166 
January 31, 
PUBLISHER’S DESK 
Friends of this Department will be in¬ 
terested to know that during the year 
1913, 743 claims were collected through 
this department, aggregating $10,112.91. 
During 1912, 558 claims were collected 
aggregating $10,926.51; during 1911, 
539 claims aggregating $12,110.63; dur¬ 
ing 1910, 400 claims aggregating $9,065.- 
45. For the four years there was a to¬ 
tal of 2,240 claims, amounting to $42,- 
215.50. During 1913, 2,061 inquiries 
were answered through this department 
for ratings on business houses and other 
purely business matters. Inquiries should 
be, and often are, accompanied by post¬ 
age for reply, but the service is entirely 
free to subscribers, and we are glad to 
have them make use of it whenever the 
service will be of benefit to them. 
Several years ago we called attention 
to the nature of the business done by the 
Monaton Realty Investing Company of 
New York City, and other concerns 
of the same kind. These realty concerns 
speculate in city and suburban real es¬ 
tate. One or more mortgages are placed 
on the property ; and then bonds are sold 
on the basis of the estimated value of the 
properties above the mortgage. The so- 
called bonds are mere promises of the 
company - to pay. They also write an 
installment contract in which the com¬ 
pany promises to pay six per cent inter¬ 
est and a part of the profits and also 
promise a return of the money. The 
Appellate Court has recently held that 
the companies have no authority to do 
this kind of a business; that it is in 
effect a banking business and could only 
be carried on legally by concerns organ¬ 
ized under the banking laws. The at¬ 
torney general has now announced that 
proceedings would be brought against 
these real estate companies to compel 
them to refrain from this class of busi¬ 
ness, which of course, would drive them 
out of business entirely. It is said that 
a receiver would be asked for the Mona¬ 
ton concern, and an application made to 
have its charter annulled. 
These realty concerns have been a 
scandal to the State. Some of them have 
issued notes, called bonds, to the amount 
of twelve million dollars or more. These 
have been sold through advertising and 
house to house canvassers to inexper¬ 
ienced investors who were led to believe 
that “bonds” were liens on real estate 
and first-class security. During the last 
two years there have been several heavy 
failures, and the holders of the bonds 
have been heavy losers. 
The business has also brought its scan¬ 
dal to the publishing business. Some 
high-class publications have carried the 
advertising and published editorials in¬ 
dorsing the business. This publicity has 
helped the companies sell the bonds, and 
has been responsible tor the loss of many 
a hard-earned dollar. 
We have referred to complaints of sub¬ 
scribers who sent orders and remittances 
to the Heffron Company of Syracuse, N. 
Y., for goods that were never delivered. 
The company is now in the hands of a 
receiver and the affairs of the concern 
are under investigation. As near as we 
can make it out there are over 1,200 such 
orders unfulfilled, aggregating on an es¬ 
timate twelve to fifteen thousand dollars. 
Mortgage for $50,000 was placed on the 
property, and the proceeds do not seem to 
be satisfactorily accounted for in full. A 
Sterling Securities Company was organ¬ 
ized, and apparently controlled by M. E. 
Heffron; and this company sold stock of 
the Heffron company. At this writing 
no one seems to know what became of 
the proceeds of these stock sales. It 
seems that the mortgage was given to 
D. H. Tolman. He is now in jail. Others 
may or may not accompany him later, 
but it is safe to say that the people who 
bought the stock have lost their money. 
We must teach our people to be more 
provident of their savings, and the State 
should also help protect them from in¬ 
vestment swindles. 
A few weeks back I answered a puzile 
just to see what it was. Yesterday I re¬ 
ceived this answer I enclose. I think 
this is giving something for nothing. It 
sounds too good to be true, to me. What 
do you think about it? I. p. 
Maryland. 
The enclosure with the above letter 
was advice from a watch concern that 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
he had won a $50 watch. Everybody 
answering one of these puzzle advertise¬ 
ments is sure to win a prize. All the 
person has to do to get this $50 watch 
is to send $3.48. This is an old fake. 
The puzzle is usually made easy so that 
everyone can solve it. The scheme is to 
make you think you are getting a prize 
for your cleverness. It is an appeal to 
one’s vanity. Of course, in reality noth¬ 
ing is allowed for skill in solving the 
riddle. They have a watch that they 
want to sell for $3.48. If they advertise 
it as such,, they would get few buyers. 
