Automatic Age

th e a u t o m a t i c a g e
Vol.
CHICAGO, NOVEMBER, 1927
No. 4
C o i n - OPERATED MACHINES IN
EUROPE AS OBSERVED BY A N
AM ERICAN M ANUFACTU RER
By W ILLIAM RABKIN, President,
International Mutoscope Reel Company, Inc.
“Hire a hall!” is what a number keeper to give 24 hours’ service and
still keep regular hours, complying
operators have told us, “ and tell
with the law at the same time. Some
e boys what you saw over there.”
^ ^e’ve thought of a better way of these machines are so honest that
,
broadcasting our information
they sometimes return the proper
change if a coin of a larger denom­
hrough the pages o f the Automatic
ination is inserted. Most of the cig­
se> because any operator worthy of
arette machines are supplied by the
e name reads it.
tobacco companies.
^ my travels through the Con-
In Austria, on the other hand, the
i
found the situation pretty
operator hits up against a funny turn
j,Uch the same in Holland, Belgium,
^ c e and Germany, where amuse- in the law. A Viennese operator,
one of our customers, with plenty of
eilt machines are few and far be-
foresight,
saw no reason why electric
een. England seems to have more,
shock machines should not make big
ut most of them are of the old type,
money in Austria the same as they
^P licated, cumbersome and heavy.
* the countries, however, go in for do the world over. So with the least
Vending machines on a big scale. One possible delay, he ordered a batch of
and does get cigarettes, matches, Acme Electric machines manufac­
perfume, chocolate, cake, tured by the Advance Machine Co.,
and two large electric machines from
k°stage stamps and subway tickets
the Mills Novelty Co. As soon as
^ Putting a coin in the slot.
they arrived he put them to work
. ^he law has a good deal to do with
and they did make money, until he
. e situation—in some instances help-
and in many instances hindering was arraigned before a justice o f the
e operator.
In England, it is peace. In due time he was tried and
found guilty on the ground of “ prac­
a8ainst the law to sell tobacco of
kind after 8 o'clock at night. ticing medicine without a license,”
R u ra lly, there must be some means and was let off with a fine and an
?r the smoker to get his cigars or admonition never to use the machines
again or else get the penalty of im­
•garettes, so every night, when the
®tores are ready to shut down, in prisonment because of violating the
yont of each one, out comes a ma­ professional laws.
Until six months ago, gambling
rin e vending six kinds o f cigarettes
machines of the spinning reel type
'^hich functions all night—in place
^ the salesman back o f the counter, were legal all over England. Now a
hese machines enable the store­ law has been passed prohibiting their
of
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