Automatic Age

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B U S IN E S S W O R L D
Some Views and Reviews of General Business Conditions
Trade papers naturally interpret what
the trend of general business conditions
indicate for their respective fields. It is
frequently suggested that the public does
not hesitate to spend its small coins even in
the midst of serious- business depressions,
and, this is largely true. Though operators
may continue to expect good patronage for
their machines, nevertheless operators are
human and react keenly to the spirit of de­
pression that is in the air. Another note
of encouragement that is frequently men­
tioned in favor of the automatic trade is
its youthfulness among the industries and
the constant stream of new developments
that keep the number of opportunities both
for manufacturers and operators steadily
mounting. As the summer season passes
everybody begins to look for signs of an
upward trend and various predictions are
being made.
Some small hopeful signs have really ap­
peared and the way pejple think in general
has so much to do with the trends of busi­
ness that is it always a good idea for men
in business to try to get together in their
thinking. When all the facts are in about
thirty per cent of the depression was
mental. Still, mental depression can be as
painful as a decided flattening o f the pocket-
book. Whatever the state o f mind has to
do with the present situation, better days
will not be here again until there is some
straight thinking done in that direction. In
the midst of all that is said and written
about business depression many good sug­
gestions are made, and good times could, be
decidedly hastened if it were possible to get
all lines of business united on a good pro­
gram of action. More intelligent effort has
been put forth in many business circles
during this depression to shorten its dura­
tion than has ever been shown before, so
that is some encouragement to record any
suggestions or ideas that may be made for
the benefit o f all thoughtful minds that want
to get somewhere in their thinking.
Let’s summarize some of the suggestions
that have been made during the past
months.
The automatic trade will be
affected directly or indirectly by every trend
and current in the whole mass of business,
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so that we cannot shut ourselves off from
the rest of the world and say we are not
interested, Word from many o f the manu-
facturers of automatic devices indicates
that they are very much affected, by gen­
eral business conditions, and while the oper­
ators have not been so ready to speak, out
it is true that they are feeling at least the
general atmosphere, too.
1. Unemployment has come up for much
discussion, and the consensus of opinion is
that it is a problem likely to stay with us
for many years to come. The developments
in machines, and the rapid rise and fall of
industries, made and unmade by inventions,
keeps the problem with us. Countries the
world over are faced with serioUs unem­
ployment situations. Masses of unemployed
have such serious effects on general busi­
ness conditions that it is becoming more and „
more urgent for all intelligent ^people to
put their heads together to find some meth­
ods of coping with the situation. The auto­
matic trade has sometimes been accused of
creating machines that displace workers,
and while our trade is so small so far in
its general proportions, yet automatics has
created jobs for thousands and it is doubt­
ful if a coin operated machine has displaced
a single clerk in this country. Still, every
man in the automatic trade must join in­
telligent effort everywhere to help solve
problems of unemployment as the condi­
tions threaten to be too permanent.
2. Careful thinkers for several years
have been observing the increasing difficulty
that small and medium sized business en­
terprises have had in securing needed,
finances. Most of the firms in the auto­
matic field belong in this group, so we are
vitally concerned. The New York Journal
of Commerce recently stated editorially
that in financial circles an enterprise that
did not involve as much as $2,000,000 and
more could not expect to receive the slight­
est consideration. In these days of mergers
and big business, one scarcely dares say
it, but still there are many indications which
go to show that business conditions will
not be normal again for any length of time
until conservative financing is available for
small business enterprises everywhere, just
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