“No Control”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 962, 3 May 1930, Page 27

“No Control”

T i SYDNEY MANAGER REFUTES STORIES OF AMERICAN FILM DOMINATION WHERE THE PROFIT GOES Mr. Stuart Doyle, speaking at the annual meeting of the Greater J. D. Williams Amusement Co., Ltd., in Sydney recently, said the widespread belief that American interest had control of many picture theatres in Australia was without foundation. As managing director of ‘Union Theatres, Ltd., he declared that there was no American capital in that company, and it was entirely free of American or other foreign control. Moreover, ho did not know of one theatre in Australia owned or controlled by American capital. The American companies were merely distributors, who hired their pictures to Union Theatres, Ltd., and other Australian exhibitors. Only 16 per cent, of the gross takings of Australian picture houses went out of Australia in 1929; the balance of 84 per cent, was distributed in Australia. Practically all moneys derived from film-hiring were now being invested in Australia, owing to the exchange position, and the amount sent abroad was negligible. Union Theatres, Ltd., he continued, was engaged in developing extensively the showing of British films in Australia, and it was hoped that a large increase in the number of British talking pictures exhibited in Australian theatres would result fropi the company’s action. Mr. Doyle added that Australia was the only section of the Umpire where there were no foreign interests in the theatre business. By developing new theatres progressively, the Australian exhibitor had remained entirely independent. while even in England a number of the principal theatres were foreign-owned.