Automatic Age

Issue: 1928 September

THE AUTOMATIC AGE
Vol. 5
CHICAG O, S E P T E M B E R , 1928
No. 2
New Coin Machine Operators’
Association Making Great Strides
By O. C. L IG H T N E R
A t last the coin machine operators
have an organization such as they
have always wanted. It is not an
organization
dominated
by
New
York, or Boston, or Detroit, or Chi­
cago.
It is an organization in which ev­
ery section has equal representation.
It is not an organization com ­
posed o f five or six men re-electing
themselves to the offices year after
year.
It is an organization o f the great
body o f operators in which the o f­
fices must go from year to year to
the leading men o f the industry.
Several attempts at organization
have been made in the past and all
o f them failed. The new organiza­
tion has more paid members in three
months than any previous organiza­
tion ever did have.
Some want to know why the A U ­
T O M A T IC AGE cast its lot with the
new organization. W ell, the fa ct is
the old association really had no or­
ganization. It provided that all the
offices except one or two was to be
held by Chicago men. Members were
assessed $5 a year but were not al­
lowed to vote. No outside member,
that we ever heard of, renewed his
membership the second year and no
local association ever reaffiliated the
second year.
The great m ajority o f Chicago op­
erators themselves saw the injustice
o f this procedure and are aligning
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themselves with the new
tion.
organiza­
The biggest and best men in the
industry are officers o f the new or­
ganization. And they are not there
fo r graft or personal glory but fo r
service to the industry.
Any one who cannot choose be­
tween Wm. Sheade on one hand and
Wm. Gent on the other has some­
thing wrong with his mind and heart
and judgment.
I f Sheade is a representative o f
the type o f leadership we have in
this industry we ought to be ashamed
o f ourselves.
W e are trying to get the industry
on a higher plane. We are trying
to get proper public recognition. W e
are trying to get new blood in the
industry and capital interested in the
different types o f machines coming
on the market.
They come to the convention and
go away disgusted. W e have been
doing ourselves a grave injustice dur­
ing these years we were patient with
Sheade and his crowd hoping against
hope that they would fulfill their
promises to broaden out their organ­
ization and get the better men o f
the industry into the offices.
But as long as we handed them
the big profit o f the Exposition on a
silver platter to pay exorbitant sala­
ries and expenses o f the bunch to
the conventions they were not going
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10
T h e A u t o m a t i c A ge
to let go. “ Them days are gone fo r­
ever.”
In all the country only one bunch,
Iowa, with eight members, have re­
mained with the old organization.
Every one o f the others have affil­
iated wi'.h the new one. But I am
going to Iowa to give the operators
first hand information and let them
take the'.r choice after hearing both
sides.
And if ever the Iowa operators
heard a vitriolic talk, they will hear
one then. I intend to lay everything
out open that has been going on. I
hereby guarantee to pay the ex­
penses o f every operator who goes
there if he says he is not thoroughly
satisfied with the show. Then we
will eee what happens out where the
tall corn grows.
ATTENTION
M ANUFACTURERS
The follow ing letter was received
from Mr. E. J. Breyere, A cting Chief
o f Specialties Division, Department
o f Commerce:
A t the present time, coin operat­
ed machines are classified in the o f­
ficial export statistics o f the United
States under the very general item
No. 9999, entitled, “ All Other A rti­
cles.” This classification is too gen­
eral to estimate the growing volume
o f the exports o f coin-operated ma­
chines.
In .order to establish a separate
classification, the administration o f
our statistical service makes it nec­
essary that a comm odity group given
a separate showing must run into a
volume o f from one to two hundred
thousand dollars a year
On September 20, 1928, we will
write some seventy American manu­
facturers o f coin operated equip­
ment requesting, not later than No-
vecber 1, 1928, a statement from
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them indicating the total declared
value o f their exports o f coin oper­
ated machines fo r the calendar year
1927
A U T O M A T IC AGE is anxious to
have every manufacturer o f coin­
operated machines cooperate with
the Department o f Commerce in this
commendable undertaking to further
aid our industry. The need fo r such
a classification is great and can only
be obtained with the support o f ev­
ery manufacturer in the industry.
Swamped With Orders
Mr. Gottlieb o f D. Gottlieb & Co.
reports that the operators are well
pleased with their Husky Grip Gauge
and that they have been swamped
with orders which has placed them
about thirty days behind in deliv­
eries. They have moved into new
and larger quarters and have in­
stalled additional equipment in order
to increase their production.
The new improved model embody­
ing all the present features and
weighing ten pounds less will be
ready fo r delivery in about ten days.
Legal News
The Exhibit Supply Company has
taken and is taking the necessary
legal action to prevent the sale o f
cards not manufactured by it through
Exhibit machines and to recover
profits and damages from operators
who have thus passed off such cards
upon the public. Suits will be vig­
orously prosecuted against all such
infringers o f their rights. Several
suits have already been filed.
An interesting notice to the oper­
ators o f card vendors is the an­
nouncement that Exhibit is releas­
ing two new series o f thirds fo r Ideal
card vendors fo r September. They
are “ Movie Desperadoes,” and the
“ Round-Up Riders.”
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