PICTURE BUSINESS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1789, 30 June 1913, Page 4

PICTURE BUSINESS.

« . THE "INDEPENDENTS" CONFER. A conference of plcture-theatro proprietors and managers conducting their businesses independently of the amalgamation (Haywarde, Fullers, etc.) is to be bold in Wellington, this week, chiefly to review their position in the light of recent developments. Up till quite recently tho film-hiring business in New Zealand was ft highly competitive one, with Messrs. John Fuller and Sons, Haywards, J. D. Williams, MacMahon's, Clement Mason (Mr. C. Hickey, Wellington) all vicing with one another to supply every theatre in the ooilntry with new cither once ot twico a week. The competition became 80 warm, and the cost so heavv that tho profits in some cases were rcutooed to a. vanishing point. Then the inovitablo happened.. In order to secure the solo rights over the film of ccrtain of the fore,most manufacturers, .the Australian picture firms combined so that they would bo strong enough to bo able to take the necessary quantity of film weekly to obtain solo rights. As tho amount of film to bo placed was considerable, a proposal was submitted to a mooting, at which Messrs. John -and Ben Fuller, H. Hayward, E. J. Righton (Haywards), P. Herrman (Haywards), and G. Nye were present, to form an amalgamation, in New Zealand, by "•Which means it was assured that tho rights held by the Australian amalgamation over certain high-class film would bo passed on to them, conditionally on tho Dominion amalgamation taking a .stated quantity Weekly. It was also pointed out that / tho firms would effect an immense saviiig if tho distribution were made from ono contral bureau, and each theatre, instead of endeavouring to get tho samo pictures as'the next theatre, were given an entirely different set. At that meeting the preliminaries were arranged, and later oil—tlio beginning of May—tho amalgamation commenced operations. Proprietors of picture-houses dealing with the amalgamation found, in some instances, that they had to pay slightly more for film than in tho days of competition, but It was maintained on tho othor hand that tho programmes supplied were newer and better in quality. It was inevitable that Some theatre proprietors would oijlect to the new order of things, and the words "combine" and "monopoly" havo been applied to tho business of tho amalgamation, but whilst there are hundreds of maker.? of film, who will sell to anyone, such terms are not applicable, 'lltere ara at least two film agcncies operating in. Wellington outsido the amalgamation. For the amalgamation it _ should bo mentioned that they maintain that tho public aro tho gainers by tho new arrangement, as without co-operation with the Australian amalgamation they would hot bo in tho position to obtain a regular supply of high-class pictures.