This picture, showing the “Battle of Shorebytown,” was posed near New
York City.]
There are now many auxiliary boards. Some are under the city
governments, and are compulsory, as in Chicago. Last year this board
passed on more than 3000 reels of pictures, comprising 2,604,000 feet
of films. They found it necessary to reject less than three per cent.
If, however, on investigation Mr. Hibbard’s fears are found to be
justified, the recently organized Children’s Bureau of the Department
of Commerce and Labor will here obtain an early chance to justify its
existence, as probably ninety-five per cent. of the films, as articles
of interstate commerce, can now be subjected to its jurisdiction. Such
supervision should also be welcomed by film-makers as an important step
in furthering an advancement in the moral tone of films, long since on
the upward grade, and thus to open up an even wider field of usefulness
than they now exert.