1354 
7ht  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
October  27,  1923 
PUBLISHER’S  DESK 
All  letters  to  Publisher’s  Desk  depart¬ 
ment  must  be  signed  with  writer’s  full 
name  and  address  given.  Many  inquiries 
are  answered  by  mail  instead  of  printing 
inquiry  and  answer,  hence  unsigned  let¬ 
ters  receive  no  consideration. 
.Some  time  ago  a  very  smooth-talking 
man  drove  into  my  yard,  laying  that  he 
had  been  informed  that  I  had  a  carbide 
lighting  plant,  and  wished  to  inspect 
same.  I  inquired  if  he  represented  the 
insurance  company.  No,  he  was  an  in¬ 
spector  for  the  National  Acetylene  Asso¬ 
ciation.  I  allowed  him  to  inspect  the 
plant,  which  is  a  .T.  B.  Colt,  installed 
eight  years  ago.  lie  found  considerable 
fault  with  it,  and  in  the  course  of  his 
conversation  he  claimed  at  the  time  of 
the  discharge  of  a  general  manager,  that 
this  manager  had  planted  workmen  in  the 
factory  that  were  leaving  out  some  parts 
and  weakening  others  so  the  generators 
were  not  safe — practically  sabotage.  Then 
he  had  photographs  of  wrecks  from  the 
explosion  of  generators,  and  so  fortn. 
Then  came  the  gist  of  the  matter.  It 
seems  that  this  National  Acetylene  Asso¬ 
ciation,  that  was  so  anxious  to  safeguard 
the  public,  was  composed  of  five  manufac¬ 
turers  of  carbide  generators  out  of  about 
30,  and  if  you  purchased  one  of  theirs 
you  would  be  perfectly  safe.  He  claimed 
he  wasn’t  a  salesman,  but  if  I  wished  to 
change  generators  he  could  accommodate 
me  for  $255,  thereby  saving  me  the 
agent’s  commission  of  $45.  He  even  went 
so  far  as  to  fill  out  an  order,  but  he  mis¬ 
judged  the  time,  as  I  wasn’t  ready  to 
sign.  His  name  was  Will  Loomis  of  Union 
City,  Pa.  It  looked  to  me  like  a  very 
smooth  selling  proposition,  and  I  told  him 
so ;  in  fact,  he  put  it  over  with  some  own¬ 
ers  of  Colt  plants  that  were  installed  at 
the  time  mine  was.  I  have  never  had 
any  trouble  with  mine,  and  I  presume  I 
shall  use  it  for  some  time.  I  would  like 
your  opinion  of  this  scheme.  C.  M.  L. 
New  York. 
We  have  other  reports  showing  that 
the  agent  described  represented  the  Model 
Sales  Company,  Cambridge  Springs,  Pa. 
This  incident  is;  a  fair  sample  of  “dirty 
salesmanship.”  Any  concern  that  makes 
a  practice  of  throwing  mud  at  competing 
houses  cannot  have  very  much  merit  of 
its  own.  So  far  as  we  know  the  National 
Acetylene  Association  is  a  myth,  and  the 
representations  of  the  salesman  as  a  whole 
are  equally  false  and  malicious.  Such 
methods  cannot  be  too  strongly  con¬ 
demned  by  all  honest  men.  This  farmer 
was  too  wise  to  get  caught  on  such  bait, 
but  no  doubt  such  pirates  of  the  acetylene 
trade  do  fool  many  people  with  such 
plausible  stories  and  unscrupulous  meth¬ 
ods. 
About  six  weeks  ago  an  agent  of  the 
Liberty  Automobile  Service  League,  1674 
Broadway,  New  York,  stopped  at  my 
house  and  induced  me  to  become  a  mem¬ 
ber.  The  understanding  tras  I  was  to 
pay  $20  down,  which  I  did  and  balance 
to  be  paid  within  three  months,  $19.50, 
making  $39.50  in  all.  It  was  understood 
I  was  a  member  as  soon  as  I  paid  the 
first  payment  and  in  three  days  iny 
policies  and  emblem  would  be  sent  to  me. 
