Page 290 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

sister type each mother a letter in which she described the various menus
served the children. She also emphasized the fact that the best ingredients
were used in cooking and that the children were served only foods suitable
for young, growing people. A few of these letters were also sent to others she
thought might be prospects and resulted in a number of new faces around her
luncheon table.

“Nickel-in-the-Slot”PoolTables

C

OIN-OPERATED machines have become a craze in this country. Marvin
Owens, for instance, bought three tables, placed them in busy taverns and is
well on the way to making his $1,000. These tables require no attention. They
are standard, official billiard tables upon which a regulation pool game may
be played. You simply drop a nickel in the slot, and are then ready to play a
full game of pool. Counters, cues, chalk, and other necessary equipment are
furnished with the table.
“I thought when I first saw the illustration of this table that it was

another one of those pool table toys,” Mr. Owens told our editor. “But
investigation quickly dispelled this idea. The table is a regulation table on
which you ‘shoot’ a regulation game. The beauty of it is that one or more
persons can play for the same price. Many men have an idea they’re pool
sharks and, of course, when they see the pool table, they want to prove their
skill. The result is a good play wherever a table is set up—especially in
taverns.

“I started with three tables. Today I have ten in operation, and collect once
every two weeks. The tables cost me seventy dollars each, and pay me a
profit of about fourteen dollars weekly. I give the tavern owner a commission
of 25 per cent. The novelty of a coin-operated pool game appeals to almost
every man who has ever handled a cue. Even people who have not played a
game of pool in years become enthusiasts. More play is given the coin-
operated table, therefore, than a regular pool table. The one drawback to
continued operation of these tables is that when the tavern owner sees how