Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-26
LITTLE HOPE SEEN
TO AVERT STRIKE.
Theater Owners and MuSi-
clans Still in Impasse Over
Employment Here.

Developments In the crucial impasse
in the local theater situation today gave
no indication of averting the projected
strike of all organized union theatrical
employees September !, as the musicians
and their employers went into confer
ence this afternoon, each steadfastly
refusing to yield.
Following a meeting Of the board of
directors Of the Musicians Protective
Union this morning. at which pro-
posal' made by the Motion, Picture
was taken up, John e. Birdsell, secre-
tary of the union, made the following
announcement:
THE board of directors Of the Musi-
clans Protective Union, at its meeting
this morning, reanirnled its position of
unalterable opposition to the elimina-
ton of living music from the theaters
of this city, and Is preparing to do all
in Its power to prevent the loss Of such
living music to the theater- going public
of Washington.
Two Want Orchestras.
1.-THE Managers Association and the
Musicians Protective Union are con-
ferring, through their representatives,
in an endeavor to reach an agreement,
today's conference being called at 2:30
pm. Because of the necessity of dis
cussing the points involved in the most
informal manner, 1t has been deemed
expedient to refrain from making pub
lie the discussions held"
The managers last week made clear
their intention not to renew contracts
for musicians In Washington theaters,
but declared they wished to use orches-
traS in the Fox Theater and the Palace
Theater, in conjunction with the pres
entation of stage shows. The managers,
however, refused to enter into contract
with the local union in blanket form,
as it has done In the past, and would
not guarantee regular employment to
the musicians.
From the announcement made by the
musicians union this morning, which
practically is identical with the answer
made by the union to the managers
last week, the inference was cleaned
that the owners association reiterated
its stand at the closed conference held
Yesterday. Since the musicians union
previously clearly indicated that such
an arrangement would be wholly I'M
satisfactory from its standpoint, the
result of which was virtual deadlock
in the situation, no settlement Of the
controversy appears IN sight.
Plan WalkOut Sunday.
Meanwhile, unless the dispute is set
tied by midnight Sunday, projectionists
and stage hands will go on strike in
sympathy with the musicians, as a re-
suit of triple alliance existing between
the unions. The local units of these
unions were advised by their national
headquarters to walk out August 81 II
amicable agreement was not reached
between the musician and their en-
ployers by that date.
Throughout the dispute, however, the
have maintained that local
theaters would not be dark. In making
this known they did not intimate what
steps they would take to meet the de-
mand for projection machine operators
in the event of walkout.
The representative committees of the
two factions involved in the controversy,
which arose over the refusal of the
managers to renew contracts for muSi-
clans after they expire on August 81,
met behind closed doors at $3.50 pm.
yesterday. The meeting followed hur-
ried communications between the two
bodies which came close on the heels
of special meeting of the theater
owners group at noon yesterday.
withhold Announcement.
At the conclusion of the session A.
Julian Brylawski, president of the
Motion Picture Theater Owners ASso-
citation, said that inasmuch as the
meeting was between only represent
atives of the two organizations they
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