Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-09
Truce Extended, but Theater
Owners and Employees
Are Deadlocked.
PUBLIC SUPPORT ASKED
TO KEEP Giving MUSIC"
Employers Association Meets
Threat With Promise Show
Houses "Will Not Be Dark"

With no RECESSION thus far of the
sympathy strike order issued last month
by the International Alliance of The
atrical Stage Employees. indications In
Washington's tangled movie controversy
today were that all organized union
theatrical employees in local motion pic
ture houses would walk out September
10. Musicians in local theaters will be
shut out" after that date, because Of
the failure of negotiations between the
Musicians Protective Union and the ex-
ecutives OF the local theaters at a con-
terence in New York yesterday.
The strike order, which was issued
last month when the musicians and
their employers were deadlocked, was to
take effect in the event no agreement
was reached between the two factions
over a renewal of contract. Fred j.
Stevens, president of the Moving Pic
ture Machine Operators Union here,
said this morning that the order OF his
organizations national headquarters TO
go on strike still is in effect, and all
union men in local houses must follow
these instructions.
Time Extended.
The musicians contract, which was
in blanket form between the local mu-
sicians' union and the Motion Picture
Theater Owners Association of the Dis
trict, expired August 81. A truce, how
ever, was agreed to in New York Au-
gust %, which preserved the status quo
of the musicians for period of two
weeks after the expiration. Yesterdays
meeting, which failed entirely to make
way for renewal Of a contract, resulted
in extension of this truce until Sep
TENDER 10, to allow theaters presenting
stage shows to complete their week.
Following the conference in New
York, which was held in the Office OF
Joseph N. Weber, president of the
American Federation OF Musicians, John
E. Birdsell, secretary of the local mu-
sicians' union, issued the following
statement:
1.-THE corporations controlling the
theaters in Washington will not agree
to continue musicians in any theater
in our city with the exception of two
houses, which they plan to operate with
much smaller orchestras. This means
the practical elimination. OF living
music from the theaterS OF our city,
1.-THE success of these large corpora
lions in examining cheap form of
entertainment down the Threats of the
people depends, of course, upon the
theater-going public. The attempt to
give the people of Washington mechan-
lied performances, whose proper place
is the nickel orpheun and cheap
museum, may succeed, but the people
have q right to judge whether the
admission fees to the theaters are being
reduced to conform with the cheapening
of the performances therein. The
Washington musicians are fighting Q
battle for artistic and cultural enter
tainment in the playhouses of the land
which the people support and with the
help OF the citizens of Washington viii
continue this fight indefinitely"
The employers have been willing to
hire number of musicians for work
in the Fox and Palace Theaters, but
would not enter into contract for these
ensembles. This arrangement was not
agreeable to the Musicians Union, how
ever, with the result that the conference
yesterday ended in hopeless deadlock.
Owners Defiant.
The Motion Picture Theater Owners
Association, through its president, A.
Julian Brylawski, has met the strike
threat of the employees with the an
nouncement that Washington theaters
would not be dark" The managers.
however, failed to indicate just what
method Of meeting q walk-out would be
used,
Brylawsld said this morning that he
had received official confirmation this
morning Of the developments in New
York yesterday. He said that after I'VE
hours Of parleying no Roadway was
made. The only concession the mu-
stcianS would make, he said, was to
propose per cent reduction in the
number Of musicians to be used in
Washington theaters. This, he said,
was not satisfactory to the managers.