Classic Mode

Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Issue: 1950 June

teginning to report ' slower payments on
installment sales. Sales of TV sets and
autos swell the credit volume.
CONSTRUCTION-The government has
moved to boost an already high level of
business in the construction field. If new
building held up business in 1949, it will
certainly add more props than ever in
1950. Home building is boosting the price
of many materials and there is little hope
now for cheaper materials to make coin
machines this year.
Open itors are most interested in new
business building. For the first four months
of this year the rate in this field was 30
per cent behind the like period in 1949.
But the fact that business optimism has
improved this year is 'beginning to show
in new business building plans; most reo
cent reports show that new factories and
stores will begin to go up. New business
buildin g is expected to show up better in
the last half of the year. Banks report that
construction loans which had dropped con·
siderably are now making good gains.
CROP REPORTS- From now until Sep·
tember crop reports grow more important.
The earlier reports for the year were un·
favorable and started commodity pri ces to
rising ; the farm price level rose by 2 per
cent from March 15 to April 15. The latest
reports avail able for this review show a
general improvement and th e 'outlook is still
for bumper crops on most items.
EMPLOYMENT - Official reports t e·
vealed good improvement in the total em·
ployment picture durin g March and April ;
the postwar high for the unemployment
total was apparently reached in F ebruary
of this year. The in creases in business a c·
tivity now being reported should continue
to improve the employment picture for
some months; however, July and the sum·
mer lull is just ahead. The building boom
is given credit for leading the gain s made
early in the year and thi s boom promises
to gain durin g th e year.
It must be kept in mind all th e while,
of course, th at total employment is not
making gains in keeping with population
gains and the greatly increased production
ca pacity of the country. Industries now
close down rather than over· produce and
this becomes a real problem in the em·
ployment picture.
EXPORTS-Th e year started off with
exports a t a new low, but recent reports
from such co untries as South Africa, Can·
ada and some South Ameri ca n countries
promise more ex port trade as the year goes
on.
GOVERNMENT MONEY- The new shot
in the arm of government money for the
buildin g boom, and wh at the buildin g
bo om is doin g for bus iness, adds more
deba te on the subj ect of governm ent money
and how far a nation can go in using it.
Much of the debate in Con gress also reo
lates to boostin g government money out·
lays fo r defense, and defense spending
helps business.
copper, celloph ane, some grad es of lumber.
and steel of course is generally on th e
criti cal list. However, the steel industry i ~
fa st catching u p with demand ; gray ma r·
kets h ave bee n re ported in steel, buyers
paying 30 to 50 per cent above m ill quota·
tion s.
PROFITS-The general trend in profits
is conside red more fa vora bl e than the last
half of 1949. Dividend payments in March ,
refl ec ting profits to som e extent, reached a
high fo. any first·quarter period sin ce 1941.
It was the cash dividend reports ea rly in
th e year tha t put more optimism into th e
picture.
PRODU CTION- Produ ction activity was
rising during March and April a nd into
May. Manufacturers' new orders reached
a postwar high in March; some firm s re port
a backlog of orders to last well into the
fall. The production level in April was run·
ning at only nine points below the postwar
high reached in October and November of
1948. One reportin g age ncy said "a sub·
stantial pickup in April, with orders and
produ ction outrunning th e booming period
of last Au gust and Septem ber" has occu rred.
PRICES-The high pri ce level hold s and
a t the present tim e is creepin g upward.
Unfavorable farm weather early in the year
and th e building boom seem to be th e major
ca uses of a ny tendency to increase prices.
All manufacturing industries re port th at
costs still rise, with the exception of a few
trades that have new automati c machin ery.
Food pri ces edged slightly u pward in
March , a lth ough still below last year. Fu·
tures trad ing on commodities shows r isin g
prices. One reliable predi ction is that prices
will cree p u p during the year but th ere will
be no real upsurge. The commodity price
leve l is now 10 per ce nt below the hi gh
postwar level in 1948.
RET AIL TRAD E-Trade leaders report
INVENTORIES - Some a uthorities now
say that a good part of our present business
activity is due to bll,i ldin g up of low in·
ventories; inventori es were generally low
in March and increased buying is con·
sidered necessary fo r the next few months.
