SUPPLIED BY SLOT MACHINE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7802, 5 September 1903, Page 2

SUPPLIED BY SLOT MACHINE.

(Ntw Zorfc Sun.; London is haying la. bad attack of slotmachine fever. Its' slot machines have multiplied from the original, few which dispensed' dh6colate i stamps and cigarettes to a legion which sell everything, act as post offices and advertising agencies and generally try to supply aJ#- human wants. The increase io; ( the number and types has led Mr Labouchere to inquire "Is the shopkeeper played out?" He expresses the belief that shaving, haircutting, shoe-clean-ing find art photography by slot machines mus , all come in time. • One company- alone now (has in service in London half a million machines of. fifty or more different types. In the railway stations there are machines which suppiy candy, biscurts, preserved; fruits, tobacco, stamps, matches, briar pipe^' cigarettes, cigars and soft drinks. Besides these things, there are in eoveral stations automatic buffets, where all sorts of light refreshments and all sorts of drinks, hard and soft, are vendddi by slot machines, a« in the place on Broadway in this city. There, is one huge (machine called the Automatic Supply fc>fcore t * which aims to supply most 'human wants. It delivers pastry, email grooerieSj oandy> tooth brushes, powder, drugs, tobacco^ stationery, collars and cufis, neckti^ socks, soap, towels and a few other things. Another machine supplies umbrellas. You put two shillings (50 cents) inusuccession in the slot, press a spring, and get a serviceable and fairly good-looking protector from the rain. But. the most interesting of the machines put out so far is the poste restante. Tilis is how it works : You Sieve an appointment, say, with John Jones at Paddington Station at five o'clock. You find thai? you cannot keep it, and it is too late to apprise Jones of the fact by telegraphing to his home or office. You can't send a messenger, for he probably wouldn't find the right Jones. So you despatch a telegram addressed "John Jones t Automaticsj Paddington." The telegraph messenger delivers it to the machine, which exposes the address behind the jjlass. Jones t finding that you don't appear at the proper time, looks in the machine and eees'the telegram. He gets it by putting a penny in the slot. The disadvantage is, of course) that anybody cah get anybody else's message by putting in his penny. But the British public seems willing to take a chance of that. A new machine is about to be launched now which goes even further than this. It is an advertising automaton. - If you want roonis z a servant or a situation, you are to advertise the fact i» the machine for a penny. You write out your advertisement, put it in, with you -penny, and the machine displays it in your own writing. Whether this will be a success is doubtful; but it is to be tried. After that the slot-machine news stand and the automatic shoe-shiner are expected to come along very soon.