GOODS & SERVICES: New Ideas, Jul. 6, 1959

GOODS & SERVICES

Automatic Post Office. The U.S. Post Office Department will soon introduce vending machines, made by Electric Vendors of Minneapolis, that will sell paper, envelopes and stamps, automatically make change up to a dollar, then weigh the letter and accept it for mailing. Designed for after-hours service, the machines will first be placed in railroad and airport terminals, later built into the walls of post offices and office buildings in major cities.

Rechargeable Batteries. A line of batteries that can be recharged overnight through household electrical outlets will be put on sale this fall by Sonotone Corp. Smaller versions of nickel-cadmium batteries used in missiles and jets, the new batteries come in twelve different sizes for flashlights, portable TV sets and other appliances, have a 15-to 20-year life expectancy. Price: $7.95 for a unit equal to two standard flashlight batteries.

Self Zipper. For women who have a hard time zipping up the backs of their dresses, L.M.B. Manufacturing Co. of Philadelphia is selling the Zip Master, a long nylon cord with a brass spring fastener that clips onto the slide tab. Price: $1.

Tobaccoless Cigarettes. A new cigarette that contains a combination of processed natural fibers instead of tobacco is being test-marketed by Bantob Products of New York. Called Vanguard, the loosely packed cigarettes smoke like tobacco, taste like nothing, smell like incense. Cost: roughly that of other filter cigarettes.

Bovine Dentures. False teeth for cows have been developed by Colorado Rancher Rood Menter and Nebraska Dentist Ward Newcomb. Cows often wear out their front teeth by chewing abrasive materials along with grass, thus shortening their lives. The false teeth, consisting of stainless steel caps, were designed to prolong the breeding lives of valuable cows, paying off in extra calves. Cost: about $15 per cow.