THE GROWTH OF PICTURES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2848, 12 August 1916, Page 6

THE GROWTH OF PICTURES

Mr. Stanley Grant,' the manager lor J. C. .Williamson's "Birth of a Nation", tour of tho Dominion, has just com* plated arrangements for tho exhibition of this big spectacle in New Zoaland. At one time tho chances of seeing this wonderful creation of D. W. Griffiths, screened in Australasia seemod to be impossible, owing to the enormous cost of the film; but when the J. C. Williamson Company, Limited, opened negotiations, figures that would havo deterred lesser speculators could not affect the judgment of a firm which is in the habit of paying immense soma of money for regular theatrical attractions. The directors realised that tho picture-going public had increased fifty per cent, during tho last five yoars, and that attending.photo-plays was Becoming a vogue amongst the better class of theatre-goers. These facts wore obtained froic the growth of the contiiious picture attendances, which ■ is the popular form of amusement in Australia ant]/Now Zonland. To give some idea of tlio popularity of tho continuous theatres, considerably, over a. hundred of these, houses have beon -lniilt in Australia. As each new . theatre was built, new 'picture-goers sprang up,/ proving that an up-tc-date picturo theatre, provided it ho located in a popular avenue, would find it's own clientele, thus ever increasing the numbers of photo-play-goers, which allowed the purchase of this stupendous attraction.