Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Issue: 1947 January

tinue the five·cent' take. The' firm used a
- quarter page ad in Dallas newspapers to
announce the continuance of five· cent music
in their operators' locations. The newspaper
ad showed two high school students seated
at their lunch counter and saying ·they
wanted their favorite nickel music.
Si Lynch said that the five· cent take for
music locations was voted approval at the
recent Chicago convention of more than
300 Seeburg distributors for all sections of
the country.
Mrs. Charley (Jackie) Snyder of the
Leader Sales & Distributing Co. is home
again from one of her many recent trips to
the Mills Novelty Co. Now the other Leader
partner, Lew London, is in Chicago and
other Eastern cities looking over new coin
machine equipment and getting ready for
the national coin machine show next month.
The Walbox Sales Co. were hosts recently
to a large gathering of coin machine men
from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Lou·
isiana. At a company party, held in the
Junior Ballroom of the J efferson Hotel,
the Packard phonograph distributors pre·
sented the Packard 1947 phonograph, wall
boxes and other music equipment. The firm
also announced sales prices for the new
equipment. George Wrenn, sales manager
for the Walbox Co. introduced the music
equipment. Talks were also made by Collis
Irby, president of Walbox Sales C&. and
Fred Barber, the firm's assistant sales nian·
ager. The various speakers were introduced
by Harry Drollinger, Southwest regional
manager for the Packard Manufacturing
Co.
Discussing the controversial dime take
for music. machines, Wrenn told the oper·
ators that he did not think conversion of
music machines to the ten·cent play would
meet the approval of phonograph customers.
He also opposed cutting the location
owner's take from 50 per cent to 33 1/3
per cent as a means of increasing the
operator's profit. He advised the operators
to stick to their five· cent music and to cut
their operation costs by installing music
equipment that would not change styles
from year to year. Officials' of the Walbox
Sales Co. said they expected delivery of the
new Packard phonos in quantities by Janu·
ary 1947.
Gus Guarnera, vice·president of the Big
State Vending Co., Inc. has just returned
from an extended business trip to Chicago
and other coin machine centers. Gus says
that extensive preparations are being made
for the forthcoming convention.
Frank W. Wood
Laymon Adds [N ew Lines
LOS ANGELES--"The Duro·Matic esca·
lator conversion and the machined steel
posts for . Genco machines are two items
that every operator should have," says Paul
Laymon. "We have recently added these
two lines and we would like to impress on
operators the benefits they can derive from
these units."
. The Duro·Matic escalator conversion con·
sists of a new combination of parts de·
' signed to fit any escalator. It can be in·
stalled in 20 minutes, requires no adjust·
ments, and lines up with any mechanism.
Operation is entirely trouble· free and is a
great stimulus to earning power.
Instead of stripping in new rubber on
Total Rolls, Laymon suggests installation of
the new machined steel posts, equipped
with rubber cylinders. A set of six can be
installed in 30 minutes and will last for a
minimum of six months of heavy· play, after
which rubber cylinders can be ieplaced, at
the location, in a few seconds at a cost of
a few cents. Posts also improve the appear·
ance of the machine_ and save many dam·
aged arches, Laymon states.
Erom
Tbe
NOlion's Copilol

Reported by
ROY S. RAMSEY
Coin Tax Cut Unlikely
Taxes are the chief topic of conversation
in Washington this month as veteran and
freshmen legislators prepare to draft the
new revenue bill. Not even Congressmen on
the tax committees are sure just how big
Uncle Sam's next bite will be, but all agree
that some cuts are in the offing. The official
administration line is to keep levies at their
present levels, but leading Republicans on
Capitol Hill are hollering for a flat 20 per
cent slash in income taxes and wholesale
downward revisions of excise levies, includ·
ing the coin machine tax. Representative
JIarold Knutson, (R., Minn.) who inherits
the chairmanship of the House Ways and
Means Committee, is the leading opponent
of the cuts.
On the other hand, Senator Hugh Butler,
(R., Neb. ), a leading member of the Senate
Finance Committee, states emphatically
that such cuts are out of the question until
the Federal budget is greatly pruned.
Democratic legislators are equally split in
their views.
-
Best guess in informed circles is that
income taxes will be pared about eight to
ten per cent with most_excise taxes revert·
ing to pre·war levels. There appears to be
only a slender chance that the $100 tax on
coin ,devices will be lowered because of the
lack of organized pressure on the tax
committees.
Those coin machine operators who ex·
perience wide variance in incomes from
year to year may get a break since Treasury
Department officials believe that carrying
forward of losses will be a permanent
feature of the tax system. In practice, this
would mean letting the taxpayer carry over
to the next year any unused exemptions for
the current period. Thus, an operator who
takes a loss or is held to a low income in
one year, while hitting the jackpot the
following year, would be permitted to
average the incomes for both years. This
would result in a substantial tax saving.
