Adventure Magazine Cover — page 206: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

cA News Bulletin of Outdoor Equipment and Commodities STRAIGHT GOODS TESTED BY OUR EXPERTS Poor the most satisfying feature about this business of editing Adventure is the knowledge that it’s not a thing we are doing alone. When our readers, for in- stance, heard of the contemplated changes in the magazine, the number of letters we received containing suggestions and criti- cisms surprized even those of us who have been helped many times by the cooperation of Adventure fans. The most interesting note in the large number of letters, which came in before and after the first issue of the new Adven- ture appeared, was the “develop depart- ments” idea. We were surprized to find that, even before we introduced several of the new departments, many readers had conceived the idea and suggested plans that we can use to great advantage. “Straight Goods” for instance. Froman Army Major in the far west comes a letter that contains among other suggestions an interesting paragraph on advertisements, describing practically what our news bulletin on equip- ment will be: Put about ten pages in the back of the book lim- ited to those firms who cater to the vital needs of hunters, explorers and wilderness travelers. Only the firms with the reputation of having the best goods of the kind in the world should be allowed within the covers. These advertisements should cover the range of equipments, food, clothing, arms, ammunition, boats, canoes and transportation in general. * ‘* * Things that real men want for real wilderness needs and that they may bank on in a pinch of life or death as being honest to gosh ALL THERE! !—D. R. And that’s exactly the sort of department Straight Goods is to be—only it will func- tion as an editorial service and oé through advertisements. ‘The products being tested by Ask Adventure experts are given abso- lutely unbiased reports and whether or not a manufacturer advertises in Adventure does not affect this policy. If he has a new model or features anything of interest to our readers the Straight Goods news bulletin will tell you about it. In a letter from the other side of the con- tinent a friend outlines Straight Goods prac- tically as we had planned it: Let’s have a department to give us news and opinions of new products. If a manufacturer brings out a new car, gun, boat or what not, let him submit a sample to the expert in that line and then let that expert pass on to us first his technical description of the product and second his personal reaction to it. It’s an attractive idea to me and I believe we would enjoy such articles whether or not we happened to agree with the conclusions the expert drew from his own technical description. I for one would admire to see Donegan Wiggins on a new model automatic pistol.—C. H. L. For this comrade’s information we may add that one of the first reports—which will begin in the January issues—will be Done- gan \Wiggins’ on new firearms. Mr. Wig- gins at this writing is visiting the east es- pecially to look into new developments in his field and he is going to have something interesting to say. Invited by the leading ammunition and firearms manufacturers to study the processes of their factories and examine their plans for new features, he is now preparing a report for Straight Goods that will tell the news to Adventure readers as soon as the new models are distributed. Another letter carries the same question: Can you not utilize the splendid corps of woods- men, campers, et al., in your fold to give real tests and a mark of approbation to such equipment as you show in your advertisements that may pass the test and permit readers to purchase with confidence? —K. H. W. And there are many more letters than we have space for this time. Some give prac- tical suggestions for running Straight Goods that we can use to good advantage. The 204 COmiclbooks CO