Automatic Age

out of it — and Uncle Sam is not
a petty thief.
“So what will happen will be
as funny as a funeral — and ten
times as interesting.
“And what about the little
merchant?
“Well, times have not been
good with him. High prices and
lack of goods have made him
scratch for a living even in this
so-called ‘boom’ town. A pinball
machine or two would take the
edge off his rent—probably pay
it for him, even if he had to pay
the high tax.
“ (And we forgot the city
license of $5.00 a month against
each machine—or $60.00 a year
—who is going to pay that, or
will the city simply lose it— or
what the hell!)
“Well, as we were saying, the
little merchant has found the
pinball machine liked as an
amusement device and as a
revenue producer and he has
been able to help his business
materially with them. In steps
the local government and
smacks the business man right
over the head—and why our
petty local governments have to
move continually against the
business man and the taxpayer
we cannot figure out!
“But we have been accus­
tomed to it—this continual in-
PRESS WRITES STRONG CASE
FOR AMUSEMENT MACHINES
The San D iego H e ra ld re c e n tly published an e n lig h te n in g re p o rt which is
o f more than passing in te re st.
It review the econom ic o f raising needed funds
to conduct local and n a tio n a l governm ent and the vast num ber o f small
business men. The g ist o f the San D iego H e ra ld 's re p o rt fo llo w s, ve rb a tim .
"DRIVE AGAINST PINBALL
MACHINES IS DRIVE AGAINST
DEFENSE TAXES
“In this city and county we
have had screwball deals in the
past that challenged comparison
with the best that any insane
asylum could turn out, but the
present drive of the district at­
torney’s office, on orders of the
attorney general’s office, against
pinball machines defies explana­
tion and makes the ordinarily
sane-minded turn flip-flops and
scream for mercy.
“The federal government
wants money for defense.
“And in picking up a dollar
here and a dollar there to help
pay for battleships and such like,
it has taxed pinball machines.
“The district attorney, at the
attorney general's insistance,
steps in and says he is not going
to allow pinball machines to run.
“But the government says
that machines in existence and
operation on October 1 , shall pay
the tax.
“And it also says that if the
owner of the machine does not
pay, the merchant who has them
is liable.
“So the merchant or the own­
er is going to pay a tax on a ma­
chine that he cannot use —
probably because the district
attorney has confiscated it.
“The Herald submits even to
the official mind that this situa­
tion is screwy.
“Evidently, the government
thinks the pinball machine is
legitimate—because it is not go­
ing to tax anything illegitimate.
“But also evidently the at­
torney general thinks that the
government is nuts — so he puts
the pinball machines out of op­
eration.
“The owner and the merchant
then must think that the govern­
ment and the district attorney
and the attorney general are
screwy because they are going to
be taxed on property that they
haven’t got.
“And if any reader of the
Herald can tie that he gets a
diamond studded moustache
cup!
“And the tax is due and pay­
able this Friday night— $7.50
for each pinball machine and
$37.50 for slot machines with
pay-offs. This tax is due again
July 1, 1942, when it will be
$10.00 on pinball machines and
$50.00 on slot machines.
“Who is going to pay the tax
on the machines that have been
seized by the district attorney?
The owner who has been de­
prived of his property is not go­
ing to pay if he thinks he can get
I f
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' 5 I
1
PORTLAND OPERATORS HOLD RALLY AT MOORE'S
"A N Y
BONDS T O D A Y ? "
G o t an enthusiastic answer from
opening o f new Jack R. M o ore C om pany B uilding in P ortla nd.
the crowds a tte n d in g
recent
O pe ning day sales to ta lle d
$22,650.00 in U. S. Defense Bonds and Stamps.
50
AUTOMATIC AGE
© International Arcade Museum
December, 1941
http://www.arcade-museum.com/