due to lack of materials, means many good
years of business are still ahead when na-
tional conditions level oIL
3. High prices of machines, and limited
production of machines, has delayed an
expected infl ux of new men in to the oper-
ating business. Ranks of amusement, music
and some types of vendors have remained
stable, an d th is trend will contin ue for a
long time under present conditions. Bulk
vendors have brought some new men into
the trade, but not above a normal level.
Soft drink vendors, pop corn vendors,
co in washers are mak ing the new operators.
More recently candy vendors are being
taken on by candy jobbers, new to the
trade.
4. Manufacturers have a problem in
expanded factories, high inventories, but
kept on limited production. The manufac-
turing industry is going through a shaking
down process. Manufacturers have more
facilities for new inventions, kept busy
on them, but it costs more to introduce
a new idea.
To utilize expanded plants, manufac-
turers develop ideas outside coin mach ine
field. One has a wire recorder th at could
be sensational; another has a new home
record changer that the radio industry will
welcome; another has a shuflleboard game
that may do more for taverns than tele-
vision; on and on the list could be ex-
tended.
5. Manufacturers of games are care-
fully stu dying the entire vending machine
field. Success in vendi ng field of such
firms as Bally, Sto ner and Keeney have
provided somethi ng to th ink about.
6. Expansion in merchandising by ma-
chine cont inues to be marvelous, in spite
of many difficulties, would have been a
stampede but for the hardships. Stable
lines li ke cigarettes, ca ndy, nuts, gum
STOP COIN BOX RAIDS!
have been held in check by smaller profit
margins for operators.
7. In the vending mach ine expansion,
factories have come to the front as loca-
tions for mach ines; hence future of vend-
ing will be affected much by rise and fall
in factory employment.
Other popular types of locations have
been hit by inflation, including taverns,
eat ing places, drug stores, movie houses,
etc. Soft drink vendors have broken into
grocery stores with real automatic mer-
chan dising.
8. Bell machine division shows most
optimism in amusement field this summer;
pin ball is getting some hard blows in
important territory.
9. Music machines are still hard hit;
only way out seems the hard pull by which
opera tors merchandise their music in com-
petition with other forms of music; part of
music troubles is due to small er traffic in
taverns, etc. Music-advertising services are
being introduced in chain stores. If idea
succeeds, an advertising service can cer-
tainly be adapted to automatic phono-
graphs. Front money idea is getting harder
as locations find business dropping. Music
mach ines seem tied more to the ups and
downs of busi ness in a location than other
types of machines.
10. A general decline in food prices
for the na tion will bring the first great
relief for operators of vendors. Such a de-
cline will help all operators.
Members of the trade t 7lk about many
things, now that 1948 is more than half
gone. Any uneasiness in the trade is due
to outside conditions and not to internal
troubles; cut-throat competition is not a
major problem as it was in 1940. The effect
of military plans, aid to Europe, etc., is
still to show what it will do to supplies
of steel, copper, many materials used to
make mach1nes. Prices of materials will
certainly go h igher.
This is a gist of the many th ings coin-
men talk about, in addition to the oncom-
in g political campaign.
Jones Heads CM.
Show Committee
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6
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LOCK
COMPANY
Chicago 14. Illinois
CHICAGO-Moving ahead on its plans
for the next Industry convention, Coin Ma-
ch ine I ndustries, I nc., recently announced
that Herb Jones, of Bally Manufacturing
Co., will head the general show committee
for the 1949 Convention and Exh ibit. The
annual show will be held at the Sherman
Hotel here, Jan. 17-19.
I n annou ncing appointment of Herb Jones
to the general committee, Dave Gottlieb,
president of CMI, also announced that Herb
Oett inger, of United Manufacturing Co.,
will be chairman of the banquet and enter-
tainment committee. Oettinger has also been
named secretary of CMI, having served as
acting secretary since the resigna tion of Jim
Gilmore as secretary-manager.
Jones will have as members of his impor-
tant comm ittee Walter A. Tratsch, of A.B.T.
Manufacturing Co.; Sam Stern, Williams
Manufacturing Co.; and Joseph A. Batten,
of Exhibit Supply Co.
J ones said that contracts for exhibit space
at th e next conven tion will be mailed to
CMI members (in good standing on Aug.
31), so they will be received the day after
Labor Day. With the contracts will be floor
plans of display facilities.
The show committee will then assign
space on a " first come, first served" basis
as the signed contracts are received at CMI
headquarters.
"This will be the biggest show eMI has
ever had," Jones predicted. "Members should
return their contracts promptly to llvoid be-
ing disappointed in the. booths assigned to
them."
COIN MACHINE REVIEW