Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

Some Trade Gains In
Popular Locations
WASHINGTON -
Operators who
have machines in taverns can take
encouragement in the fact that trade
in these locations seemed to start on
an upward curve in 1949. At least,
the brewing industry rep rted that
beer output and sales made a slight
gain over 10 months of the year, as
compared with 1948. Some areas had
marked increases in beer sales during
the fall months.
The Dept. of Commerce showed eat-
ing and drinking places, drug stores
and gas stations making a slightly up-
ward trend in fall and early winte r
trade in dollar volume. However, the
Dept. said that when trade is adjusted
for all conditions and compared with
the fall months of last year, eating
and drinking places and gas stations
were showing slight declines in trade.
Operators who have machines suited
to super marke ts should make a drive
for such locations, for the gre atest
optimism seem s to prevail in the ex-
pansion move nlent in supe r nlarkets_
New ones at the rate of about 600 to
1 ,000 a year are said to b e opening
up.
State Legislatures
Meet Early In Year
Th e pa t year was th e big Legislative
Year but there will be 16 to 19 state
legislatures in session also in 1950, which
means that operator in that many states
may have to be on guard about unfavor.
able legislation.
It usually happens that from four to
seve n or more tates hold special session s,
and ten state are sched ul ed to hold regu·
lar sessions in 1950, wh il e Cal ifornia and
Maryland will hold budget and revenue
sessions.
Reports have also been curren t that
New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wash·
ington would almost certainly have a spe·
cia l sess ion ea rly in 1950 to consider
revenue and tax problems.
A li st of states and scheduled date for
1950 legislative sessions to begin follows:
California ............ ............ March 6
Connecticul.. ...... .. (Began Nov. 9)
Georgia ........ ...................... Jan. 16
Idaho ...... ................ ........ .... Feb. 6
Kentuck y ............................ Jan. 3
Louisiana ............................ May 8
Maryland .................. .......... Feb. I
M:'lss.ac~us.ells ...................... Jan. 4
Mlsslsslpp . ............ ......... ..... Jan. 3
New J er sey ... ..................... Jan. 10
New York .................. .......... Jan. 4
Rhode Island ...................... Jan. 3
South Carolina ... ... .......... .. Jan. 10
T exas .............. ...... .. ... ....... Jan. 15
Virginia ................ ...... ...... Jan. II
Report Music Installations
SEATTLE-A. S. Beutle r, head of th e
new branch of the "Jones Boys" in Seattle,
announced tbat R. F. Jones Co. was th e
exculsive distributor for th e new COIllO
Manufacturing Corp. Hollycrane. He ex·
pects this new miniature industrial cralle
to be one of th e top coin·operated sk ill
games in the northwest in 1950.
R. F. Jones Co., also, became the local
representative of th e Chicago Co in Machine
company's 5·ball machines and of th eir
new Bowling Alley which can be played by
one or two persons and offers bowlillg
game features for 5 or 10 ce nts.
Beutler reported a November sp urt in
Seeburg installations which he expec ted
to con tinue right into 1950.
JANUARY, 1950
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Mucb Revenue Involved In
Washington Court Decision
Since the am usement game trade had
long looked to th e tate of Washington as
an example of what happens, favorable and
unfavorable, in th e l icensing of amusem ent
game for revenue, in cludin g co nsoles and
bells, th e legal situ ation that developed
in recent months will be of general interest.
At the time of preparing thi rev iew,
there were certain points that mean a con·
tinu ed story in th e developm ents for a
tim e; th ey we re:
1. A petition for a rehearing of the case
by th e en tire nine judges of th e State
Supreme Court ha s been fil ed by a ttorn ey~
representing operators. Th e original dec i·
sion of th e hig)l court will not become effec·
tive until th e co urt rules on whether it
will rehear th e case. (Petiti on fi led Dec. 8
by a general tux payer ; a lso a previo us
petition had been fil ed).
2. Currently, only two coun ti e in the
tate are reported to be actually moving to
EXPAND
WITH
NEW
MACHINES
enforce the decision by compelling removal
of th e games specified in the decree.
Th e games si tuation , and th e reven ue
involved, is so important to citi es and
co unti es as we]] as the State, that a special
meeting of co unty prosecutors was held
early in December, and 19 of them (of th e
total 39) decided games speci fi ed would
have to be bann ed if the State Supreme
Court adheres to its decis ion of No\·. 9.
3. T.here has bee n some question as 10
what types of games were affected by th e
high court decision . Newspaper publicity
has referred to pin ball which in cludes a
wide variety of games. Public officials most
often refer si m ply to pin ball games. Legal
authori ti es in the trade, at least somt', have
stated that th e decis ion only cove red rna·
chin es of th e cash payout type- con soles
and bells.
4. As stated, two petitioJis had been filed
for a rehearing. Attorneys representin~ two
operators have stated that th e case will he
appealed to th e U. S. Supreme Co urt if
the State hi~h court aga in dec ides unfavor·
ab ly.
Many games operators have much at stak e
O\'er th e state in th e outcome, but publicity
in newspape rs ha s ri ghtfully emphas izt'd
th e la rge amounts of revenue that wi ll hp
10 t by th e state, also ci ti es and counties.
A eattle newspaper sa id:
"The devices have bee n a major SO llL'C('
of income to many cities and to th e state.
Publi c olficials, as well a pin ball operators
and hundreds of mall busin ess men ill
whose e tablishments the machines are
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