More Freight Cars Due
The recent rise in railroad ,freight rates
(predicted in this column last month) will
spur activity in buildmg new -freight cars,
according to rail representatives, and so
alleviate the critical shortage by April.
Whether coin machine manufacturers will
acce pt increased space for steeper rates
remains to be seen. The amoun t of freigh t
being shipped by truck increases every
month. Decision to increase rates an aver·
age of 17.6 per cent over June levels was
reached unanimously ~y the Interstate Com·
merce Commission after wading through
masses of evidence presented by the rails
in support of a ,hike.
Elsewhere on the rail freight scene, the
Supreme Court has agreed to review an
ICC ruling which would cut shipping tariffs
by ten per cent in Southern and Western
states, while upping rates in the same
amount for the Northeast. Should the Court
uphold ICC's ukase, coin machine operators
COIN
MACHINE
REVlfW
83
FOR
JANUARY
1947
GENCO "TOTAL ROLL" 0 PERATORS:
STOP RUBBER WEAR!
Put an end to lost earmng power due to split and broken rubber
e liminate needless service calls for rubber replacement .
stop
wasting valuable time stripping in new rubber!
How? By installing our new Machined Steel Posts equipped with
rubber cylinders. A set of 6 Installed in 30 minutes will last for a
minimum of 6 months of heavy play-and rubber cylinders may then be
replaced-right on location-in a few seconds and for only a few cents .
MACHINED STEEL POSTS
improve the appearance of your playboard, will save many damaged
arches, put new zip in the game's action. Try a set-you'll want them on
every TOTAL ROLL you operate.
- It
Complete Set of 6 Un Its wIth
InstructIons for.· Installlng- -
$5.75
P~UI.
A. I.AYMON,
1503 W. PICO BLVD.
lac~
LOS ANGELES 15. CALIF.
.,
in the South and West ,~ill find their FOB
charges cut at the expense of operators in
the rest of the country.
Recession Forecast
Coinmen should be exceedingly cautious
about over-extension of their routes during
the present inflationary period. This warn-
ing is predicated upon confidential reports
to the Treasury Department by top govern-
ment economists who forecast a continued
record-high national income for nine to
eighteen months followed by a sharp re-
cession . Operators will have to pull in their
horns if th e economists are right since
nickels and dimes go for essentials rather.
than amusemenlin hard times.
Lights Out for Phon os
, The most peculiar coal conservation order
d,uring the recent strike was issued by the
. D. C. Commissioners-local equivll'lent of
'a mayor and a city council. They com-
manded all phonograph operators to douse
th e lights on their machines. One operator
'com mented wryly that the coal so saved
could be stuffed in a midget's eye without
making him blink.
battle over the issue is in the ' offing. Au-
thority to allocate and ration sugar is
slated to expire March 31, while price
control will expire automatically on June
30. Extension of either control is unlikely;
the big fight is over the question of imme-
diate decontrol. If rationing and price con-
trol of sugar are removed, sky-rocketing
prices are predicted by the Sugar Commit-
tee of the Food Industry Council. This
would mean the nickel candy bar would
join the dodo and a rise in the price of
bottled soft drinks would be a certainty.
Reco~
Candy Sales
The Bureau of the Census has announced
that despite sugar controls, manufacturers'
sales of candy reached an all-time high in
October, with a 37 per cent increase over
the preceding month. ' Total sales by all
candy makers in this country for the first
ten months of 1946 are estimated by the
Census Bureau to be about $520,000,000.
BOS10n
Operators of candy machines say that
with the high price of merchandise, they
can't make much profit. As the machines
Publicity favorable to the IndustlY was
cannot be made over in a short time for a
printed in both the Washington Post and
six-cent price, operators are forced to con-
Washington Times-Herald last month. The
duct their business on a small margin, still
Post story concerned a local teen-age club
dispensing at· five cents. There is an opti-
which has as its chief attraction a bril-
mistic feeling, however, that when supplies
liantly-colored phonograph. The Times-
of merchandise are available in larger quan·
Herald reported th at among plans to lessen
tities, the situation will be adjusted. Chew-
D. C. juvenile delinquency is the establish-
ing gum machine operators, dispensing
ment of a number of teen-age clubs "at
penny gum, are stilI seIling at a profit .
which youngsters can gather to enjoy juke-
Associated Amusements received con-
box music."
siderable merchandise the latter part of
The stories did much to counteract the
November and early December, including
ill-effect created by th e attempt of two
Genco Step Up, Bally Triple Bell, Bally
writers to be funny at th e expense of the
Midget Racer, Williams' Smarty, United
music machines. Another local paper ran
Sea Breeze and Chicago Coin Super Score.
both pieces of alleged wit.
They also reveal that six new cities have
FCC Likes Coin Television
installed Solotone systems in Connecticut,
Officials of the Federal Communications
Central Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and
Comm ission are much interested in the
New Hampshire.