We ran down a similar proposition some 
years ago, and found the concern was 
sending out a watch that cost 49 cents 
each. It was sent by express and the 
receiver paid the express charges, and 
the concern got a rebate from the express 
companies. In a few months they cleared 
up $40,000. The complaints finally forced 
them out of business. Any scheme that 
offers something for nothing is a sure fake, 
On September 22, 1913, I left at the 
store of Wyckoff & Dickinson in Gilboa 
one case (30 dozen) of eggs, which was 
noticed by both Mr. Wyckoff and Mr. 
Dickinson, to be taken to the National 
Express office at Grand Gorge, N. Y., for 
S. & W. Waldbaum, 175 Chambers street, 
New York. I have been shipping to 
Messrs. Waldbaum during the past Sum¬ 
mer, and have received very prompt re¬ 
turns. Not hearing from them as prompt¬ 
ly as usual, I wrote, asking if they re¬ 
ceived the case, to which they replied in 
the negative. I then sent to the express 
office at Grand Gorge and found they had 
no record of my shipping any eggs on 
that date, and I have no receipt. I am 
enclosing affidavit of the driver of the 
stage, saying he left the eggs at the ex¬ 
press office or station, which is the same. 
I can get no further trace of the eggs. 
There seems no doubt the express com¬ 
pany had the eggs. Eggs were quoted at 
the time 32 cents, stage charges and ex¬ 
press 53 cents, leaving net $9.07. Can 
you do anything with this? n. w. s. 
Gilboa, N. Y. 
We are giving this history for the op¬ 
portunity it affords to issue a word of 
caution. We have been unable to collect 
several claims lately because of similar 
circumstances. The shipment had been 
entrusted to some one else and no receipt 
procured. It is impossible to get an ad¬ 
justment from an express or railway 
company unless the claim can be sup¬ 
ported with the evidence to show that 
they handled it. When any of this evi¬ 
dence is lacking the transportation com¬ 
panies deny all responsibility. Even an 
affidavit, as in this case, had no weight 
with them, for their books showed no 
record of the shipment. 
The following advertisers who have 
been refused space in The R. N.-Y. are 
all found in a single issue of one of the 
most careful of the other farm papers: 
Bradley Brothers, Makanda, Ill. 
A. L. Rice, Adams, N. Y. 
N. M. Ruthstein. Racine, Wis. 
Ratekin’s Seed House, Shenandoah, la. 
J. J. Bell Seed Co., Deposit, N. Y. 
H. W. Buckbee, Rockford, 11. 
A. A. Berry Seed Co., Clarinda, Iowa. 
Mills Seed House, Rose Hill, N. Y. 
John Lewis Childs, Floral Park, N. Y. 
The Temple Engine & Pump Co., Chi¬ 
cago, Ill. 
Jesse Beery, Pleasant Hill, Ohio. 
M. M. Johnson Company, Clay Center, 
Nebr. 
The income from these advertisements 
in the paper referred to is in the neigh¬ 
borhood of $3,000 for a single issue and 
probably not less than $9,000 for the 
season. The cost of one insertion of 
these advertisements in The R. N.-Y. 
would be about $500; and in refusing 
them space it sacrifices probably not less 
than $5,000 each season. No other paper 
that we know refuses all of them. Few 
if any other paper refuses any of them. 
This is, of course, by no means a full list 
of all the advertising we refuse. It is 
simply the number that we refused which 
appeared this month in a single issue of 
another farm paper. We are not re¬ 
ferring to this to blow our own horn, 
nor to knock other publishers or any ad¬ 
vertiser: but it is important that people 
who buy goods through the mail and send 
their money with the order should dis¬ 
criminate in their source of supplies. Our 
purpose first of all is the information and 
protection of our own subscribers, and 
after that to raise the standard and the 
efficiency of advertising—to make adver¬ 
tising dependable. In all human affairs 
the best efforts are faulty but as near 
as we can approach it we want it to 
be possible to send a remittance to an ad¬ 
vertiser in this paper with as much safety 
as it could be handed over a counter, 
when the goods are in sight. j. j. D. 
