Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

WASHINGTON
( Continu ed from Page 26)
with a wholesale value of $49,819,000.
Shipments totaled 1,000 les. Only com-
parable figures for the earlier 1949 census
showed the value of both coin and non-coin
electrical phonographs was only $19,055,-
.000.
A recent Supreme Court decision on
basing point practices was the final straw
as far as Congress is concerned. In a 4·4
tie decision, the tribunal upheld a Federal
Trade Commission contention that adop-
tion of a basing point policy is per se
evidence of conspiracy_ An hour after the
verdict was announced, the Senate Judici-
ary Committee gave quick approval to the
bill providing for a one-year moratorium
on FTC prosecutions on basing point cases.
Even that step was not enough for the
Senate. Without the proposal ever having
been discussed in committee, the Senate
sub tituted for the moratorium a bill by
Senator Joseph O'Mahoney, Wyoming Dem-
ocrat, legalizing non-collusive freight ab-
sorption and delivered prices. Without a
dissenting vote, the bill passed the Senate
and went to the House where approval was
also expected_ Enactment of such a bill
will effectively block what most industries
have termed "extreme" measures on the
part of FTC_
April Candy Sales
Dollar sales by candy manuf actmers for
the first four months of the year were 13
per cent behind the same 1948 period, ac-
cording to Census Bureau. Thi ratio was
not helped by a poor month in April.
Sales for that month were ofT 21 per cent
from March and off 18 per cent from April ,
1948. It must be remembered, however,
that 1949 sales are being compared with
those of the candy indu try's record year,
1948. Current sales, though off from the
record year, are running about three times
those of the pre-war average.
For the past several year, candy makers
have been cutting down on the u e of
peanuts in their products. The curren t
peanut season is no exception. Last season,
75,735,000 pounds of peanuts found their
way into candy. This season the amount
dropped to 58,677,000 pounds.
Voting in the coin machine referendum
in the adjacent county of Prince Georges,
Md., was light, but when the ballots were
counted, pay-offs for bell machines and
pin balls were legalized by a majority of
more than a thousand votes. What the
Maryland legi lature calls "one-armed ban-
dits" are still outlawed, but electric console
bells are o.k. In order to prevent out iders
moving in, the law requires that operators
be residents of the county for a period of
two years. This provision was immediately
challenged by C. W. Hendrix, president of
Baltimore's General Amusement Co. He
filed suit against the county commissioners
to force them to issue his fi rm a license,
declaring that the residence requirement
was unconstitutional. Accordin/!: to the suit,
the Hendrix firm has had machines in the
county for the past 14 years, but being out-
ide of the county, would have to discon-
tinue under the law.
Charles County will be the next to vote
on legalization. St. Marys, Calvert, and
Anne Arundel counties earlier approved
machines. Oddly enough, coin machine li-
censes have been dropping off in St. Marys.
A total of 882 were issued in the fil'st year
after legalization. For the current license
year only 662 have been issued.
After hanging fire for more than a year,
the D.C. sales tax has finally been enacted.
It goes into effect August 1. Under the
new law, cigarettes are subject to a special
tax of one cent per pack, but are exempt
from the sales levy. Cigarette vending ma-
40
chines require special licenses. The license
fee was left to the discretion of the D.C.
Commissioner by Congress. At this writ-
ing the fee is still undetermined. The sales
tax figure out at 2 per cent but is higher
on items retailing for less than a dollar.
Commodities under 14 cen ts are exempt.
Year Test Decides
For Multi-Flavor
CLEVELAND-Standard Oil of Ohio is
reported to have tested single-flavor and
multi-flavor types of bottle vendors for a
year, and the result has been a decision
in favor of multi-flavor machines for its
service stations. About 300 such machines
have been installed, according to the re-
port.
The firm not only tested both types of
ma. hines but also endeavored to get opin-
ions from consumer a to which type of
machine they preferred. This opinion was
obtained through the well-known practice
of Standard Oil in having post cards avail-
able at stations so tbat customers can com·
ment on services or uggest improvements.
The year's te t revealed that soft drink
sal~s increa ed about 25 per cent in sta-
tions having the multi-flavor vendors, these
stations having previously bad the one-fla-
vor machine .
The company also decided to purchase
its own machines 0 that it would be un-
der no obligation to stock any particular
flavor, but could stock and sell whatever
flavors that seem to be in demand. The
firm reported that vendors help much in
preven ting pilfering from open coolers and
the tendencv of many drivers to forget the
fact that they had a drink from the cooler.
The report is expected to be widely used
in a debate within the soft drink trade
over single-flavor machine, an issue which
was even carried to 'Congress and hearings
held on it. The issue seems to have lost
a lot of its heat in recent months, and
especially that a decided tide in placing
cup type vendors is under way.
Laymon Praises New
Bally Champion Game
LOS ANGELE
"How could a game
possihly be hetter than Citation is what the
operators are asking about Bally's new
Champion," states Paul A. Laymon, Bally
distributor, "and this time Bally has actu-
ally built a one-ball which is greater than
Citation for Champion is really three game
in one.
