Struggle of Old and New.

One of the problems of modern industry is to calculate the rate of obsolescence. At a time when a vast sum was sunk in silent pictures, the talking picture rattled the whole fabric, and there were predictions that the silent film was doomed. Seeing that there is still sail upon the sea and that there are still horses in the streets, predictions of total extinction probably require some discount. Indeed, the Australian Film Censorship Board, writing in the opposite strain, recently recorded its deliberate opinion that “the loss of the desirable characteristics of the silent picture outweighs any advantage that sound may have brought.” But in the meanwhile no evidence is discover-able of any decline in popularity of the highest class of talking pictures. A London cablegram dated 29th April credits one American producing organisation with having cleared, in 1929, twelve million sterling, and with the intention of spending some millions thereof in film production in England, the strategic importance of which country is considered to be increased since vocal films became multi-lingual. Already an English picture produced in two languages has run in Germany.