Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)
Issue: 1949 May - Page 39
C4Ii(CN'i4 Ope,.4tC,.J!
$49 50
PER MACHINE DOWN AND
8ChllhJIl'J
TWIN PROFIT TEAM
STARTS WORKING FOR YOU!
LOW-COST TIME PAYMENT PLAN
NOW AVAILABLE TO CALIF. OPERATORS
GET YOUR SHARE OF SUMMER PROFITS WITH BONANZA'S
"NUGGET" - FULLY AUTOMATIC HOT POPCORN VENDOR-
AND BONANZA'S "SWIFTY-SH INE" - FULLY AUTOMATIC
SHOE SHINE MACHINE.
Both machines are built to operator's demands for
trouble-free Jlquipment at low cost-$149.S0 each.
WRITE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS TODAY !
8Clf4lfJ4; JlfC.
2980 W . PICO BLVD.
LOS ANGELES 6
Phone: PArkway 3420
predicts it will bring in more money than
the one council passed.
About a dozen of the new 100-tune coin
phon os have been installed in the Akron dis-
trict_ So far, operators say they haven' t had
enough experience to determine whether the
wider selection will produce enough more
patronage to pay for the much higher cost
of the boxes_ They are demanding long-
term contracts with the tavern and store
keepers who in stall them_
The license fee for automatic record play-
ers in Wellston remains at $30 per machine
per year and will not be re duced to $15,
since city council fail ed to act on an ordi-
nance providing for the reduction_
Portsmouth City Council gave first read-
ing -to an anti-gambling Iflw which would
prohibit the exhibition of pin ball machines,
although they are not specifically named in
the proposed measure_ The ordinance as
drafted names slot machines and pun ch
boards specifically. Council voted 5 to 1 for
tbe ordinan ce on the first reading.
Toledo Council's Committee of the Whole
unanimously approved increasing the pin
ball machine fees from $100 a year to $175.
By the action , the city would get an esti-
mated $140,000 more in fees th an last year.
A special Council committee eliminated a
proposal to license vending machines. Coun-
cil approved the increases in city license
fees, including pin ball machines, shuffle-
boards and amusements. A reducti on in the
number of pin ball machines was predicted
because of the higher tax and the elimina-
tion April 1 of payoff devices.
The Ohio Department of Liquor Control
gave a conditi onal "green light" to shuffle-
board tournaments in taverns h aving state
liquor permits. Such tournaments are per-
missible, th e department ruled, " provided
the permit holder is not in any way con-
nected with the game outside of havin g it
played on his premises for a fee." Such a
plan would be simil ar to that of bowling
alley leagues. Enforcement officers s,aid tav-
ern operators may not charge entran ce fees
to shuffleboard tournaments nor give away
free meals and prizes. Potato chips and
pretzels are not considered as fo od.
In Columbus, shuffleboard seems to be
taking an increased hold a nd ap pears to be
doing well in co mp etition with the new tele-
vision station Y . n'ow in opera tion here. A re-
MAY, 1949
port is that some taverns elsewhere have
been doing such a thriving busin ess lately
that the taprooms which have television sets
are ripping them out. Customers, it was
said, drink more slowly when they're watch-
ing TV, Also television attracts non-drinkers
and light drinkers who elbow the heavy
spenders away from the bar. And, fina lly-
too' many arguments were encountered, it
was reported.
Warmer weather is helping beverage sales,
with more of the same being reported as
summer comes closer.
Stark County Common Pleas Court will
have to decide the problem of whether gum
machines, which intermittently dispense
trinkets are classed as gambling devices.
Harold F. Becker, head of the Automatic
Gum Sales of Akron, complained in a suit
fil ed in Common P leas Court that Canton
vice squad members had seized 16 of the
vending machines from stores and restau-
rants there. Becker asked for a temporary
and permanent restraining order to stop
police from confiscating his machines. Th e
trinkets, he said , were to boost sal es. Sales
from the gum machines had greatly in-
creased sin ce the trinkets were added, it
was said.
Thomas England, Newark , sued the Auto-
ma tic Canteen Co. of America for $1,586,-
777 under the federal anti-trust laws; 'He
declared in the suit, filed in U. S. District
Court here, that the Chicago firm sought
to monopolize the sale of candy through
vending machines. He said the company
had refu sed to renew his distributor license
because he bought ,·.andy from other sources.
England said he se'.ls candy, nuts and chew-
ing gum through 3744 vending machines in
27 ' central Ohio counties. He leases the
machin es from the Chicago firm.
William D. Bailey, sup ervisor of the ex-
cise section of the Ohio Department of Tax-
ation, reported that cigarette tax stamp
sales for th e month of March, were up
$98,860 over the previous year. Sales to-
taled $1,498,575, while for the correspond-
in g month- in 1948 sal es reached $1,399,725.
