Columnist Defends Petrillo Disc Ban By TED HALLOCK James C. and men have done it once and for all. Saturday last came news that the A. F. of M.’s exec council (which includes Portland’s Herman Kenin, by the way) had voted to cease ALL re cording and transcribing as of January 1, 1948. “We shall stop,” the decision read, “contributing to the thing which will eventually kill our means of liveli hood.” Few observers realize that the musicians refusal to record would not be punishable under either the Taft-Hartley or Lea Acts, should the N. A. B„ or some indie operator attempt a test case. And,, though such a test case( as in WAAF vs. J. Petrillo) might reach the U. S. supreme court, lots of legal dough is ready for takers on the assumption that the union’s stand will be upheld as being not unlaw ful. Second Chorus: Same Tune In case you’ve forgotten, Jimmy has tried, this tactic before, and with success. On August 1, 1942, and edict from Petrillo stopped waxing; ending the ban in 1943. There are, however, two sides to the question. Only musicians are able to weigh the good and bad attributable to Petrillo’s various stands. The people are able to weigh only the various shades of bad. That’s all they hear about. It may interest someone to know that Local 47 (Los Angeles), to combat the menace of increased membership (which would flood a group already de pendent upon limited movie and radio work), lev eled maximum weekly earnings at 175. When said figure was reached, the member earning same had had it for that week. Yet Petrillo is accused of lying if he asserts that recordings cut his members col lective throats. There’s more, too. Press Prissy For example, how much publicity in the local press is being given the Saturday night Community Center dances (every third week), at which music is furnished gratis by Local 689, as part of its cam paign to return an odd thousand dollars (its share of the A. F. of M. recording fund) to the public. If keeping juveniles off the streets and in a hall where the music is as good as it can get in Eugene is bad . . then hand me a gin, son, I’m gone. Kenton Concerned Kenton, incidentally, was plenty worried around 9 p.m. when only a handful of loyal cats had shown. The guy is sharp. He knew all about Traubel, late permission (or lack of same), Saturday football, etc. The house was fair near the end. Stan let slip during the affair that tenorman Bob Cooper and frau Christy intend scramming sometime soon. Ken ton told me (we/us) earlier Friday evening that he wouldn’t take Vido back under any circumstances. There’s your chance, Widmer. Kentonitems: Shelly Manne used localite Bob Ramsey’s experimental foot-pedal (made while Ram sey was aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise) and pro claimed it “Fine, man!” Pedal has aluminum forte spas and double reelfraz. New trombonist Eddy Burk (name misspelled last week) looked slightly like a mouse and played something like a non. Bing Book Boffo There’s a new book out. About and around Bing Crosby. Published by a Dr. J. T. H. Mize (no joke), containing iconography and discography. Costs three, and is available at local music shop. Cash Box mag is out again this week. Same mis takes. Howard and “Peg” are top ork and tune. Glad they don’t sell it. That pernicious propagan da should be in nobody’s hands save Falcon and Side ops. You’ve probably heard that Musicraft is again on its financial feet. Those interested in whether the company’s stock is still selling at 19 cents a share should contact alum George Carey,, now wearing a cutaway for one of Portland’s less partic ular stock and bonders. “Bones” Blase Oscar Moore has left Nat Cole. Woody Herman’s at the Tark November 8. His mother, according to trade reports, does not sing with the band. “Save The Bones” is a dirty song, and I will have nothing to do with it. Vic Damone is a jerk. Which opinion seems shared locally. The new Bunk Johnson album (Deeca) is strictly to have. V/hether moldy fig or bopster you’ll appreciate its authenticity. We’ll wager a few local radio faces are red (as suming they belong to people who can and do read Downbeat) after Mike Levin’s terrifically potent blast at the “This Is Jazz” master (correct spelling) Rudi Blesh. Seems Hie publicized feeling 'that Rudi is a good soul is not mutual. Get it ? The Millrace—A Constructive Editorial While the city council and the University have been play ing catch with the millrace problem, a possible solution h a s delivered itself literally from heaven. The rains have come. In fact, this month’s rainfall broke the weather bu reau’s record, kept since 1890. Rejoice, students! At this rate the niillrace will be flood ed with torrents of rushing water. To take advantage of this delightful state, Junior Weekend and Homecoming dates should be transposed. A canoe fete would be imprac tical under these conditions, but what sport to have an ark building contest! Mens’ and womens’ living organizations would be paired off as before, but this time they would be constructing seaworthy craft rather than floats. Upon com pletion, students will march into their arks two by two just like Noah and his followers. House cooks and mascots such as Smokey, Snowbelle, and Mike would, of course, be included and lend a realistic | air. Then, let it rain ! Annual fall worries over getting home for Thanksgiving vacation because of flood con ditions would disappear. Fol lowing the weekend festivities, students would lightheartedly set sail down the Willamette river for Portland. California members w ould have th added attraction of