The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-11
Ask your grocer for
Princess Flour.
Made by Ban ton Watson d Co.
NEW NICKEL-IN.THE-SLOT SCHEME.
One That Passes Out Four Cents Worth of
Postage Stamps and Slip Worth One Cent
pecial 70 the Indianapolis Journal.

Special 20 the indianapolis Journal
WAsHINGToN, Aug. 10.-The slot machine
which Assistant Postmaster General Whit
field Is to manage when he leaves the Post
Office Department. Sept. /, is an improve
ment on the machine which has had q linn
tied use in New York oity. 1t is claimed
to be an improvement mechanically. How
ever that may be. 1t is an improvement as
a device to enlist the sympathies of the
public, because it seems to give the citizen
more for his money. AS fact. one-half
the people who patronize the machine will
not make any more from it than they do
from the other machines. But there is an
appearance of honesty about the new
machine which will captivate the aver
age woman and appeal to the ordinary
man. The old machines give two
two-cent or four one-cent stamps for five
cent nickel. and they give no more. The
new machine gives back five cents value,
instead of four cents. for the nickel dropped
in the slot. When you push your nickel In
and touch the button below the slot o lit
tie cartouche drops out. You break it open
and find within the four cents worth of
STAN ps which you are seeking. With them
ia slip of paper of the size of a postage
stamp. In the center of it IS the announce
ment that 1t is worth one cent. Radiating
from the center are sixteen names of firms
dealing In specialties On the reverse side
of the COUPON are sixteen other names Be-
low the names is the statement that the
coupon 10 good for one cent in ten in max.
ing purchases from any one Of the firms
named above.
The patron of the slot machine will pos
slbly have no occasion to deal directly
xusrf nxaA s.f% hAn Er... IL
the drug store acts as q middle man. The
druggist deals In the specialties of the
advertising houses at retail. He accepts
the stamps in payment for goods ut retail
on the same bass-fOr one cent in ten.
Then he sends them to the wholesaler or
the jobber in part payment for his pur-
chases. The firms represented on the cou-
pons pay for tho privilege of putting their
names In the list That is, they pay for the
privilege OF redeeming these coupons at
one cent each. Theoretically. therefore,
the expense of tho slot machine comes
from them. Practically it comes from the
people, because tho man Who gets a coupon
and cashes 1T will probably make q pur-
chase which he would not have made unde 7
other conditions. and he pays 90 per
cent of the purchase money in cash.
The new company figures that the adver-
tiser will have to pay ii per cent. for the
advertising on the cost OF goods sold. That
Is much smaller percentage than the ad-
vertiser usually pays. 1t Is estimated. too,
that less than 10 per cent. of tho coupons
will be presented for redemption.
The new machines ore to be placed in
drug stores. 1t Is estimated that one will
be needed for each one thousand of pOpula-
tion in largo cities. IL the calculations of
the company are correct, each machine
will sell 80 cents worth of stamps day and
the druggist will make a profit of little
more than 500 year where he has hand
led stamps heretofore for nothing or to
oblige his customers. The advertisers will
pay SO. 80 each for each $50 machines per
year. The parent company will begin the
sale of State rights and local privileges as
soon as Mr.. Whitfield can take hold of Is.