Furnish a perfect roof at low cost, 
Made of 99.9% pure, open-hearth 
iron, properly galvanized for lasting 
service. Easily and quickly laid with ham¬ 
mer and nails. Special side and end-lock 
makes them absolutely water-proof. Investi¬ 
gate sure by writing today for catalog about 
“The Roof of Quality” 
Tells why we can sell all “Dex” quality 
products under 15 year guarantee. Gives 
reasons why “Dex” Koofmg cannot rust, 
split, crack or blow off. Shows how to lay 
all kinds of metal roofing. Let us mail you 
this useful book 
The Word "Dex” 
Stands for Highest 
Quality in corruga¬ 
ted, v-crimped, roll 
roofing, and many 
other Dickelman 
MetalSpecialties. 
Write for catalog 
To-Day. 
FREE! Write for 
it today. A post 
card will do. 
Dickelman 
Roofing Co* 
Dept. SCO 
Forest, Ohio 
Galvanized or Painted 
Write to-day for free sample and mill 
? rices--Bend size of buildings and we will 
urnish free complete estimate cf cost-— 
then make comparisons and Bee the big: 
Bavings. 
QUALITY GUARANTEED 
BEST OPEN HEARTH PRODUCT 
When you bny from us, you buy from the manufac¬ 
turer. All galvanized Roofing ar.d Sidfng have extra 
heavy tight coating of galvanize. Also makers of 
galvanized shingles for houses. 
Established 1877 
THE SYKES METAL LATH & ROOFING Co. 
516 Walnut Street, Niles Ohio 
D from MILMLL PRICES 
GALVANIZED 
Write for Cat. “ C ” and price, Del, your station. 
GRIFFIN LUMBER CO., Box 99, Hudson Falls, N. Y. 
7 
sizes 
AND 
STYLES 
Shall we send you free book about ^ 
APPLETON 
WOOD SAWS 
It shows pictures of all our buzz, drag, cir¬ 
cular log saws and portable wood sawing 
rigs, with or without Appleton Gasoline 
Engines, Tells you straight facts which 
we guarantee our saws to back up. Opens 
a way for you to make money this Winter 
6awing your own and your neighbors’ 
wood. You want a saw to last—made 
6trong—boxes that never heat—don’t ex¬ 
periment with cheap saws then, buy an 
Appleton, 40 years the standard. Send for 
booklet to-day. Batavia.Ill.,U.S.A. 
APPLETONMFG.CO. 627 
G a soQine-Kerosene 
mil III gg I mil ir-a millin'^. •iii'jl|l'iL l| l 111 ". 
Sene 
for 
Free 
Booklet 
One of our types of engines is 
bound to be just what you need, 
Mr. Farmer. One of our newest 
operates on either gasoline or 
kerosene. You realize what an 
advantage that is, for kerosene’s 
most always on hand. No matter 
what job you want to do, the 
Jacobson engine simply walks 
away with the work. Jacobson 
Portable Gasoline Engines are 
approved and labeled by the 
Underwriters. Material and 
workmanship faultless. 
Jacobson Machine 
Mfg. Co. 
Dept. D 
Warren, Pa. 
We are the originators of the 
only guarantee that stands the 
test in the scales of Justice. 
Our price for the splendid 
buggy illustrated below is 
$61.90. It has triple panel 
auto seat, genuine leather up¬ 
holstering, highest type body 
construction, triple braced 
shafts, best wheels made, fqjl 
wrought fifth wheel, real long 
distance self oiling axle. 
Shipped from a warehouse 
near you. 
If you want to read the com¬ 
plete description of this and 
many other vehicle bargains, 
turn to the vehicle pages of 
our big General Catalog. 
Compare the quality and 
prices with others and re¬ 
member the guarantee of 
satisfaction we give you. 
If you haven’t our big 
General Catalog, simply say 
“Vehicles— G6R69” on a pos¬ 
tal card and mail to 
G REATER values than we 
have ever before been able 
to offer are shown this year 
in our complete line of Solid 
Comfort Vehicles as illustrated 
and described on the vehicle 
pages of our General Catalog. 
Our Leader, illustrated below, 
is the biggest selling buggy ever 
manufactured. More than 50,000 
are in daily use. But we offer 
equal values in other buggies, 
surreys, runabouts and spring 
wagons. Every vehicle we sell 
is guaranteed to give perfect 
satisfaction always. Our enor¬ 
mous vehicle business enables us 
to furnish the fullest measure of 
quality, style and workmanship, 
at prices a great deal lower than 
others ask. 
Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago Jy 
afe ^aas-: -- —- -^x-x r 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. : : : 
