MILLIONS IN MOVING PICTURES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1875, 8 October 1913, Page 8

MILLIONS IN MOVING PICTURES.

CINEMA ROMANCES. £12.000,000 A YEAR PAID IN WAGES. Six years ago tho total number of employees in kincmatograph theatres in Great Britain was about 500. They now excced 125,000. Their weekly wage bill probably runs into £250,000 or more, or £12,000,000 per annum. The number of- peoplo visiting the kinemas per week must be well over eight millions—4lG million peoplo a year I There are about 16,000 pictures theatres in America, patronised byniore than six million peoplo a day. Nearly 30 million pounds a year are spent in admission money. These and many other interesting facts'of the wonderful growth of tho ldnema are given by Mr. Valentin, Steer in his book, "The Romance of tho Kinoma," says "Tho Star." Malting Fortunes in China. Mr. Steer points out that, whereas fifteen years ago tho only kincmatograph pictures.vere '10ft. or 50ft. films shown at one or two music halls, the number of picture theatres now throughout the world is about 60,000. The kincmatograph has caught the Chinese taste to such an extent that German and Japanese firms are making enormous sums m China, with moving picture shows. Two years ago people marvelled that tlie crowds at some of the Coronation procossions were so much smaller than had been anticipated. Mr. Steer says the real reason why the peoplo kept away from the Coronation processions was because thoy did not see the uso of standing for five or six hours under a broiling sun in a thick crowd, with the very probable chance of seeing nothing but tho soldiers' helmets, when by paying sixpenco at a picture theatre tho same evening thoy could seo the whole tiling in comfort from a cushioned stall.

Costly Realism.' The money spent on producing many modern-day films is extraordinary. In order to film- "The Siege of St. Petersburg" tho Kalem Company built a bridge longer than London Bridge across an arm of the Mississippi, and set fir© to it. The structure cost several thousand pounds, and took many weeks to construct; yet it was destroyed _ for the purpose of the play, in a few minutes. The fort that is mined and blown up in the same piece was built by contract in just under ono week, but then the contractor had ov6r 800 workmen emplo'yed at the job day and night. Nearly a quarter of a ton of dyna.raitc was used in the explosion which destroyed it. . _ In "War's Havoc," two locomotive engines meet in a spectacular collision on a high bridge, both being reduced to scrap iron. That ono episodo cost the company ove. - £4000, yet it occupies less than four minutes in tho showing. Princely Salaries. Messrs. Pathe Freres employ more than half-a-dozen famous producers, none of whom draws 'less than a thousand a year. Lawrence Griffith, of tho American Biograph Company, draws considerably over £6000 a year for his services, in addition to-a royalty on films; whilst Sidney llc'ott, who produced Kalem's "Life of Christ" picture in the Holy Land, was retained at £5000 per annum. The first cinema play produced in England was "The Soldier's Courtship," which was acted on the roof' of the Alhambra Theatre. Its length was only 40ft.—sufficient to show ■ for about a minute! Nowadays a story film runs from 700 ft. to 5000 ft.—sufficient to last a. quarter of an hour to ttf<3 hours. ? Sir Herbert Tree was paid £1000 by Messrs. Barker for filming "Henry VIII," and on tho day that tho transaction was completed the company sold tho' Australian rights of the film for £1000! Thus before a single picture was taken £2000 had changed hands. A Huge Turnover. Twenty-four sets of films were "lot out" for London and provincial cinema theatres, and each drew a weekly rental of £60. For six weeks the twenty-four sets were fully booked up, realising, roughly, something over £6000 —which gives an approximate idea of the money turned over in this business. Of course, those prices were excep-' tional, owing to tho unusual nature of tho pictures; but quite ordinary films command £15 to £20' a week. "Quo Vadis?" is the first kincmatograpli picture which lias ever been put up to auction. The picture is 8000 ft. in length, and plays for over two hours. The solo rights for showing in Great Britain only, including but 15 copies of tho film, were sold to Jury for the record price of £7600. "The Romance (f the Cinema," which is published bv C. Arthur Pearson, Limited, is. full of other interesting items of this new amusement industry.

One of the messengers who lias just retired from tho Government service is Mr. Thomas Redmond, a veteran 75 • years of ago, who has been attached to tho staff of various Ministers during tlio last twenty years. For a long timo past lie has' been a well-known figure in the Parliamentary and Departmental buildings, and ho will bo missed by a host of friends aild acquaintances. In 1891, tho year in) which the Atkinson Government was defeated, Redmond was appointed messenger to Sir Joseph Ward. Seven years later ho was attached in the same capacity 'to the staff of the late Mr. Seddon. This post he continued to fill until the time of Mr. Seddon's death. Afterwards Mr. Redmond served as a messenger 'with tlio Hon. T. Y. Duncan for a brief period, and later for three years with the Hon. R. M'Nab. Subsequently ho bccamo messenger to the' Hon. T. Mackenzie. During tlio last twelvo months and until recently Mr. Redmond has been messenger to the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher. Bcforo entering the Government service, Mr. Redmond followed tho calling of the sea. In 185G, ho was an apprentice on board tho steamer Phoebe, which ran, years later, in tho New Zealand trado. During tho last two years of the Crimean war, while Mr. Redmond was aboard her, the Phoebe was engaged in running dispatches between Malta and Constantinople. In 1862, after marrying, ho obtained a chief officer's certificate in tho English coastal trado, and served aboard tho steamer Penguin, which was afterwards sent out to Now Zealand, and was ultimately wrecked near Capo Torawhiti. After coming to New Zealand in 1872, Mr. Redmond was employed by Messrs. Geo. Thomas and Co., auctioneers, of Wellington, and remained with them until he became a messenger in tho Pubj lie Service in 1891.