"coin-in-the-slot" television receiver being
Associated Amusements will have a plane
manufactured by Tradio, Inc. for home
reserved at Logan National Airport, East
installation. They feel that it will help
Boston, ready to leave for the convention
spre&d th e entertainm ent medium among
in Chicago in February. In case the plane
families who cannot afford to buy a receiver
should be grounded, a Pullman car will be
outrigh t.
• available, with a private club car at-
tached. About 25, including various oper-
Sugar Control Hot Topic
ators in New England, are expected to
Informed circles in the Nation's Capital
travel westward.
believe that controls will be continued on
Ed Ravreby makes week,end trips to
sugar for at least three more months despite
New 'York, stayin g at the Waldorf-Astoria.
the recent wave of decontrols on most com-
Associated's Playland Arcade in Manhattan
modities. However, a big Congressional
Phonos Aid Juveniles
. COIN
MACHINE
REVIEW /.
84
FOR
JANUARY
1947
SWITCH TO COMPAS-FOR THE BEST THERE IS IN
/
SWITCHES '
Compas "Guardian Electric"
Operator's and Deluxe Engineers
CONT ACT POINT SWITCH KITS
The most complete and wide assortment of
switch parts offered in any kit today. Ideal
for the serviceman or experimental workshop.
OPERATORS KIT
(list price $12.50)
Your Price.
ENGINEERS KIT
Your Price.
$ 9.50
IIIst price $25.00)
.
17.50
Sold only in our Allotted Territory'
Exclusive Compas Distributors Southern California.
Southern Nevada and Arizona
All Phones: DR. 4326
BADGER SALES CO., INC.
2~51
W. Pico Blvd.,
Los Angeles 6, Calif.
is ,undergoing a complete renovation pro-
gram, including a new decorating scheme
and a complete array of the latest amuse-
ment devices.
Harry Poole, publicity manager for As~
socia ted Amusements, has returned from a
business trip of several days to Washington,
D.C.
Recent visiting operators to Associated
Amusements included Harold Kaplan ,
Springfield; Walter Lubby, Shrewsbury;
and Charles Perri, Fitchburg.
The boys of Associated Amusements meet
every Wednesday evening at the Brookline
Avenue Bowling Alleys for a weekly elimi-
nation contest.
The Greene Distributing Co. has reser-
vations for the CMI show . . . Arnold
Greene, service manager for the firm, has
been passing out cigars in honor of the
birth of a daughter, Patricia Lois . . .
Julian Greene, assistant sales manager, has
returned from a trip, including Baltimore,
New York and Hartford.
Louis Blatt, of Atlas Distributors, has
returned from four days at Chicago, where
he attended a Seeburg sales meeting.
Recent visiting operators at Atlas were
Joe Glazier, of C. W. Clare Co., Bangor,
and Severino Caslani, Montpelier.
Visitors at King Distributing Corp. in-
cluiled Ed Christie, Worcester, and Ray
Goland, Athol.
Edward E. Adams, of Mills Automatic
Merchandising Corp., has returned from
Garden City, Long Island, where he at-
tended the funeral of the vice-president of
his company.
AI Myers, operator, has taken over the
entire business of the Celect Vending Co.
He is operating pin ball machines only and
will do business under the present name.
James J. Walsh, operator of peanut dis-
pensing machines, has acquired several new
locations in South Boston.
The Pioneer Music Co. is putting out
music at 10 cents per play, three for a
quarter. They have hired a new book-
keeper, Miss Ann Suher, of Holyoke.
Under the direction of Scotty Burris of
Aireon Mfg. Co., Greene Distributing re-
cently conducted a school for service men
and operators of Aireon phonographs.
Those attending included Hugo Capey,
Capey's Music Co., Watertown; represen-
tatives of Christie's Novelty Co., Shrews-
bury; Victor Valeri, Victor Music Co.,
Leominster; Fred Cobitose, Fred's Music,
Chelsea; Rogers Phonograph Co., Haver-
hill; Pioneer Music Co., Greenfield; Man·
chester Music Co., Manchester; Atlantic
Amusement Co., Boston; and Mel-Hi Music
Co., Winthrop.
Dave Bond, Trimount Coin prexy, gave
a Thanksgiving basket to each of his em-
ployees, consisting of a fine turkey and all
the fixings.
The first half of the bowling tournament
of the Trimount Coin Machine Co. is now
over. Gilbert Lawrence won first prize, $20;
Peter Kotap, second prize, $10; and Dun-
can Hunter, third prize, $5. After the
Christmas holidays another tournament is
scheduled to get under way.
Dave Riskin and Dan Brown, Trimount's
outside salesmen, completed a swing
through Maine and Vermont. They report
a good deal of interest in Personal Music.
Trimount had their annual Christmas
party on December 24. This occasion is
something employees look forward to, as a
good time is always had by all.
C. Frederic Wellington
Addition at Amalgamated
CHICAGO - Don Winston, associated
with Amalgamated Distributors since No-
vember 1, has been named Ind4lna sales
representative by Ken Wilson, the firm's
president.

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