Automatic Age

16
T he
A u t o m a t ic A ge
In Some Quarters
W e Have Been Criticised
for our stand against the
stock promoters who have infested this industry. We do not see
how anybody can come with clean hands and criticise our desire
to keep the vending machine industry on a legitimate basis. If we
do not do so we are going to have increasing troubles with the
legislative authorities.
The stock promotion graft was worked so hard in California
that the state authorities have antagonized the ordinary operators
who are making a living from the legitimate merchandising ma­
chines. Can anybody tell us of an instance where the legitimate
vending machine manufacturer or operator ever benefitted'Tn the
long run from these promotion schemes? Yet, they have all suf­
fered from them. The only ones to benefit have been the grafters
who misrepresented stock to the public and brought its condemna­
tion down on the industry as a whole.
Stock promoters should seek other fields, and so far as THE
AU TO M A TIC AGE is concerned, they will have to do it. That
does not mean that worthy inventors can not seek ample capital
for the purpose of marketing their machines. In that endeavor we
would lend every aid. But there is absolutely no excuse for put­
ting on a big promotional stock selling campaign for the purpose
of securing capital to manufacture and market a meritorious coin­
controlled machine.
We realize that every business concern of any consequence must
have stockholders. The AU TO M ATIC AGE is published by a
stock company. And every manufacturer in the trade is an incor­
porated stock company. Any inventor showing good faith can get
sufficient capital to put out a vending machine that will stand the
scrutiny of operators in this industry.
We know manufacturers who are very eager to back new inven­
tions in this line. But of course that does not gainsay that eevry
invention is practical. Most of them fall down when they have to
stand the practical test of the old and wise heads in the game.
Some machines which have been used for promotion have been
good, and others have been very impractical. It has all injured
the business and i f it is not stopped it is going to put the entire
industry on the defensive and have us continually fighting the
powers that be. W e have enough troubles in this line so that we
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