ANALYSIS OF AENSOR-
SHIP [CENSORSHIP] BILL
•SECTION 1 and 4 provide a total
of 9 new offices in Nashville with
salaries totalling $19,800.00 not in
including travelling expenses nor
maintenance,
SECTION 2 requites that every
picture to be exhibited in the state,
whether in a theatre, a charitable
institution or a private home must
be passed upon by the Censorship
Board.
SECTION 3 requires that a Review
Charge be paid either by the lessor or
lessee of $50.00 for every picture re-
viewed, whether it be a feature, a
news reel, or a scenic.
SECTION 4 provides a total of five
stenographers and one Chief Clerk,
who, according to Section 1, shall
also be deputies with such authority,
and will inevitably have to pass upon
pictures, since three people cannot
review 16,000 feet a week, which
would require seven and one third
(7-1 3) hour six days a week of constant reviewing. These deputies,
who will be the censors in fact, are
to be paid only $1500.00 per annum. SECTION 5 provides a further tax
of 5 per cent of the gross receipts of
every theatre, which will increase
the taxes paid by motion picture
theatres in Tennessee to 21 2 percent
of their gross income, averaged per
theatre.
SECTION 7 Provides that every
picture exhibited any admission
charge, must be censored and that a
censor fee of $10 00 per picture shall
be paid This would prevent the exhibition of pictures for charitable
purposes, in churches, orphan asylums, hospitals and all custodial in-
stitutes.
In revenue fees alone this Bill
would cost the industry more than
$141,000.00 a year, figured on the 2,822
subjects released in 1922. Of these
subjects 615 were features; 658 two
reel comedies; 432 news reels; 50
scenic; 24 sport reviews; 580 one-reel
comedies, 5 three-reel comedies; 3
four-reel comedies; 69 half reels
"fun from press", etc. 75 cartoons; 14
bible subjects; 86 two reel pictures;
151 two reel episodes; 33 miscellaneous
one reels; 30 three reel playlets.
If this Bill were to pass, all short
comedies, news reels, scenics, bibli-
cal pictures and educational subjects
would have to kept out of the State
of Tennessee.
