The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-02-20
Rice Turned Bootblack
Made Fortunes for Those Who
Bought His Stocks, but Now
Blacks Shoes.

But then, 1t brings him in about
$50 per day, and that is not so bad
on a $4,000 investment when all
the work he has to do is to gather
in the money.
The Electric Shoe Shining Ma
chine does the trick. Just drop a
nickel in the slot and the machine
does the rest. Gives a better shine
than any bootblack and all in two
minutes. One machine does the
work of 10 men, and costs the
owner a tenth of a cent shine.
The only danger Rice Is In is that
the United States government will
step in and jug him for counter
feiting nickels. for this little ma
chine coins them just about as fast
as the government mint. They
drop through the slot there just
about as quick as they can be
stamped Out-One every two min
utes is its capacity and there is
generally line waiting before the
machine that keeps 1t running to
it's full capacity. Stop to figure
moment how many dollars day
nickel every two minutes
amounts to. Rice is going to put
10 of these machines in the city.
Stop then, and figure how many
dollars a nickel every ~ seconds
amounts to.
Will it be- kept busy? Why,
bless you. there are probably 200
bootblacks in this city and they
are making money. The bOotblack
can no more compete with this
machine than the pack horse can
compete with the freight train.
Not only that. but the poor fellow
who could not afford a shine be-
fore can at the reduced price. and
the busy man who cannot wait for
the bootblack gets it now almost
instantaneously, and the hundreds
of thousands of people who from
all over the Inland Empire make
their way to the streets of this
city. most of whom are not in the
habit of getting shines, are nearly
all going to take at least one shot
at that machine. just for the
novelty. Twenty of these ma
chimes could be used in this city.
The company is capitalized for
only $4,000. It now owns the
machines In use in the city and
the exclusive county rights for 25
years. There is yet unsold $1,000
worth of stock. This will pur-
chase eight more machines. Every
dollar of stock sold goes into new
machines, so that the small capital
stock of $4,000 will be drawing
dividends on the eight new ma
chimes as well as those already
installed. Suppose you owned
$4,000 worth of that stock. That
would be one fifth. A nickel every
IL seconds for the company would
be q nickel every minute for you.
Come sickness, come accident.
come pleasure, come pain-come
what will, every minute that fitted
by, you could say. There Is a
nickel for me-" Every hour that
passed you could say, There goes
so nickels or So for me-" Every
day of Is hours of its activity you
could say. "Forty.five dollars add,
ed to what I've got makes just
that much more Am | painting
this too rosy? Yes, | am; for the
reason that it is not probable that
all the machines will be running
full blast for every minute of the
Is hours in its working day. But
1t will surprise you how busy they
will be kept. Just stand around
those two machines now working
in the Arcade and count the
nickels they take In during a half
hour. Then by way OF contrast
figure out what one machine really
has to take in to make seven per
cent on the $500 cost of each ma.
chine. Only two nickels day will
more than pay it. Now mark it
one machine does the work of 10
men. Is there any man so devoid
of brains as to say they will not
pay; is there any man, ask, who
would attempt to prove that any
shop of 10 bootblacks In this city
Is not taking in 10 cents a day?
This, mark you, when the poor
man, when the busy man, when
the hundreds of thousands who
will try 1t for novelty's sake-those
who never patronize the bootblack
are going to feed this machine
their nickels.
II you want to get In on this
you would better act quickly. Only
$1,000 worth of stock for sale, and
that's a mighty small bite. and
there are number nibbling
around 1t already who have been
hanging around watching that ma
chine coin the money. Send your
money right In and IL you are too
late 1t will promptly be sent back
First come first served. No order
for less than $40 recaiycd