For the year to ..date, total sales were up
2.19 per cent. Sales of cigarette tax stamps
for the first three month s of 1949 were
$4,005,292, while for th e corres ponding pe-
ri od last year the sales totaled $3,919,196.
Most oth er vendin g machin es are about
normal, in cluding nut vendors, scales and
stamp machin es. A saturation point for th e
latter has been reached, the Better Business
Bureau reported .
C. A rthur&
- w.
1,0$
Jlngeles
General business is below normal and no
amount of fan cy phrases or soft-soapy phi-
losophy can alter that.
Th e music picture is a littl e hazy. A
good percentage of operators report that
the first hot days of April gave them a lift.
Other operators report drops of as much
as 15 per cent compared to December,
while returns from Long Beach , Wilming-
ton , San P edro and Torran ce continue low.
Oil workers and longshoremen, who com-
prise the main buying power in the sea-
port towns, haven' t full y r ecupera ted from
the oil and longshore strikes of several
months ago.
Live action, flipp ers and power bumpers
have brought many new pin game players
into the fold , as well as stimulatin g new
interest from the regulars, with the result
that gross has jumped 25 per cent.
Cigarettes are down as much as 20 per
ce nt, a nd it doesn' t take a crystal ball to
find out why. Two major chain drug stores
started a price war, cutting th e carton fig-
ure to $1.49. Then some of th e independ-
ents got into the fight and are now selling
at 15c per pack , $1.39 per car ton . Cigarettes
via machin e are vending at 20 cents. The
situation hasn't been helped by commission
chiselers who are not only giving locati ons
three cents and more per pack , but offering
bonuses for loca tions as well.
Lowered candy pri ces have given oper-
ators a new lease on profit. One of the big
suppl iers in town is offerin g all popular
bra nds a t $2.67 to $2.79 per hundred bars.
Stamp machines boomed high th e week
before Easter, giving opera tors a who pping
good April. Cup dispensers are movin g into
th e warm weather season with a cash box{
snap. P op corn machin es are still off, but
operators hope for a summer spurt. Pros-
pects are bright for scales inasmuch as th ey
have been steady all year and May heralds
the start of th e summ er scale season.
A shuffleboard opera tor with a lar ge route
clai ms that six months a go his boards were
41
$49 50
PER MACHINE DOWN AND
8ChllhJIl'J
TWIN PROFIT TEAM
STARTS WORKING FOR YOU!
LOW-COST TIME PAYMENT PLAN
NOW AVAILABLE TO CALIF. OPERATORS
GET YOUR SHARE OF SUMMER PROFITS WITH BONANZA'S
"NUGGET" - FULLY AUTOMATIC HOT POPCORN VENDOR-
AND BONANZA'S "SWIFTY-SH INE" - FULLY AUTOMATIC
SHOE SHINE MACHINE.
Both machines are built to operator's demands for
trouble-free Jlquipment at low cost-$149.S0 each.
WRITE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS TODAY !
8Clf4lfJ4; JlfC.
2980 W . PICO BLVD.
LOS ANGELES 6
Phone: PArkway 3420
predicts it will bring in more money than
the one council passed.
About a dozen of the new 100-tune coin
phon os have been installed in the Akron dis-
trict_ So far, operators say they haven' t had
enough experience to determine whether the
wider selection will produce enough more
patronage to pay for the much higher cost
of the boxes_ They are demanding long-
term contracts with the tavern and store
keepers who in stall them_
The license fee for automatic record play-
ers in Wellston remains at $30 per machine
per year and will not be re duced to $15,
since city council fail ed to act on an ordi-
nance providing for the reduction_
Portsmouth City Council gave first read-
ing -to an anti-gambling Iflw which would
prohibit the exhibition of pin ball machines,
although they are not specifically named in
the proposed measure_ The ordinance as
drafted names slot machines and pun ch
boards specifically. Council voted 5 to 1 for
tbe ordinan ce on the first reading.
Toledo Council's Committee of the Whole
unanimously approved increasing the pin
ball machine fees from $100 a year to $175.
By the action , the city would get an esti-
mated $140,000 more in fees th an last year.
A special Council committee eliminated a
proposal to license vending machines. Coun-
cil approved the increases in city license
fees, including pin ball machines, shuffle-
boards and amusements. A reducti on in the
number of pin ball machines was predicted
because of the higher tax and the elimina-
tion April 1 of payoff devices.
