KickOullhe
Secord Excise Tax
Now is the time for operators to add their volume
to the battle-cry of an ever-growing horde of record
buyers who are protesting. more and more vividly.
the_ fact that they still must pay a war tax on records.
Taking their cue from the old song title "Why Is
There a War Tax When There Isn' t Any War?" the
platter patrons are asking the tax be abolished and
their outraged protests will probably reach the halls
of Congress early next year when it reconvenes and
takes up the matter of removal or reduction of
excise taxes.
The record industry. echoing the sentiments of the
millions of disk buyers. is launching an all-out effort
to convince Congress that the war tax on recorded
music is no longer necessary and has become a
h~vy burden on the industry. When money is
plentiful. taxes are paid uncomplainingly. But as
boom times disappear. all taxes become more bur-
densome. The industry contends that many a record
Wurlitzer Distribs
At Annual Meeting
NORTH TONAWANDA, N_ Y. - The
Rudolph Wurlitzer Go., internationally
known manufacturers of automatic phono-
graphs, was host to the distributors for the
phonograph division, on the occasion of the
annual distributors' meeting at the North
Tonawanda plant. Ed Wurgler, general
sales manager, glad- handed some 50 of the
men as they arrived for talk and conferences
starting November 18 and terminating on
the 20th . The general business session was
held on Friday, at the fac tory, followed by
individual conferences between all distribu-
tors and Wurlitzer top sales and manage-
ment executives. In addition to distributors
from throughout the United States, attend-
ing the meeting were export distributors
from Canada, Cuba, Puerto R ico, Venezuela,
Colombia, Hond uras, Mexico, Germany and
other countries.
During the three-day meeting, the dis-
tributors were addressed by R. C. Rolfing,
company president; F. R. Wurlitzer, board
chairman; R. C. Haimbaugh, vice-president
and manager, North Tonawanda Division;
Fred Osborne, director of engineering; Paul
Fuller, design engineer; Ed Wurgler and
other executives of the company_ The talks
('overed matters of policy and plans for
future production.
While complete details of the meeting
have not been made public, it is reported
that discussions covered general business
conditions, current sales and production,
and new designs and new products. When
a new Wurlitzer will be announced seems
to still remain a ecret. However, Ed
Wurgler has promised a statement on this
to the trade as soon as the company's plans
are more definitely formulated.
Rock-Ola Appoints Lake
CHICAGO-The Rock-Ola Manufactur-
ing Corp. has just announced the appoint-
ment of Ed Lake as its regional sales
manager for the west coast.
Lake is leaving immediately for San
Francisco where he will establish head-
quarters. He will direct all sales and pro-
motional activities on the complete line
of Rock-Ola prod ucts throughout the 9 state
area which im:ludes, California, Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, evada,
Arizona, and ew Mexico.
14
remains unsold because that war tax eats a hole in
the pin-money of platter patrons.
Last year. the excise tax on records piled up some
$6.500.000 for the govemment-and helped consid-
erably to slow down the record business. On the
basis of 5 per cent there is a 3 cent tax on each 60
cent record. paid originally by the manufacturer
but passed on later to the ultimate purchaser.
Business-wise. this tax is a serious brake on the
record business; cultural-wise. it doesn't seem fair. in
peace time. to tax the public's interest in music. To
the average music-lover. music is a necessity-not
a luxury!
11 several hundred thousand record buyers
voiced or wrote their protests to their Congress-
men and Senators. this irritating nuisance tax
could be eliminated at the next session of
Congress.
If music operators will just stop to figure 5 per cent
on their total yearly record purchases they will see
what a terrific portion of the $6.500.000 a year they
are contributing. Isn't it worth eliminating this use-
less expense? Then. by all means. make a firm and
determined protest today. With your help this excise
tax can be eliminated once and for all!
Name R. H. Coffin As
Victor Adv. Director
CAMDE , N. J.-RCA Victor Division
has announced the appointment of Ralston
H. Coffin as director of advertising, Robert
A. Seidel, vice-president in charge of dis-
trib ution ma king the announcement.
Coffin assumed his du tie on Dec. L He
came to Victor from the well -known ad-
vertising agency of McCann-Erickson, Inc.,
with which firm he bad been associated for
the past five years. He has been prominently
identified with national advertising activities
for 19 years. In his new position, he will
co-ordinate and administer RCA Victor's
ex ten ive advertising activities, in keeping
with the firm's greatly increased marketing
and promotional program to boo t the 45
r.p.m_ instruments and records.
MarshaII Pack and Ralph Perrin
N ew " Jones Bo ys"
R. F. Tones Adds
Two New "Boys"
SA
FRA CISCO-The "Jones Boys"
have two new additions to their family, ac-
cording to an announcement made early
in December by R. F. Jones, president of
R. F. Jones Co., distributors with offices
in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver,
Portland and Seattle. New additions are
Marshall Pack and Ralph D. Perrin.
Pack, a native of Mackay, Idaho, gradu-
ate of the school of business administration
at th e University of Utah, was formerly
associated with the Commercial Credit
Corp. prior to his service as ensign in the
U.S. Navy during the war. Upon release
he was associated with Pan American
Airlines in New York and witb the Chevro-
let Division of General Motors in Montana.
Pack will act as sales representative in the
Inter-mountain area out of the Salt Lake
City office of the R_ F_ Jones Co.
Ralph Perrin was raised on a cattle ranch
in Alberta, Canada, although he was born
in Oregon. As a young man he returned to
the U_S_, working in California, Oregon
and Washington in the laundry and con-
struction business.
He became interested in the coin machine
business in 1944, serving as office manager
of a coin machine distribu tor in Spokane
and Portland. He has represented Seeburg
in the northwest for the past 5 years, and
has found it more profitable and excitin~
to cover this vast expanse of territory in his
own plane.
COIN MACHINE REVIEW