Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)
Issue: 1949 May - Page 7
MAY, 1949
OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: 1115 V .. lc. Blvd •• Los AnlJ.les 15. Calif. Paul W. Blackford. Edltor .. 1I
P.blls ..... : Walt... W. Hurd. Executive Editor: Louis Kan ofsky. AdvertJ.I.1J ManalJ. r . Flhroy 82".
CH ICAGO OFFICE Ill: C. J. Anderson. 35 Ea st Wacker Drive. CENtra l 1-1112: NEW YORK OFFICE
1171: Ralph P. MullllJan. 441 Lexl •
Av ..... M. rray Hili 2-5589. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $5.00
for 2 year _ i .lmum term accepted: SOc p. r copy.
.,to.
Level Off - And Start Up Again!
BUSINESS REVIEW,. .. Trade Has Found Long Soughl ~oinl;
,
Needs Ideas To Promole AI Prolll
Operators of coin machines still watch
unemployment and the cost of living as the.
chief points in the national picture that
affect the patronage of machines most di-
rectly. The 'experts are saying that April
and May will show the real trend in em-
ployment, whether business has hit a real
slump or whether the nation can keep the
total unemployed at a minimum.
Reports are encouraging on the cost of
living and operators are concerned in that
trend personally and they also feel that
high living expenses mean fewer coins
deposited in machines.
Living costs are going down slowly and
experts figure that the general decline will
mean a 5 to 10 per cent drop from the
peak by June ' 1950. This percentage is
based on the guess that there will be no
real crash to a depression level. Considering
the peak of living costs above 1940, this is
not much of a drop in living expenses.
Reports on the first quarter of 1949 were
not all in at the time of this review, but
leaders in all industries were busy in April
trying to decide' which way the wind is
blowing this year. Roughly, most business
leaders think adjustment downward is still
under way, by slow degrees, and that it
will continue till mid-1950. The volume of
national business and national income is
still too big to think of depression. Most
leaders say it is not even a recession but
simply an orderly adjustment that had to
come.
Naturally, a lot of stress is being put on
trends in April and May. Movements in the
stock market during April will show how
business leaders feel, many say. Store trade
during Easter is also regarded as an im·
(Continued on Page 10)
Call
PR. 7351
For Coin-operated Equipment,
Parts and Supplies
A. Laymon, Inc.
DISTRIBUTOR
1429-3 1 W. Pico
MAY, 1949
by WALT,ER W. HURD
CHICAGO- Many groups in the Coin Machine Industry entered upon the
second quarter of 1949 with the sincere hope that the elusive " postwar level-
ing off point" had been reached for a certainty. Three full years have passed
while all branches of the trade have looked for a business level that prom-
ised to be permanent and at the same time profitable. In two of those years
there were some strong indications that a postwar boom might come to the
Industry, but the boom did not reach the operator level and hence the leveling
off had to come to all branches of the business.
The manufacturing industry, after reading the Census Bureau statistics
on 1947 production, pins its hopes on signs that things may become normal
this year and then a gradual rise can be counted on from the present level.
" We feel sure we have found the leveling off point, if only general busi-
ness conditions don't upset us again ." That is a report that comes from many
quarters and may express the majority sentiment in the trade at the end of
the first quarter.
The mystery in the whole picture is what may happen to the country
generally, and that has much bigger industries than the coin machine trade
The Review Calendar ...
IMPORTAHT DATES
~:~
=~:i!eDAb'atement
L7
Week.
May 1-8 -Nationa l Fa mily Week.
May 2-8 -National Rest aurant Week.
May 2-9 -National Music Week.
May 2-14 -Spring C leani ng Drive.
May 7-14 -National Golf Week.
May 8
,-Mother's Day.
May 8-14 -National Raisin Week.
May 12 -National Hospital Day.
May 14-21-National Frolen Food Week.
May 15 -I Am An American Day.
May 15 -Straw Hat Day.
May 16-21-V.F.W. Poppy Week.
May 22-28--World Trade W eek.
May 30 -Memorial Day.
CQ HVEHTIOHS
May 8-12 -Super Market Institute\ 12th annual con-
vention. Stevens Hote, Chicago.
June 5-10 -National Confectioners Assn .• 6~th an-
nual convention, 23rd exposition, Stav·
ens Hotel, Chicago.
June 26-29-National Candy Who lesa lers Assn ., 4th
annual convention and all-confectionery
exposition, Stevens Hotel, Chicago.
July 26-28-- National Assn. of Music Merchants
( Retail). annual convention and exhi bit,
Manhattan Center Exhibition Hall, New
York.
Oct. 24-29-lnternational Assn. of ke Cream Manu-
facturers, 45th annual convention , los
Angeles.
Nov. 27-3~Natio n al
Automatic
Mercha ndisi ng
Aun., annual convention and exhibi,t .
Atlantic City. N. J.
guessing. Manufacturers are much more op-
timistic than might be expected and express
strong faith in the prospect that the Indus-
try will find a good leveling off point and
then begin another decade of. upward ex-
pansion.
Probably the music division is showing
more signs of taking on new vision for th e
future than other parts of the trade. Manu-
facturers began to stir themselves late
last year and the initiative has spread even
to operators in remote areas. One of the
problems has been to find a point of pro-
duction that would supply operator demand
without piling up too many machines. A
number of manufacturers say they have
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
REPAIRS and PARTS
Buy and Sell Slots
•
OVER 20 YEARS IN
SERVICING SLOTS
G. B. SAM
541' E. 32nd
stre.t.
Lo. AnlJeles 11. Cal.
