Automatic Age

15
AUTOMATIC AGE
March, 1939
By
C arroll E . V
e t t e r ic k
D EPA R TM E N T editor
of The Chicago Evening
American advises A u t o ­
m a t i c A g e that he is preparing
an article about the coin machine
business. “ For your informa­
tion,” this editor states, “ I have
grown so weary reading deroga­
tory articles about coin machines
that I decided to try one from
another angle which may give
the industry a break.”
A
Here is a complete and re­
freshing reversal of general
newspaper practice and an hon­
est confession of great signifi­
cance. If newspaper editors get
“ weary” reading the same kind
of headlines and news stories
about “ slot machines,” day after
day and year after year, what
about the general public? News­
paper readers must have grown
“ weary” of the same monotonous
drivel long ago.
Can it be that intelligent news­
paper publishers are beginning
to respect the intelligence of
their reader? Have they decided
that “ slot machine” sensational­
ism is no longer sensational?
No longer effective? No longer
interesting ?
The coin machine industry
will be grateful in no small
measure to the newspaper that
discovers that coin machines can
be the subject of fresh, interest­
ing news. The industry will be
particularly happy that a large
Chicago newspaper has found
an effective method for discre­
diting the policy of The Chicago
Tribune and exposing its delib­
erate efforts to misinform the
public regarding coin machines.
On January 23rd The Chicago
Tribune devoted a full column
on the front page to slot ma­
chine sensationalism. Following
lengthy quotations by officials in
a tirade against slot machines,
the Tribune printed the follow­
ing misinformation which gave
readers the impression that coin
machine production in Chicago
consisted entirely of gambling
machines:
“ ‘That strong resistance
may be expected from the slot
machine industry was appar­
ent,’ Sullivan, (T. P. Sullivan,
Chief of State Bureau of In­
vestigation) , said, ‘to any one
who attended a convention of
the coin machine manufact­
urers and operators held last
week in Chicago.’
“ James A . Gilmore, secre­
tary of the manufacturers’ as­
sociation, said more than $50,­
000,000 worth of coin ma­
chines were turned out during
1938. ‘Nearly 95 per cent of
them are made in or near
Chicago,’ he said. The pre­
diction was made that 1939
would be a good year for the
industry.
“ ‘Business for them can only
be good if the machines are
permitted to gyp the public
without molestation,’ Sullivan
said.”
The quotation by Gilmore was
taken from a letter to Mayor
Kelly in which he clearly set
forth that the yearly production
of $50,000,000 worth of coin
machines included phonographs,
scales, vending machines and
amusement tables.
© International Arcade Museum
Any school boy knows the dif­
ference between slot machines
and other types of coin-operated
equipment. Every employee of
the Chicago Tribune must know
this difference, from the pub­
lisher down to office boys and
janitors. It is the duty and per-
ogative of newspaper reporters,
copy readers and editors to
know this difference. It is sound,
successful journalism which dis­
courages misinformation and
coloring the news. Yet, politics
and journalism often produce
strange bed fellows, and ridicul­
ous practices to fool the public.
In the same Tribune news
story, it should be mentioned,
was the following bit of free ad­
vertising which may have found
favor with thousands of Illinois
location-owners and with mem­
bers of the legislature who fa­
vor the licensing of coin ma­
chines :
“ The revenue from slot ma­
chines is tremendous. It pays
the rent of small taverns and
roadside filling stations.”
* * *
The NACOM M statement of
fact that “ Coin Machines Boost
Business” deserves to become far
more than a publicity slogan
confined to the coin machine in­
dustry. When the trade will take
proper steps to prove how over­
whelmingly true this statement
is, it should be the key to sound
and permanent coin machine ex­
pansion.
The voice of the location-
owner has never been enlisted
by the industry to prove that
coin machines are instruments
http://www.arcade-museum.com/