The Ohio Department of Liquor Control
gave a conditi onal "green light" to shuffle-
board tournaments in taverns h aving state
liquor permits. Such tournaments are per-
missible, th e department ruled, " provided
the permit holder is not in any way con-
nected with the game outside of havin g it
played on his premises for a fee." Such a
plan would be simil ar to that of bowling
alley leagues. Enforcement officers s,aid tav-
ern operators may not charge entran ce fees
to shuffleboard tournaments nor give away
free meals and prizes. Potato chips and
pretzels are not considered as fo od.
In Columbus, shuffleboard seems to be
taking an increased hold a nd ap pears to be
doing well in co mp etition with the new tele-
vision station Y . n'ow in opera tion here. A re-
MAY, 1949
port is that some taverns elsewhere have
been doing such a thriving busin ess lately
that the taprooms which have television sets
are ripping them out. Customers, it was
said, drink more slowly when they're watch-
ing TV, Also television attracts non-drinkers
and light drinkers who elbow the heavy
spenders away from the bar. And, fina lly-
too' many arguments were encountered, it
was reported.
Warmer weather is helping beverage sales,
with more of the same being reported as
summer comes closer.
Stark County Common Pleas Court will
have to decide the problem of whether gum
machines, which intermittently dispense
trinkets are classed as gambling devices.
Harold F. Becker, head of the Automatic
Gum Sales of Akron, complained in a suit
fil ed in Common P leas Court that Canton
vice squad members had seized 16 of the
vending machines from stores and restau-
rants there. Becker asked for a temporary
and permanent restraining order to stop
police from confiscating his machines. Th e
trinkets, he said , were to boost sal es. Sales
from the gum machines had greatly in-
creased sin ce the trinkets were added, it
was said.
Thomas England, Newark , sued the Auto-
ma tic Canteen Co. of America for $1,586,-
777 under the federal anti-trust laws; 'He
declared in the suit, filed in U. S. District
Court here, that the Chicago firm sought
to monopolize the sale of candy through
vending machines. He said the company
had refu sed to renew his distributor license
because he bought ,·.andy from other sources.
England said he se'.ls candy, nuts and chew-
ing gum through 3744 vending machines in
27 ' central Ohio counties. He leases the
machin es from the Chicago firm.
William D. Bailey, sup ervisor of the ex-
cise section of the Ohio Department of Tax-
ation, reported that cigarette tax stamp
sales for th e month of March, were up
$98,860 over the previous year. Sales to-
taled $1,498,575, while for the correspond-
in g month- in 1948 sal es reached $1,399,725.
For the year to ..date, total sales were up
2.19 per cent. Sales of cigarette tax stamps
for the first three month s of 1949 were
$4,005,292, while for th e corres ponding pe-
ri od last year the sales totaled $3,919,196.
Most oth er vendin g machin es are about
normal, in cluding nut vendors, scales and
stamp machin es. A saturation point for th e
latter has been reached, the Better Business
Bureau reported .
C. A rthur&
- w.
1,0$
Jlngeles
General business is below normal and no
amount of fan cy phrases or soft-soapy phi-
losophy can alter that.
Th e music picture is a littl e hazy. A
good percentage of operators report that
the first hot days of April gave them a lift.
Other operators report drops of as much
as 15 per cent compared to December,
while returns from Long Beach , Wilming-
ton , San P edro and Torran ce continue low.
Oil workers and longshoremen, who com-
prise the main buying power in the sea-
port towns, haven' t full y r ecupera ted from
the oil and longshore strikes of several
months ago.
Live action, flipp ers and power bumpers
have brought many new pin game players
into the fold , as well as stimulatin g new
interest from the regulars, with the result
that gross has jumped 25 per cent.
Cigarettes are down as much as 20 per
ce nt, a nd it doesn' t take a crystal ball to
find out why. Two major chain drug stores
started a price war, cutting th e carton fig-
ure to $1.49. Then some of th e independ-
ents got into the fight and are now selling
at 15c per pack , $1.39 per car ton . Cigarettes
via machin e are vending at 20 cents. The
situation hasn't been helped by commission
chiselers who are not only giving locati ons
three cents and more per pack , but offering
bonuses for loca tions as well.
Lowered candy pri ces have given oper-
ators a new lease on profit. One of the big
suppl iers in town is offerin g all popular
bra nds a t $2.67 to $2.79 per hundred bars.
Stamp machines boomed high th e week
before Easter, giving opera tors a who pping
good April. Cup dispensers are movin g into
th e warm weather season with a cash box{
snap. P op corn machin es are still off, but
operators hope for a summer spurt. Pros-
pects are bright for scales inasmuch as th ey
have been steady all year and May heralds
the start of th e summ er scale season.
A shuffleboard opera tor with a lar ge route
clai ms that six months a go his boards were
41
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