"The new game ha the famous ever-
advancing Citation-odd ; in fact all of the
profit-proved features of Citation, plus
plenty of new ideas to bolster the play and
keep the coins rolling. An operator has but
to play Champion and he will quickly
recognize it possibilities," added Laymon.
Al 0 commanding attention at Laymon's
is the new Quizzer which Paul declares is
holding up well on location. With new scor-
ing devices and a new low price the game
is one that operator can use almost any-
where. Teamed with it is the famous
Wilcox-Gay Recordio which makes a
recording of the voice and vends it with
an envelope for a quarter. Machine takes
a small amount of space and possesses un-
limited appeal in almost any type of loca-
tion. A new low price has recently been
announced on this unit also.
* *
*
Down in a rural Georgia court a jury
was being selected. One man, a rather surly·
looking farmer, was claiming exemption,
but seemed very reluctant to state the
grounds for his claim. At last, when pressed,
he blurted out:
"Well, your honor, the truth is I h8l'e
the itch."
"Clerk," was the judge's instant demand,
"scratch him off, scratch him off!"
Pop Corn Manufacturers Plan
Bigger Exhibits at '49 Show
CHICAGO-Pop corn manufacturers reo
cently announced the date and general
plans for the next an nual convention, under
the auspices of the Nationa l As n. of Pop-
corn Manufacturers. The convent ion will be
held at the Palmer House here, Oct. 24·26.
This is a change in ho tels and also an
earlier date for the annual convention.
Torn J. Sullivan, new executive ecretary
of NAPM, will be assisted in convention
planning by A. J. Villeisse, former secre-
tary and who will act as general convention
chairman; W . W. Hawkins, Confecti ons,
Inc.; Leonard M. J app, Special Foods, Inc.
With larger accommodations for exhibit
space, more stress will be put on th is part
of the meeting. The hall has space for 75
booths and the displays will be open at
least eight houTs each day, the committee
says.
The association has J'ecently launcheq a
new program of activities, including a
membership campaign, a research program
in cooperation with the federal government
and special services for members. The
group is keeping closer tab on le/!:islation
also. Sullivan, the secretary, has enlarged
the official publication of the organization
and has added a vend ing machine depart-
ment.
SOURCE BOOK
REVISIONS
April 15 - Jun e 15
1. MANUFACT URERS & SUPPLIERS
Ch a n ge of Address:
Cole Products Corp .. 39 S. La Salle St., Chicago,
Ill.
Fred Hebel Corp., 9301 Belmont Ave. , Franklin
Park. Ill.
Multiple Products Corp., 5210 Bonita, Dallae.
Texas.
Oak MIg. Co., 11411 Knightsbridge Ave. , Culver
City, Calif.
Standard Scale Co., 1609 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis
3, Mo .• Phone: Main 5i37.
Out of Business:
c. T. Girdner Co., 4253 S. Lincoln St.. Venice.
Calif.
Me rcu ry ShuOlebo8rd Co., Heart-Wall Bldg. , Long
Deach, Calif.
Additions :
A. & C. Mfg. Co., Lee's Summit, Mo.
Am erican T e lescop e Co., Evansvill e 8, Ind.
Automatic Products Co., 2632 Nicollet Av enue,
Minneapolis, Minn.
Paul Boizelle Corp., Rockville , Md .
Brummett Enterprises, 1200 Redondo Avc., Long
Beac h. Calif., Phone: 3-6404.
Cedar Hill Farms, Inc .• Cincinnati, Ohio , Mr.
George Huhcey.
Chamblc8 Shu!1lcboard Mfg. Co., Chnmbleslndus-
tri es, El Campo, Texas, Earl C. Chambles.
Columbia Wire & Supply Co., 2850 Irving Park
Rd. , Chicago 18, IJ I.
Electric Cashier Corp., Burlington , Vt., Frank
H ersc hd e. Pres.
Federal Tel ev ision Corp., 137 Duan e
L , New
York , N. Y.
E. W. Fl alto & Sons, 17 'V. 60th St., New York ,
N. Y. , E. W. Flatto.
FUllLramic Ma chines. Inc., 2303 W estchester, New
·York , New York, Frank Q. Doyl e, Sales Mgr.
C. & S. Enterprises, 1319 Gaviota Ave., Long
Beach 13, Calif., Phon e : 787·18 .
Glidc. 317 Broadway, Oakland, CaliL, Phon e:
GL 2·2543 .
Go rdon Food s, Inc., 1075 Sylvan Rd. , S.W., At·
lanta, Ga.
Guildmasters' Shuffieboard Co., 5th and Oak, New
Albany, Ind., Phone: 4·1429.
Harriso n Co., 50 Stone St., New York. N. Y. ,
George Harrison .
Hay es, lak es & Brittain Vending Co., Old Hickory,
T enn ., Messrs. Howard Hayes and Dryan lakes.
H opax Electri c, Inc. , 547 Greenwich St., New York
13. N. Y.
Harry L. Hu ssman Jr., Inc. , 220] Mill s I., El
Paso. Tex.
COIN MACHINE REVIEW