ADams 7688
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•
7
OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: 1115 V .. lc. Blvd •• Los AnlJ.les 15. Calif. Paul W. Blackford. Edltor .. 1I
P.blls ..... : Walt... W. Hurd. Executive Editor: Louis Kan ofsky. AdvertJ.I.1J ManalJ. r . Flhroy 82".
CH ICAGO OFFICE Ill: C. J. Anderson. 35 Ea st Wacker Drive. CENtra l 1-1112: NEW YORK OFFICE
1171: Ralph P. MullllJan. 441 Lexl •
Av ..... M. rray Hili 2-5589. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $5.00
for 2 year _ i .lmum term accepted: SOc p. r copy.
.,to.
Level Off - And Start Up Again!
BUSINESS REVIEW,. .. Trade Has Found Long Soughl ~oinl;
,
Needs Ideas To Promole AI Prolll
Operators of coin machines still watch
unemployment and the cost of living as the.
chief points in the national picture that
affect the patronage of machines most di-
rectly. The 'experts are saying that April
and May will show the real trend in em-
ployment, whether business has hit a real
slump or whether the nation can keep the
total unemployed at a minimum.
Reports are encouraging on the cost of
living and operators are concerned in that
trend personally and they also feel that
high living expenses mean fewer coins
deposited in machines.
Living costs are going down slowly and
experts figure that the general decline will
mean a 5 to 10 per cent drop from the
peak by June ' 1950. This percentage is
based on the guess that there will be no
real crash to a depression level. Considering
the peak of living costs above 1940, this is
not much of a drop in living expenses.
Reports on the first quarter of 1949 were
not all in at the time of this review, but
leaders in all industries were busy in April
trying to decide' which way the wind is
blowing this year. Roughly, most business
leaders think adjustment downward is still
under way, by slow degrees, and that it
will continue till mid-1950. The volume of
national business and national income is
still too big to think of depression. Most
leaders say it is not even a recession but
simply an orderly adjustment that had to
come.
Naturally, a lot of stress is being put on
trends in April and May. Movements in the
stock market during April will show how
business leaders feel, many say. Store trade
during Easter is also regarded as an im·
(Continued on Page 10)
Call
PR. 7351
For Coin-operated Equipment,
Parts and Supplies
A. Laymon, Inc.
DISTRIBUTOR
1429-3 1 W. Pico
MAY, 1949
by WALT,ER W. HURD
CHICAGO- Many groups in the Coin Machine Industry entered upon the
second quarter of 1949 with the sincere hope that the elusive " postwar level-
ing off point" had been reached for a certainty. Three full years have passed
while all branches of the trade have looked for a business level that prom-
ised to be permanent and at the same time profitable. In two of those years
there were some strong indications that a postwar boom might come to the
Industry, but the boom did not reach the operator level and hence the leveling
off had to come to all branches of the business.
The manufacturing industry, after reading the Census Bureau statistics
on 1947 production, pins its hopes on signs that things may become normal
this year and then a gradual rise can be counted on from the present level.
" We feel sure we have found the leveling off point, if only general busi-
ness conditions don't upset us again ." That is a report that comes from many
quarters and may express the majority sentiment in the trade at the end of
the first quarter.
The mystery in the whole picture is what may happen to the country
generally, and that has much bigger industries than the coin machine trade
The Review Calendar ...
IMPORTAHT DATES
~:~
=~:i!eDAb'atement
L7
Week.
May 1-8 -Nationa l Fa mily Week.
May 2-8 -National Rest aurant Week.
May 2-9 -National Music Week.
May 2-14 -Spring C leani ng Drive.
May 7-14 -National Golf Week.
May 8
,-Mother's Day.
May 8-14 -National Raisin Week.
May 12 -National Hospital Day.
May 14-21-National Frolen Food Week.
May 15 -I Am An American Day.
May 15 -Straw Hat Day.
May 16-21-V.F.W. Poppy Week.
May 22-28--World Trade W eek.
May 30 -Memorial Day.
CQ HVEHTIOHS
May 8-12 -Super Market Institute\ 12th annual con-
vention. Stevens Hote, Chicago.
June 5-10 -National Confectioners Assn .• 6~th an-
nual convention, 23rd exposition, Stav·
ens Hotel, Chicago.
June 26-29-National Candy Who lesa lers Assn ., 4th
annual convention and all-confectionery
exposition, Stevens Hotel, Chicago.
July 26-28-- National Assn. of Music Merchants
( Retail). annual convention and exhi bit,
Manhattan Center Exhibition Hall, New
York.
Oct. 24-29-lnternational Assn. of ke Cream Manu-
facturers, 45th annual convention , los
Angeles.
Nov. 27-3~Natio n al
Automatic
Mercha ndisi ng
Aun., annual convention and exhibi,t .
Atlantic City. N. J.
guessing. Manufacturers are much more op-
timistic than might be expected and express
strong faith in the prospect that the Indus-
try will find a good leveling off point and
then begin another decade of. upward ex-
pansion.
Probably the music division is showing
more signs of taking on new vision for th e
future than other parts of the trade. Manu-
facturers began to stir themselves late
last year and the initiative has spread even
to operators in remote areas. One of the
problems has been to find a point of pro-
duction that would supply operator demand
without piling up too many machines. A
number of manufacturers say they have
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
REPAIRS and PARTS
Buy and Sell Slots
•
OVER 20 YEARS IN
SERVICING SLOTS
G. B. SAM
541' E. 32nd
stre.t.
Lo. AnlJeles 11. Cal.
ADams 7688
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
•
7
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).