One  week  later  I  received  a  letter  from 
the  company  informing  me  that  I  should 
pay  the  balance  within  30  days.  I  wrote 
them  at  once  about  the  agreement  that 
the  agent  made  with  me.  I  also  wrote 
I  had  no  confidence  in  a  concern  doing 
business  that  way  and  demanded  the  re¬ 
turn  of  my  money.  A  few  days  later  an¬ 
other  agent  came  with  policies  and  em¬ 
blem,  but  refused  to  give  them  to  me, 
unless  I  paid  the  balance  which  he  said 
was  due.  I  do  not  wish  to  go  into  this 
thing  any  further  unless  I  am  sure  it  is 
reliable.  This  agent  made  the  same 
agreement  with  my  neighbor;  he  wrote 
the  company  and  received  no  reply. 
New  Jersey.  h.  j.  l. 
The  Liberty  Automobile  Service 
League,  from  the  report,  is  selling  the 
same  sort  of  a  service  contract  as  has 
been  exposed  a  number  of  times  in  Pub¬ 
lisher’s  Desk  department.  This  subscri¬ 
ber  refers  to  the  “policy”  as  though  he 
understood  he  had  contracted  for  insur¬ 
ance.  but  a  careful  reading  of  these  con¬ 
tracts  reveals  that  no  insurance  is  pro¬ 
vided  for.  The  service  to  be  rendered 
under  these  contracts  we  regard  as  very 
doubtful  value — as  a  driver  of  an  auto¬ 
mobile  the  editor  of  Publisher’s  Desk  de¬ 
partment  would  not  give  15  cents  for 
such  services.  These  contracts  will  pro¬ 
vide  easy  money  for  the  concerns  issuing 
them  and  the  agents  selling  them  just  as 
long  as  farmers  and  other  automobile 
owners  continue  to  bite. 
On  February  9  I  shipped  Weil  Bros.  & 
Co.,  at  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind..  a  shipment  of 
skunks  consisting  of  30  skins.  February 
6  I  received  a  letter  from  them  sending 
me  their  prices  on  furs  that  they  would 
guarantee  to  pay  me  for  10  days  on  an 
honest  grading.  I  received  my  returns 
about  a  week  after  I  shipped  them.  I 
wrote  them  when  I  sent  them  to  pay  $69 
for  the  lot  or  hold  separate.  They  offered 
me  $56.40  for  the  lot,  and  they  held  them 
separate.  But  they  sent  me  the  check. 
They  did  not  pay  me  what  they  promised 
me,  and  they  also  gave  me  a  very  poor 
grading.  I  sent  their  check  back  the  same 
day  I  received  my  returns,  and  told  them 
to  pay  $66.50  or  return  the  skunks.  And 
up  to  this  time  I  have  not  heard  a  word 
from  them.  I  have  written  them  twice 
since  I  returned  their  check,  and  they  do 
not  even  answer  my  letters.  If  there  is 
anything  you  can  do  to  help  me  get  my 
money  I  would  certainly  appreciate  your 
kindness  very  much,  as  I  am  not  able  to 
stand  a  loss  of  this  kind  if  I  can  pos¬ 
sibly  help  it,  for  I  tried  to  be  on  the  square 
with  them.  I  would  as  soon  had  them 
send  the  furs  back  at  the  time  as  the 
money,  for  I  could  have  got  $66.50  right 
at  home  for  the  skunks.  M.  D. 
New  York. 
The  excuse  offered  by  Weil  Bros,  for 
their  failure  to  “hold  separate”  as  in¬ 
structed  is  that  the  skins  were  green  and 
would  spoil  if  not  treated  immediately. 
We  have  no  evidence  either  to  confirm  or 
deny  this  contention  except  the  statement 
of  the  shipper  that  the  skins  were  well 
cured.  This  subterfuge  is  often  used, 
however,  by  unfair  houses,  and  we  have 
not  found  Weil  Bros.,  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind., 
fai-r  to  shippers  in  the  past.  The  firm 
finally  offered  $60  for  the  shipment,  w'hich 
was  accepted,  as  all  efforts  to  secure  the 
shipper’s  valuation  of  the  furs  were  futile. 
We  again  advise  shippers  for  their  own 
protection  to  send  careful  instructions 
that  their  shipments  be  “held  separate.” 
Then  if  the  price  offered  is  not  satisfac¬ 
tory,  the  shipper  can  order  the  furs  re¬ 
turned.  And  an  honest  house  will  com¬ 
ply  with  the  request.  If  the  skins  are 
“green”  and  spoil  it  will  be  the  shipper’s 
loss,  and  no  responsibility  can  be  at¬ 
tached  to  the  receiver. 
