Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-15
GOOD TIMESsHQV
in DEMAND. FOR
SPEARMlNf GUN
O. ]. Buck. Inventor of Flavor,
and One of "Wrigley's"
Owners. Talks Business

That the general increase IN BUSH
ness which has come to the United
States Within the last several months
has boosted sales of Wrigley's Spear
mint gum so per cent more than for
the same period last year, is the state
ment made by o. j. Buck. large inter-
est holder in the company, and the
man who got up the "spearmint
flavor" ,-......~ .r.....
Mr.. and Mrs. Buck are spending a
vacation in Honolulu and are stop
ping at the Alexander Young hotel.
They will leave for Los Angeles one
week from next Saturday.
Business at present is very good
over the United States said Mr..
Buck, land all prospects seem to point
to a continuation Of this condition.
From December Is to February l
our sales have increased by so per
cent over last year., From January IL
to the present time We have sold ap-
proximately 1000, 900 Does. as COM
pared with 1.1O0.OO0i, boxes for the
same period. last year.iiw 4sss>... ,e5,f .,
Due To General Prpspafity!s
Mr.. Buck says. that this is due to
the general rise id business conditions
rather than to any determined effort
OF the American people to chew gum
Much of the Wrigley's gum goes to
the trenches, he says, where It Is
proving a solaee and comfort to the
soldiers OF the Allies.
In Canada" says Mr.. Buck, they
have a custom now of giving enter.
tainments to secure money for the
soldiers. The entry fee for each per-
son to these fairs is a package OF
Wrigley's Spearmint gum, the total
collection of packages going as q gift
to the boys in trenches. As 80 per
cent of each stick of gum is nutri-
ment, it is evident the gift Is WORTH
While. Word comes back to US that
the soldiers get great deal OF enjoy.
ment out of il"
Mr.. Buck was with the company
when 1t first started in 1892, and has
seen it develop from small establish
ment Boosting a daily output OF 10
cases or 10000 packages to 2,O00, 600
packages day at the present time.
Wrisley 10 Ad Man. ~,
William Wrigley, Jr., the man whose
name appears on the PACKAGES Is the
expert, and Is responsible
for the spearhead idea. Mr.. Buck
says he considers Mr.. Wrigleysl the
greatest advertising expert in the
world
Il have always, been proud of the
fact that / got up the Spearmint
flavor, which took so weh with the
public" says Mr. Buck. -
Some idea of the vast output from
the big factory in Chicago may be
gained from the fact that each of the
machines which lays the gum out in
sticks from the kettles has capacity
Of 10000 sticks a minute. The main
engine that runs the gum-mixing ma
chinery in the Chicago factory is rated
at 75o horse power, and the factory
building itself it $40 feet long, 80 feet
wide, and six stories high, with q
basement and endorsement.
"0ur business has not been affected
seriously as far as imports and ex-
ports go" says the gum man in refer.
ring to the war. We had two or
three big shipments of gum go down in |
the Atlantic as the result OF mines or
however.
Get Sugar At Home.
"Chicle, which makes up so. large |
part of the gum constituent, comes |
from Central America, Mexico, British |
Honduras, Guatemala and Venezuela. |
few of our flavors come from Eu.
rope, while we get our sugar at home |
I'VE buy sugar for our factories
says MIR. Buck, 10000 barrels at Q
purchase. We have branches in New |
York, Toronto. London and Mel.
bourne" r. ~.
Mr.. Buck says that the Toronto fac.
tory is almost as large as the main |
factory in Chicago, each of these two
factories giving employment to prac
ticaIly 500 people. Reinforced con.
crete is used in the construction of |
the factory buildings.
Mr. Buck congratulates Honolulu on |
securing the service of the steamship |
Great Northern. He says that the |
city and the other islands should do |
all possible to induce the big liner to |
stay on this run. ---z~.
IL