, to justify the increased cost. After the
first week at the most, play falls to the
same level as the old unit we had on the
' same location."
Stanley S. Baeder of North Dakota, be·
lieves that a phonograph price of $600
would be satisfactory to the trade. "The
manufacturers and distributors know this.
I expect the price of new phonographs
to be lower by January I, 1947. Large
orders for machines ' were placed when the
consideration was estimated at ' the $600
machine. Operators will have all the $900
phonographs they need before the first of
the coming year."
Baeder voices a prediction that the 30·
cent phonograph record will return. "From
the sale of used phonograph records of this
company," he remarks, "I would say that
we will again see the 30-cent record and
possibly the 2I-cent platter. We sell used
records at the rate of three to one as to
new records."
A number of music men believe that
current disc prices are too high for the
quality offered.
R. G. Bowdler, a Pennsylvania Tender
who replied, "Hell, yes!!!" wrote: "A
certain candy machine sold for 167.50
before the war; now it's 1I4O-exactly
double. Being in the steel industry, (Jones
& Laughlin Steel Corp.) I k~ow that
material and labor haven't increased that
much. Labor costs, for instance, only com-
prise % of any total cost."
An operator in Texarkana, Texas, points
COIH
out that automobiles and other stable
MACHIH!
electrical items such as radios, washing
REVIEW
machines, and the like have shown only
an over·all increase of about 25 per cent,
but that coin equipment has in some casel!
more than doubled. "I cannot thoroughly
understand the drastic increase in coin
FOR
machine prices," he says.
DECEMBER.
The perennial problem of adjusting per-
"46
centages is still with us. Lawton H. Wan-
namaker of South Carolina makes these
comments: "As I see it, the maiIi difficulty
we shall have in this territory will be
competition. The extremely high cost of
equipment ajld _ supplies at the present
time causes the operator's margin of profit
to be very narrow, not mentioning increased
license costs in some regions. All this could
14
OPERATORS-HERE'S REALLY A "HOT" ITEM
"S-SECOHD HEAT"
IRON SOLDERING GUN
The most widely acc:laimed soldering tool in universal use today.
No long'e r need you sit around a location 30 !Tlinutes to an hour
wa iting for an iron to heat up or cool down to do a ten-second
soldering job. Air-cooled transformer built right in. Heats only when
trigger is pressed. Adjustable tip enables you to reac~ those "hard-to-
get-to" spots. Speed iron complete with extra tips,
$12.95
Badger Sales Company
1612 W. PI CO BLVD. ,
LOS ANGELES 15. CALIFORNIA
All Phones: DR. 4326
be compensated for in commissions. Present
is 50-50. Ideal would be 60-40 or 75-25, or
possibly somewhere between these. This
will not work, however, because another
operator (in many cases large operators
from other cities) will not only offer the
location 50 per cent but will even offer 60
or even make more outlandish propositions
to take a location, even if they must lose
money for a while."
"Equipment prices are too high, but keep
them that way to discourage new com-
petition!" Tliis is the theory advocated by
a New York coinman who claims that
newcomers with little knowledge of the
business and few principles, who would
inject bad will because of their tactics, are
steering clear of the field because of high
costs. To enter the business under today's
prices represents a robust investment;
consequently, our informant declares, some
of th~ embryos with jingle-jangle in their
jeans are embarling on other ventures.
Well, there 'you have it: operator pros
and cons, the preferred prices, and pre-
dictions of costs to come.
Father of Coin man Dies
MILWAUKEE-Mike and John Ches-
nick of Alamo Amusements were recently
bereaved by the death of their father,
Michael Chesnick, Sr.
WE TAKE THE GAMBLE
WHEN YOU BUY FROM US!
Any Machine We Sell Is Guaranteed to Satisfy or til#! Ship-
ment Can Be Returned Within Five Days After 'D elivery for
Full Cash Refund of Purchase Price Less the Transportation
charges.
GET OUR PRI(;ES
MILLS GOLD CHROME BELLS
MILLS
MILLS ~ILVER CHROME BELLS
MILLS
MILLS BROWN FRONT BELLS
MILLS
MILLS BLUE FRONT BELLS
MILLS
BAKERS PACERS
ALL MODELS -
CHERRY BELLS
BONUS BELLS
MELON BELLS
CLUB CONSOLES
ALL COIN PLAYS
We Specialize in Rebuildin, Mills Slots and Paces Races
SEE US FOR PACE'S RACES -
BAK~R
Service and Supplies
NOVELTY
~O.
1700 WASHINGTON BLVD •• CHICAGO 12, ILL.
Write for Quantity Price
Badger Novelty Company
2546 NORTH 30th STREET
MILWAUKEE 10. WISCONSIN
All Phones: KIL. 3030
Toledo Game Operators
Form Association
TOLEDO, O.-Pin ball machine oper-
ators formed their own organization at a
meeting here October 24th.
The group, to be known as the Toledo
Amusement Machines Assn., elected offi-
cers, adopted a charter and drew up a code
of ethics which. included provisions to halt
unfair practices by members against the
city, store owners and each other.
Roy Kerr, of the R. & K. Sales Co., was
named president; Merle Fike, Main Novel-
ty Co., vice-president; Roy Olrich, Toledo
Magic Music Co., secretary; and Bernard
Jacoby, downtown _distributor, treasurer.
The group's members tentatively agreed
that a board of five trustees would oversee
the elected officers, with not more than one
trustee to be named from anyone firm.
, The charter of the Toledo Amusement
Machines Assn. provides that if a non-
member purchases the machines of a mem-
ber, he will have to be approved for mem-
bership by a majority of the T AMA
membership before he can be admitted to
the group.
The meeting, called by Merle and Ray ,
Fike, brother owners of the Main Novelty
Co., was presided over by attorney Dan
McCullough.
The Fike brothers opposed a proposal
that dues of ten cents a machine be levied.
They have 300 machines spotted throughout
Toledo. Their counter-proposal was to set
dues at 15 or 110 a month per member.
Smaller operators, however, held out for
the per-machine basis.
Attorney McCullough stated that special
assessments, in addition to dues, would
have to be levied "for the good of the
association and to continue in business."
Partnership Dissolved
DETROIT-Henry Lemke has sold his
interests in the Belle Isle Amusement Cen-
ter!o ex-partner James De Monaco.
WANTED
TO BUY FOR CASH
Chester Pollard
Football Games •...•..... _ •...•• _ •• $75.00
Chester Pollard
Golf Machines_ •• __ •• _ ••••• _ •.. ____ 20.00
Need nof be in workin, condif1on
but must have all parts.
IDEAL NOVELTY COMPANY
Phone, Franklin 5544
st. Louis 3, Mo.
2823 Locust St.