Automatic Age

ect of sealing out the air moisture
which otherwise would eventually
cause the framework to swell or the
panels to check.
I f degrees were conferred for pro­
ficiency in drying lumber, Gust H u lt­
man would have at least a Ph. D. de­
gree. Besides supervising the oper­
ation of the kiln he is responsible for
the high quality of the work done in
the M ill Room. But no less im port­
ant than an operator’s proficiency is
the equipment with which he has to
work. M ill’s policy is nowhere more
apparent than in their lumber drying
equipment.
The six modern venti­
lated type kilns have a capacity for
drying four carloads of lumber at one
time. They are equipped with the
latest improvements for temperature
and hum idity control and measure­
ment. All guesswork is removed by
scientific testing methods, one partic­
ularly ingenious device being an elec­
trical unit which measures in terms
of per cent moisture, the resistance
offered to an electrical current passed
through a piece of lumber.
Installation of this equipment might
be thought of as a considerable item
of expense which in fact it is. But far
from constituting a higher cost fac­
tor, for the company, these invest­
ments enable them to do a better job
of drying lumber at lower cost. The
result is that their customers benefit
by lower selling prices while the com­
pany benefits by greater volume.
A ll these factors combine to make
the woodworking section of the fac­
tory the smooth functioning organiza­
tion that it is.
Nickel Gets Vocal
‘Jack Pot’
Since last week all slot machines
and pinball games were removed from
Zanesville, Ohio, the devices have
been largely replaced by victrolas
which play at the rate of five cents a
record. The following anecdote is a
result:
A frequenter of a downtown res­
taurant decided to spend his money
on coin controlled music. The music
was “Pennies from Heaven.”
“ Gee, boys,” he shouted, turning to
his companions jubilantly, “I ’ve h it
the jackpot.”
“ Since my sister took that reduc­
ing course, she doesn’t have to worry
about w hat the scales says.”
“ Well, that must be a weight off
her mind.”
123
AUTOMATIC AGE
February, 1938
Jack Bechtol Becomes
A Proud Grandpa
Parking Meters Relieve
M iam i’s Congestion
Parking meters have been installed
in Miami, Florida since 1935. To date
700 such meters have been placed on
the city’s streets.
“You can find a large number of
local residents opposed to the system
and you can find probably as many
who like it,” said Z. B. Owen, m anag­
er of the Miami Motor Club, “ In prin­
ciple, it is wrong to place this addi­
tional tax against motorists paying
8 cents a gallon tax on their gasoline.
Housewives object to paying an extra
nickel to drive to town to shop.
“ Many consider the nickel parking
charge a racket, operated by the poli­
ticians for revenue. The system was
inaugurated on the pretense that it
was a safety measure. It is not a
safety measure.
Jack Bechtol, well known distribu­
tor and operator of coin-operated m a­
chines at Daytona Beach, Florida, as
a proud Grandpa, recently wrote the
A u t o m a t i c A g e the letter below, and
we told him that if he would send us
a print of his grandchild we would
have a cut made and print it in our
publication. Here is the letter:
“ I have a few insinuations that
having become Grandpa I should sub­
m it the evidence, as per the enclosed
and in part the hints come from many
people of the coin machine industry.
“ Had the photo enclosed failed to
show a sort of super grandchild, I
would have forgotten the matter, but,
inasmuch as the said grandchild seems
to meet with the approval of all call­
ers, and I agree that he is somewhat
above average, I respectfully submit
the evidence to you and if you would
care to duplicate the photo, you are
plenty welcome. I leave it all to you.
“ This child at the time of the photo,
was exactly three months old. The
papa is my son, Joe and the mama
is his wife, Bee Bechtol, whom you
may recall in pictures and perhaps
through correspondence from this
office.
“W ith best regards, to all, and
aw aiting the duplication of said child
in your publication, I remain,
Yours very truly,
(Signed) A. H. Bechtol.”
W om an (telephoning to desk clerk-
— There’s a rat in m y room.
Hotel Clerk — W ell, make him
come down and register.
© International Arcade Museum
“ On the other hand, the nickel
parking is a convenience. It has re­
lieved congestion in that a driver
doesn’t have to cruise around and
around the block to find a vacancy at
the curb. And with stalls painted on
the pavement, there is no jam m ing of
bumpers nor denting of fenders in
crowding into inadequate spaces.”
Capt. Fred M anning, in command
of the police traffic detail, said that
the meters were of material benefit
in m aintaining a flow of automobiles,
not only because it reduced cruising,
but also because it eliminated delays
to traffic from parkers having difficul­
ties in maneuvering into or from
cramped curb spaces.
“ The meters increase appreciably
the number of automobiles that will
be parked in a block during the busi­
ness day,” he said.
“W ith meters
there is a much better obedience to
the time lim it than when we used to
try to enforce the rules with a pa­
trolman m aking the rounds each hour
marking tires with chalk.”
“Music Goes ‘Round”
Composer Did It Again
Mike Riley, who several years ago
created a furore in Tin Pan Alley
and on Radio Row w ith his zany “ M u­
sic Goes ’Round” ditty, has written
another song, his first novelty tirfie
since the M. G. R., titled, “ It Looks
Like a Cruller, Doughnut?”, which
was just issued.
The publishing house is making a
tie-up to plug the song during N a­
tional Doughnut Week.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/