MATERIALS-As previously mentioned,
the materials picture does not promise any
chea per materials for building coin rn a·
chines this year. Some pri Ml drops on
fabri cated materi als did occur in Ap ril
but the building boom is expected to pre·
vent any real declining trend in pri ces.
Buyers r eported price advances on 23 items
in April against pri ce reductions on 14
items. Still h ard to get items are aluminum ,
JUNE, 1950
11
I
~-
NOW-II-GanJe-a-Minule on Bally's
SaUrrLE· CaAMP
Here 's a brand new winner with stepped up, game-a-minute
play PLU S all the other features for which Bally shuffle bowlers
have been known . SHUFFLE-CHAMP has
Fast Rebound Action
Super-Speedy Totalizer
Real Honest-to-Goodness Bowling Thrills
Imagine the profit possibilities I Patrons go for the fast, exciting,
no-waiting puck-rebound action. Location-owners applaud the
extra receipts SHUFFLE-CHAMP brings in , and operators love the
lasting appeal of a game that has lasting , exciting interest.
THE ONLY GAME
Come in Today!
PAUl. A. I.AYMON, Inc.
so.me reco.very fro.m the disco.uragement
I
abo.ut lo.w Easter trade.
SURVEYS- T he impo.rtant U. S. Census
o.f Business fo.r 1948 is turning o.ut so.me
data o.n lo.catio.ns and different territo.ries.
The 1948 census is different fro.m the 1947
Census o.f Man ufacturers and will pro.bably .
be o.f mo.re direct interest to. o.perato.rs.
The first state repo.rt, pro.bably a western
CHICAGO-As plans fo.r the big June
state, is due in June and all the state
co.nventio.n, under the auspices o.f Co.in
repo.rts sho.uld be o.u t hy September l.
Mach ine Institute, drew near the final week
Co.unty repo.rts are also. co.ming.
the co.nventio.n management put increasing
TAXES-Things began to. happen in
stress o.n the fact that o.perato.rs co.uld be
May. At the mo.ment, the mo.st interesting
repo.rt is that the Ho.use Ways and Mean s assured o.f seeing so.mething really new.
This was due to. the fact, especially, that
Co.mmittee had suggested relieving l·cent
mo.re than nine firms that had never befo.re
play co.un ter games fro.m the federal excise
exhibited at a co.in machine co.nventio.n
tax; the o.ther taxes o.n co.i n machines seem
wo.uld display at the Stevens Ho.tel.
likely to. stand.
A lo.ng list o.f manufacturers o.f all types
WAR AND DEFENSE-It is no.t easy
o.f co.in machines have engaged display
to. tell wha t the defense and war talk is
space at the co. nventio.n, to. be held at the
do.ing to. the peo.ple. The wri ter attended
Stevens Ho.tel here, June 26-28. The im-
a meeting at which peo.ple were to.ld that
mense exhibit f1o.o.r space o.f the Stevens
they must prepare fo.r " the kill ing o.f 50 to.
will make it co.nvenient fo.r o.perato.rs to.
60 millio.n peo.ple in o.ne day." T his info.rma-
see the displays to. best advantage, CMI
tio.n came fro.m o.fficials who. are stirring
o.fficials also. suggested.
up the peo.ple to. prepare fo.r civilian de-
Dave Go.ttlieb, CMI sho.w chairman and
fense. Po.lls amo.ng business leaders and
veteran directo.r o.f nine previo.us eMI
the publ ic have sho.wn a greater fear o.f
sho.ws, declared that the number o.f new
war than wo.uld be expected. Switzerland
exhibito.rs indicates the co.ntinued gro.wth
has recently to.ld ho.usewives to. sto.ck up
o.f the co.in machine business.
o.n fo.o.d fo.r an emergency; they did this
"Firms in the past", he declared, "have
just fo.ur mo.nths befo.re Wo.r1d War II
always used the CMI sho.w with great suc-
started.
cess to. intro.d uce new pro.ducts to. the trade.
