Marketplace

MARKETPLACE
NEWSLETTER
PAGE 11, OCTOBER, 1975
LABOR WARNED
eware
Vending Machines
• •
,
That's how it was. On January 3, 1891 in the outstanding and very popular magazine,
"The Illustrated American", labor was e,lerted to the possible loss of its livlihood due
to the growth of automatic vending.
The editor of "The Illustrated American" asked, 84 years a.go, "Will the automatic
machine develop into a. standing threat to labor?"
Just imagine the problems faced by vending opera.tors in those years as they pioneered
the pa.th to today's nationwide acceptance of automatic merchandising. Read the editorial
of dire warning to labor:
Will the Jutomau c machine develop into
a standing threat to honest labor>
Already it has dispensed with the serv
ices of a number o( human employees, and
has filled the vacancy with labor that is not
only cheap, but has the further advantage:
(from the standpoint of the capitalist) that
it will not smoke, or get drunk, or come in
after hours, or go out on strike, or embezzle
the funds entrusted to its care.
But the new extensions of the automatic
principle that arc constantly bcmg made
must ultimately result in a much more scri
ous inroad upon industries both small and
great.
We arc to have our onc as we now have our onc and the newspaper boy will become as
extinct .ts th<" dodo. Shirts and razors arc
to become purchasable in the same way, to
the probJblc d1m1nution of the number of
salesmen. Even luncheons of considerable
proportions and of some variety arc talked
of as among the possibilities of the early
future. Think of the armies of waiters that
will be thrown out of employment!
Already news comes from England that
an :iutomatic coffee tavern is now on cxh1
batwn at Birmingham.
The purchaser drops in has penny and
pulls out a knob l.1bded with the drink he
demcs. Then, by prcmng a tap, he is able
to draw the exact quantity. There arc two
pl.1ted cups for the use of cmtomcrs and a
second tap gives a constant supply of water
for rinsing. Each reservoir of drink holds
seven gallons, and tea and colft:c arc kept
hot by maton turns the gas out when the reservoir
is ex hausted and displays a nouce,"Empty,"
in front. Iced drinks arc to be sold through
the same machine, which can also be uti-
lized for the sale of sandwiches, pies, and
cakes.