sailing o to the Columbia and taking th coast routs to their sunny lane The publicity value of such venture is unlimited. ; Of course, like the quonse huts, this would only bt a tem porary plan until a new revet ment is built, but the millrac would be in use again. _^ GOOD Movies Go Over a Lot Better I By BERT MOORE Last Wednesday night someone turned a full bathtub upside down over the campus. The traditional Wednesday night xxxx drinkers were doing their usual stubby-tilt ing. A few people were studying. Everything was all set for a quiet evening in Fenton hall for the few who would walk through rain and past bierstubes to see a better than-average movie. Something happened that wasn't on the docket, however. If you were in that milling mob that jammed the Fenton auditorium to see Rob ert Donat in “The Count of Mon te Cristo’’ you 'might have been and other pursuits and out into the wondering just how many people besides yourself had the same idea. The totals are rather interesting. Fenton’s auditorium has 225 seats. More than 300 saw the first show, not counting those who stood out side and watched through the doors, while 180 came around for show number two, which began about 9:30 and lasted for almost two hours. For the first show peo ple sat in the center aisle and crowded along the walls. No one counted those who went away af ter failing to get near the place. I don’t believe the low admission price (it was free!) brought all those people away from their books rain. The lust for something-for nothing wasn't the driving force that filled Fenton. I believe all those people simply wanted to see a good movie—were tired of the swill that is presented on the bill of fare of most Eugene theaters most of the time. I also be lieve that these people and others who were kept aWay by certain Wednesday night considerations would like to see some more good films. There’s even a possibility that if the educational activities board would give us a couple of decent films a week many of us wouldn’t mind paying a low admission charge (say a dime) to see such films. It would lessen the strain on the educational activities budget. If you are in favor of a program like this drop Dick Williams a card or call him up in his Mac court of fice and tell him so. His phone does n’t ring enough anyway. One problem that is going to bo tough to solve in the future is1 where to show films to audiences of last Wednesday night’s size. The open doors at Fenton let a lot of noise out into normally quiet halls, and as a direct result Thursday night’s pictures played in 207 Chapman. There's little question about the necessity of such a move. If yo have any doubts ask one of you friends in law school about his nee for steady concentration time, exclude, of course, sturdy lav/ stt dents like Kermit Smith who ca play the ten-string guitar and og women while briefing cases wit his toes. Well, we have a problem. The! is evidently a campus audience f( worthwhile films. But there is ne; ther auditorium large enough t take care of this audience nc enough free money lying around t provide for more than an occasior al showing. Write your solution o an old dollar bill and send it in. DregdnW Emerald ALL-AMERICAN 1946-47 The Oregon Daily Emerald, official publication of c'ne University of Oregon, published daily during the college year except Sundays, Mondays, and final examination periods. Entered as second-class matter at the postoffice, Eugene, Ore. Member of the Associated Collegiate Press BOB FRAZIER, Editor BOB CHAPMAN, Business Manager BILL YATES Mauaging Editor JUNE GOETZE. BOBOLEE BROPHY Co-News Editors walt McKinney, jeanne simmonds, maryann thielen Associates to Editor WALLY HUNTER Sports Editor ri —■ '• — 1 .—" ■" ■ ■— i PHYLI-IS KOHLMEIER HELEN SHERMAN Assistant Managing Editors Y1RG TUCKER Advertising Manager National Advertising Manager.Marilyn Turner Circulation Manager ...Billi Jean Riethmiller Editorial Board: Harry Glickroan, Johnny Kahananui, Bert Moore, Ted Goodwin, Bill Stratton, Jack Billings. Olficfe 'MahaJjeV . ...Marge lluston Foster The Public Has A Point - -A Bitter Editorial Emerald Columnist Ted Hallock, himself a collector of fine old disks, indicates in these columns that he thinks the Petrillo ban on fur ther record-making is a great thing. Only mu sicians are able to weigh the good and the bad, Hallock writes, because the stupid public [rears only one side. This isn’t exactly the way it is. The reading public knows both sides. One side (Petrillo's) is that the musicians will make more money and hold better jobs if there are tro records. The other side (the public’s) is that people who want to hear recordings of new songs will have to listen to imported jobs, or more likely, go to some saloon and pay a large fee to listen to a musician offer the stuff in peij son. Plus, of course', the radio. I his leaves the sober, but jivev citizen, onh one opinion. He wants his records. Record col lecting and record listening are a part of thj social picture. Depriving the public of thi; feature, simply to featherbed for an occupa tional group, is a bit high-handed. If Petrillo’s reasoning is to be standard, i would be wise to watch for an edict from th actor's union, forbidding its dues-paying meni' bers to make motion pictures. Petrillo still allows his fellas to broadcast. A lot of people listen to the radio. ’Twould b< better, no doubt., if the public were not grantee this "free” entertainment, either. Make en pay. A lot of musicians won’t eat because people will be listening to their radios instead of witnessing their music.