A PICTURE COMBINE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 14 February 1913, Page 4

A PICTURE COMBINE.

The picture combine, which blossomed the other day, promises badly, writes the Bulletin. Not only will x raise the price of the people's amusement. but it has already smashed up the beginnings of a hopeful Australian industry. No more Austrnliuumade films are to be shown in the theatres of the combine alter, the stock on hand has been worked oil'. The local picture-making staffs have been dispersed. One firm not so long ago •opened a fine theatre and studio at Sydney, and laid down an excellent plant for the production of films. Thai theatre is now closed and the staff scattered. Other companies had their operators, their actors, and their weekly gazette of local events. Tim Australian play-writer was also pushing in and getting an occasional job, and the job threatened to becoine more frequent. The combine ends all this. It practically controls the picture theatres of Australia. Its various members hare thrown their exclusive agencies into the pool, and in order to get reductions on the quantity, have asrreed to use only imported films. Thus, though the local film-maker can of course go on producing, he will be unnble to place his product. Two remedies suggest themselves —legislation by . the State to compel picture showmen to present an Australian-made film for every imported one; and Federal legislation imposing a repressive duty on imported films other than what are known as "scenies," and such as from their very nnturo cannot ho produced in Australia —sveh, for example, as tho Durbar pictures. Tf such productions are excepted, the Government will lay out the otherwise inevitable whimper that the authorities are interfering with the education of the people. With tbeso films expected, there is no earth I '.- reason why tho Government shov 1 '" not go a bead : fliers are a hundred reasons whv it should.