The San Francisco call., 1909-11-08
UNCLE SAM RULES
PIANO CONTESTS ILLEGAL
Newspapers Containing Rebus, Dot Counting
and Other Prize Puzzle Advertisements
Excluded From United States Mails

Within six months ending April Z,
1909. as prizes" for solving rebus
puzzles, counting dots on piano pic
lures, word contests, geographical
problems. etc, there was distributed IN
San Francisco. Oakland and the cities
of the bay counties more than s12, ,O0O.-
900 in Certificates" Gold Bonds
Manufacturers Bonds Credit Cou-
pons. ETC.. which are good only If
applied on the purchase price of new
piano at the store from which the
Bond or Certificate was issued. not
more than one certificate to apply on
any purchase. Thousands of persons
answered these advertisements, sending
their solution of the puzzle. and TO
each and every one of these has been
mailed a Bond" or Certificate" vary
ing in its apparent value from $50 TO
1925. the average amount being 800.
regardless of the correctness of the
answer submitted
In one prize contest" a piano firm
claimed to have received more than
thirty thousand replies. Taking the
smallest Bond" issued by that house.
which was $50, it would appear thar
s2400OO0 in Bonds" is outstanding z
against that concern Another firm
sent out 1000 Certificates" of S125
each, or $4,000. thus creating float
ing indebtedness in this amount. all OF
which is redeema BILE only by applying
the face value of the certificate on the
purchase price of a new piano and
limiting the time of purchase usually
to one month from the date OF the
Bond" During the past two years
not less than ten of these Certificate
and Bond contests have been adVer-
tised and carried out in San Francisco
and Oakland. 1t is safe to say that
today there are outstanding not less
than $4,000. oOO in Bonds" and Ger
tificates" bearing the signature OF piano
firms and music dealers.
HOW THE SCHEME OPERATES
This whole Bond" plan is based on
the desire of the public generally 70
get something for nothing, the sell
ing plan usually adopted being to mark
up the price of all pianos from 800 to
$3.50, then deducting the face value OF
the Bond" from the marked price
The rest is easy The buyer gets the
piano. paying for it 800 TO $50 more
than the regular price and having the
face value of his Bond deducted or
credited 10 his account on the piano
contract.
OUR ONE PIANO CONTEST
Several years ago the manager OF one
of our stores inauguratedi a NAM
Contest in his city along lines similar
vet different from those now IN vogue
1t is significant fact that this man
is no longer in the employ OF our mouse
We have had one experience in the
contast game and while IL proved
profitable in a monetary sense 1t has
left a bad taste" and we are frank
TO say that we regret that our soo1
name was ever sullied by such an act
on the part of any employe OF ours
With the passing of this contest We
determined that never again would our
name be loaned to any scheme WhiSI
will not stand the white light OF com
nlete publicity This determination lei
to the exposure less than year ago
by us of the bond and reous puzzles
with their numerous coupons ana
v-ortbIess credit certificates, which ad-
vertising is fresh in the minds OF most
San Francisco readers