It is impo.ssible to. tell ho.w much o.f all
This year the number will pro.bably set a
this talk is to. get Co.ngress to. appro.ve
reco.rd .
defense mo.ney and to. spur business pro.s-
"The type o.f sho.w and co.nventio.n being
perity, and ho.w much is based o.n real
presen ted by CMI this year is expected to.
danger. The peo.ple are tired o.f high taxes
attract o.ther firms which have never befo.re
and they do.n't kno.w what to. believe. It
exhibited at CMrs an nual co.in mach ine
appears to. this writer that there is a steadily
show."
rising tide o.f jitters and nerVo.usness amo.ng
T he CMI sho.w co.mmittee under Go.ttl ieb's
the peo.ple.
chairmanship has met weekly to. handle th e
Maybe that survey by the Natio.nal Tea
assignmen t o.f space, wo.rk o.ut the co.nven-
Co.u ncil which po.ints o.ut 1950 as the year
tio.n pro.gram and set up giant en tertain-
o.f the beginning o.f the "Under Pressure
ment, recreatio.nal and sightseeing pro.grams
Age" o.r year o.f the jitters will make
fo.r the wives and chifdren, who.in it is
histo.ry.
indicated will acco.mpany their husbands
to. Ch icago. fo.r a summer vacatio.n.
Move Provides l?arking Lot
"We are stressing features fo.r the wives
CINCINNATI - 'So.uthern Auto.matic
and kids", Go.ttlieb said, "becau"se "the o.pera-
Music Co.., AMI distributo.r, has mo.ved
to.rs by a vo.te o.f 10 to. 1 picked the June
fro.m its fo.rmer Seven th Street lo.catio.n to.
sho.w date so. they co.uld plan a vacatio.n
Co.urt and Bro.adway. Having purchased the
trip with their wives . and fami lies."
si te and impro.ved the building in-side and
J o.h n Pickering, public relatio.ns directo.r
o.~t, a parking lo.t fo.r custo.mers will be
fo.r CMI, in an info.rmal talk men tio.ned
added.
so.me Of the manv fea tu res that will greet
on which Player
Can Pick up
CMI Plans Biggest Show
In Long History
12
o.perato.rs this year at the co.nventio.n.
Amo.ng o.ther things, he said:
"The ~ite o.f this year's sho.w is, as yo.u
kno.w, in the Exhibitio.n Hall o.f the Stevens
Ho.tel, which is air co.nditio.ned, has a
separate entrance and lo.bby and which
will put the entire sho.w into. o.ne ro.o.m.
This will be the largest space ever devo.ted
to. a co.in machine sho.w. The o.ld arrange-
ments in co.nventio.ns CMI has held in the
past were never co.nsidered satisfacto.ry be-
cause o.f the co.ngestio.n and co.nfusio.n in
r,egistratio.n and also. o.n the exhibit f10.0.r.
"At the Stevens, because there is a large
lo.bby served by separate entrance stair-
ways, there will be no. co.nfusio.n in registra-
tio.n and the who.le pro.cess will be mo.re
o.rderly and will result in fewer gripes.
"The June da te was selected after CMI
had po.lIed mo.re than 10,000 o.perato.rs, ask-
ing fo.r their preference o.n sho.w dates,
namely whether they prefer the o.ld January
date, o.r, if they prefer o.ne early in the
summer after scho.o.l was o.ut.
"These o.perato.rs, in a vo.te o.f ten to. o.ne,
indicated the June date and almo.st all
indicated a desire to. bring their famil ies,
which is so.mething new in co.in machine
sho.ws.
"There will be a tremendo.us pro.gram fo.r
the wives and children, and when they
register, they will be given a lo.ng list o.f
activities and asked to. indicate in which
they are interested.
"These will include fashio.n sho.ws, trips
to. the famo.us Bro.o. kfield and Linco.ln Park
Zo.o.s fo.r the kids, where they will see the
mo.st famo.us go.rilla in the wo.rld, Bushman ,
endless sight-seeing to.urs o.f every descrip-
tio.n, including bo.at rides o.n Lake Michi-
gan, tickets to. all o.f the radio. sho.ws wh ich
go. o.n a natio.nal ho.o.kup, and o.f co.urse
there will be tickets available fo.r every-
o.ne fo.r the baseball game here at that time.
"The mo.st experienced agency in Chi cago.
has been engaged to. take full charge o.f
this pro.gram fo.r th e wives and kids_
"Y o.u will quickly, o.f co.urse, realize th at
family appeal is a new o.ne fo.r a co.in
COIN MACHINE REVIEW

Download Page 11: PDF File | Image

Download Page 12 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.