Do  you  know  about  the  below-named 
knitting  companies?  The  Auto  Knitter 
Hosiery  Company,  630-638  Genesee  St., 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Steber  Machine  Company, 
'  811  Steber  Bldg.,  Utica,  N.  Y..  I  have 
heard  others  to  be  frauds,  and  these  ad¬ 
vertise  in  a  needlework  magazine,  the 
Needlecraft.  I  should  like  to  do  knitting 
in  my  spare  time.  I  have  crocheted  for 
firms  who  have  been  very  honest. 
New  York.  mbs.  b.  d.  f. 
Many  farm  women  would  be  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  do  some  profitable  work 
at  home  during  spare  time  of  the  ap¬ 
proaching  Winter.  This  desire  of  farm 
women  is  the  stock  in  trade  of  many  of 
the  most  contemptible  petty  swindles  in 
the  way  of  “work  at  home”  schemes  that 
the  human  mind  is  capable  of  inventing. 
The  crochet  work  referred  to  by  this  cor¬ 
respondent  is  the  only  legitimate  work  at 
home  that  we  have  ever  discovered  in  our 
experience  of  many  years.  Both  of  the 
firms  inquired  about  are  financially  re¬ 
sponsible  and  sell  knitting  machines  for 
home  use,  leading  the  prospective  pur¬ 
chasers  to  believe  that  the  machines  are 
easily  operated  and  that  any  woman  can 
make  good  money  knitting  stockings.  The 
firms  selling  the  machines  agree  to  buy 
the  product.  But  our  reports  indicate 
that  the  machines  are  intricate  and  diffi¬ 
cult  to  operate.  Some  have  reported  that 
after  considerable  perseverance  they  have 
mastered  the  machine  and  could  knit 
stockings  with  it.  For  the  most  part  our 
reports  are  that  the  women  buying  the 
machines  are  unable  to  operate  them.  A 
farm  paper  in.  the  Central  West  has  re¬ 
ported  a  large  number  of  similar  cases. 
The  R.  N.-Yr.  has  never  accepted  a  line 
of  knitting  machine  advertising.  The  ad¬ 
vertising  is  conspicuous  'by  its  absence 
from  a  number  of  other  high  class  papers 
which  formerly  accepted  this  line  of  busi¬ 
ness.  There  remain  sufficient  publications 
that  welcome  the  advertising  to  give  these 
concerns  wide  publicity.  None  of  the 
machines  are  sold  on  a  “guarantee  of  sat¬ 
isfaction  or  money  back,”  which  may  be 
considered  significant. 
A  woman  advertised  for  a  caretaker 
for  her  town  home,  and  after  interview¬ 
ing  a  large  number  of  applicants,  found 
one  that  suited  her.  “Thanks  for  giving 
me  the  job,”  said  the  man,  “and  might 
I  ask  you  a  question?  You  stated  in  the 
ad  that  you  wanted  a  married  man. 
Does  that  mean  you  have  some  work  in 
view  for  my  wife?”  “Oh,  no,"  replied 
the  woman.  “I  wanted  a  married  man 
so  as  to  be  sure  I’d  get  some  one  used 
to  taking  orders  from  a  woman.”  —  The 
Argonaut. 
I  0  0  of 
1000/ 
1000/ 
voeof 
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/^lOVERNMENT  figures  place  the  value  of 
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Does  Every 
Farm  Job 
1  I  set  out  to  build  a  farm  engine 
that  would  have  every  feature 
the  farmer  wanted  and  none  he 
didn't  want.  It  has  now  been 
on  the  market  six  years.  Thou¬ 
sands  of  satisfied  users  tell  me 
I’ve  succeeded.  I’m  proud  to 
have  this  engine  bear  my  name.  ”, 
— A.  Y.  Edwards 
EDWARDS 
FARM 
ENGINE 
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There  is  no  other  farm  engine 
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from  to  6  H.  P„  yet  it  is  so 
light  that  two  men  can  carry  it 
easily.  Set  it  anywhere  and 
put  it  to  work. 
Change  Power 
as  Needed 
It  is  a  6  H.  P.  when  you  need 
6,  or  \yi  H.  P.  when  you  need 
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toulan  Island,  Ontario,  says: 
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