Automatic Age

AUTOMATIC AGE
12
HE coin machine operator is
the man who in the eyes of the
public represents the industry.
He is the only man that they have
contact with. The location owner
and the public in general who patron­
ize the machines only come in contact
with the operator and form their
opinions of the industry from the in­
formation and facts that they might
glean from him. There is still a
large percentage of misinformed peo­
ple who look upon the coin maehine
industry as a racket, illegitimate
business, etc. The only way that the
industry can combat this warped idea
is to educate our coin machine oper­
ators so that they in turn might pass
the real information on to the public
who they contact in their daily work.
Our industry plays an important part
in the economic structure of our coun­
try and people outside our field
should be informed of that part.
T
The coin-operated machine industry
in the United States is nearly half
a century old. At the height of our
national crisis, hopes were frequently
expressed for some new industry—air
conditioning, for example, or televi­
sion— to lead us out of the depression.
No one industry met that challenge.
But the United States has witnessed
the rapid growth during depression
years of an old industry, which in
its far reaching demands for mate­
rials, has served to maintain thou­
sands of families. This industry is
the coin machine industry. Here is
a type of entertainment and service
conveniently located in thousands of
neighborhood spots all over the coun­
try. These machines were launched
with little publicity, but their popu­
larity became instantaneous and sus­
tained. They captured the public
fancy. They met a new national need
by helping to occupy the added leisure
time that had come to millions.
Let us now look at facts relative
to what part we play in the economic
structure of the United States. Nearly
7,000 persons are employed by the
machine manufacturers. It is also
estimated that over 15,000 additional
employees are engaged in the manu­
facture of parts and supplies for
these machines, including cabinets,
castings, glass, paint, metal parts, and
many other commodities. It is further
estimated that over 10,000 operators
derive all of their income from this
industry and that at least 120,000
locations, including many small mer­
chants, restaurants and other similar
places derive a substantial income
from their share of these machines.
Many of these merchants have un­
doubtedly been able to remain in busi­
ness rather than go on the relief rolls,
as a result of the additional income
they have obtained from coin-operated
machines in their places of business.
Including the families of those en­
gaged directly or indirectly in the
industry, nearly half a million per­
sons are dependent wholly or in a
large measure on this industry for
their support and welfare.
Briefly, in two years this industry’s
purchases included more than 3,000,­
000 square feet of glass, 10,000,000
dry cell batteries, 33,000,000 feet, or
6,300 miles of wire, millions of light
bulbs, switches, contact points, and
other electrical appliances, 15,000,000
sq. ft. of lumber, tens of millions of
various pieces of hardware, thou­
sands of gallons of paint, varnish
and stain.
Do these above figures surprise
you? They really shouldn’t. All people
© International Arcade Museum
March, 1937-
connected with this industry, all per­
sons who are included in the above
figures, all people who make their
living in this field should familiarize
themselves with these facts. You
should have them on the end of your
tongue, so that the next time one
of our misinformed public makes a
disparaging remark relative to our in­
dustry, you should have this informa­
tion in front of you so that you
might be able to set them right. The
country would be in a sorry plight
if the coin machine industry was not
in existence. Hundreds of thousands
of people now employed would be
jobless, hundreds of thousands of
small stores that have been able to
stay open through the extra revenue
that coin-operated machines afforded
them would have to close their doors.
Millions of dollars in taxes that
our city, state, and national govern­
ments extract from our industry
would have to be looked for from
other sources, which would mean
higher taxes on the general public.
These are facts. They cannot be
disputed. Go out and shout them to
the housetops. Tell the public what
we mean to the well being of the
country. If we all do this we will
have our just rewards. When the
public realizes just how much they
need our industry, there will be no
more unfair taxation, legislation,
etc. Above all we will be recognized
as an industry that is definitely con­
structive and not destructive as many
people would like to imagine. Manu­
facturers can do their part too, by
educating their employees with the
facts heretofore stated, so that when
they go home at night and converse
with their families and friends they
will be able to intelligently discuss
the coin machine industry.
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