater degree to edu-
| cationa! ends and the promotion of
| international harmony and the better
understanding of America
Here is the motion picture code
ADOPTED two years ago by the motion
| picture producers as the guide of the
| future and under which Mr.. Hays he :
lieves moral and artistic progress as
well as business success is assured:
| Establishing and maintaining the
| highest possible moral and artistic
/
| tions,' and
| Developing the educational as well
as the entertainment value and the
general usefulness OF the motion
| picture"
| Stressing the Importance of adher-
ence to this code, Mr.. Hays made this
| comment:
| DO not forget that as you serve
| the leisure hours of the masses so
do you rivet the girders of society"
| He believes that as the period OF
chaos in the industry is over and the
| era of experimentation past, the pro-
ducers now have time and means to
give more consideration to the moral
and educational responsibilities in
! herent in this great new thing. He
| visualizes 100000 schools with over a
| million schoolrooms with pictures
that are scientifically, psychologically
and pedagogically sound, thus giving
educational progress the greatest i'm
| petus known in a century.
Particular attention has been de-
voted OF late to the elimination OF
waste from the industry. No picture
corporation now starts a venture in
the haphazard way of the early days
Before the picture is started the di-
| rector Is given a budget within
| which he must keep, just as any other
business must conform to this pri-
mary business method. At the same
time the distribution and renting OF
films have been almost perfected by
means of exchanges maintained in 81
key cities. Arbitration boards have
been set up to settle disputes and
smooth out complications arising in
the industry. The success Of this ex.
pertinent is shown by the fact tina,
last year 5000 cases were settled b.
these boards, while only two case.
went to the courts.