Palisadian., 1923-03-23
Walter Binner Saws
Church Program
An Unfair Holdup
March Is, 1928.
To the Editor of The Palisadian:

Dear Sir-YOu recently printed an
editorial in The Palisadian commend
ing the raising of large sum of
money by the Palisadian Church in
connection with an entertainment.
large part of this money was
raised by selling advertising space in
the program for the entertainment
If you will look through the advertis,
ing pages of this church entertain
ment program l believe you will agree
with me that the inclosed editorial
from this weeks Printers Ink covers
to large extent the methods used in
collecting money for advertising in
this program.
No serious objection can be taken
to selling space to local merchants
but there is decided question of
right and wrong in soliciting funds
from out of town concerns who are
not interested in the church for either
business or personal reasons.
l believe that it would be in the in
terests of Palisade to publish the
Printers Ink editorial, which l am in.
closing. Very truly yours,
WALTER BINNER.
The Printers Ink Editorial
The Brooklyn Wet Wash Laundry
Owners Association, Inc, is. holding
it's grand annual dinner-dance on the
evening of March II. In order to helI
defray the expenses for the annual
frolic the advertising committee has
hit upon the new and splendid idea
of having program!
In this program certain eager manu-
facturers whose products are bought
by members of the association are to
be given the opportunity of express
ing their gratitude-at S1O0 per page
A simple and effective method of cut
ting down the bill for cigars and other
incidentals, and perhaps of adding
slightly to the treasury of the asso-
citation at the expense of those who
dare not do otherwise than contribute
On January Is the committee sent
out it's first letter. which told each
fortunate manufacturer that he had
been appointed a member of dinner.
dance committeeman, oddly enough
that his principal duty as a member
would be to insert copy in page
considerably set aside for him at the
purely nominal price of S10O.
A manufacturer who refused to
avail himself of the opportunity of
fered received a second letter, dated
January 20, in which the committee
expressed panied surprise at not hav-
ing received a check for S100. The
letter closed with a paragraph point.
ing out that the opportunity was too
important to neglect.
A third letter, dated February 8, ex-
pressed still more surprise at the
manufacturer Indifference. And then
followed the fourth letter, of Febru.
ary 10, which might serve as a model
of certain kind of selling.
Let us quote a couple of para
graphs:
eve have written you on three oc
casions asking for an advertisement
to be inserted in the program of the
Brooklyn Wet Wash Laundry Owners
Association Dinner Dance to be hello
on March 18th. Up to the present
writing we have failed to hear from
you.
"The members of this organization
have set up blackboard in this offic
upon which are recorded the names of
those who have and of those who have
not answered our requests. Do you
wish to be put down as one who has
not contributed his bit for such a
worthy cause?"
The metal has begun to clank be-
meath the silken glove, the big stick
is waving in the background, and the
advertising committee has settled
down to little desperate selling.
Printers Ink long ago made clear
its. attitude toward this form of
charity" advertising, which seldom
brings in any returns and Is usually
but fearful gesture on the part of
manufacturers who don't dare stay
out. Money spent on this kind of ad-.
vertising has no place in the adver-
tising budget 1t belongs more prop
erly under the head of gifts.
Space sold in the questionable man.
ner used by the association is sold on
the plain basis of fear The method
can in no way be construed as bust
nesslike. There are other terms that
describe it more aptly.
The above communication and the
article accompanying it form strange
state of mind in the case of Mr.. Wal
ter Binner. His attempt to character
ize the entertainment recently given