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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
CAUGHT BY AN OLD-TIME BAIT.
W
CHICAGO, ILL.
CHICAGO, I I I . , Sept. u ,
There have been several articles in the Chicago papers
about piano trusts. Now, there is no piano trust. As a
member of the Kimball Piano Co. said yesterday: "A
piano trust ? Yes, there is a piano trust—that is to say,
the piano people have to trust their customers. But
that is as near as it comes to being a trust in the gener-
ally accepted sense of the term." The meeting of the
piano manufacturers in New York is simply in further-
ance of a plan agitated among the trade for a long time.
The idea of a trust among the piano makers is too ab-
surd almost for refutation. There are as many varieties
of pianos as there are keys on a piano, and every one
of them is claimed to be the best. The man that would
attempt to bring about a scale of prices among these
competing makers would find he had a big job on his
hands.
" The Association of Piano Manufacturers," said an-
other dealer, " is no new thing. It was tried before,
but owing to a lack of interest on the part of the large
manufacturers it never amounted to much."
" However, I think it will now go through. It is
proposed to have an Eastern and Western Association,
located in New York and Chicago respectively. They
will regulate matters that need correction in the busi-
ness, but they cannot regulate the price of instruments.
We never were so busy, and the idea of a trust at such
a time is ridiculous."
Trade in Chicago was duller in July and August than
it has been for years during the same months. It start-
ed in lively in September, and the retail business is now
unusually good. We look for a big fall trade.
Mr. Geo. W. Lyon (Lvon & Healy), has arrived home
from New York, and is as enthusiastic over our pros-
pects for obtaining the World's Fair as a boy of twenty.
Speaking of New Yorkers, he says they remind him of
the amusing offer made by Artemus Ward, who was
willing to sacrifice his wife's relatives during the war for
the good of the country. They stand ready to offer up
the National surplus in securing the World's Fair, but
hold on to their own funds very tightly.
A suit for an accounting was instituted by John A.
Fraser, Jr., against S. Brainard & Sons, music pub-
lishers. He disposed of a number of his songs com-
posed by him in 1S88. Brainard & Sons were to pay
him a royalty of four cents per copy. He claims they
sold a great number of them and received great"profits,
and that they owe him to date $2,500. He has received
only $12.00. As he was sadly in need of funds an at-
tempt was made to settle with him for a very small
sum. Such are the trials of a writer of popular songs.
Racine, Wis., is quite excited over the prospects of
Dr. A. J. Reynolds, president of the Telephone Organ
and Piano Co., establishing their factory there. The
capital stock will be $100,000, and a number of men will
be employed. Dr. Reynolds visited Racine last week
to look over the ground.
Nathan Farrand, who forged Lyon & Healy's and W.
W. Kimball's names to checks, was given a year in the
penitentiary by the jury in Judge Horton's Court.
Frank King is in town, having just returned from his
California trip.
The firm of Zoller Brothers & Co. succeed Miss
Bertha W. Zoller, music dealer, Peoria, 111.
L. S. Cogswell, dealer in musical instruments, Well-
ington, Kans., has given a chattel mortgage of $319.
George Busse & Co., the piano house newly estab-
lished at No. 306 State street in this city, have taken
the agency of Behr Bros. & Co. and Newby & Evans.
They will handle the piano of the first-mentioned firm
as their leader, and that of the latter as second.
OCCASIONAL.
LYON & HEALY, the Schomacker Co., Julius Bauer
& Co., Mason & Hamlin, Reed & Sons, and the Chicago
Music Company are exhibiting at Chicago (111.)
W. KIMBALL likes to be considered a good
fisherman, but he does not always have the
1
luck that tends to give such a reputation. He
went up to Ashland, Wis., once on a jaunt and antici-
pated some good sport catching trout. In the neigh-
borhood where Mr. Kimball found himself there lived a
well-to-do Irishman who owns a trout stream about
three miles in length, but he guards it against all tres-
passers with a careful eye, and, unless a sportsman
pays $2.50 a day for the privilege of fishing there, he is
quickly ordered off the premises. On this section Mr.
Kimball had some one with him, and he put up the $5
necessary for the privilege and went to work. It was
work indeed, for the Irishman has his fish so trained
that they will not bite unless the fisherman shows his
receipt for money paid, and Mr. Kimball had not
been posted on this rule. More than this, there is
not a shade tree along the whole line of the creek,
and it was a warm job walking up and down the
banks.
The day passed and neither Mr. Kimball
nor his companion had as much as one fish to show
for the $5 outlay. The financial part weighed but Httle
compared with going back to the hotel empty-handed,
and the piano man was praying hard for a. chance to do
what most sportsmen do under similar circumstances.
Mr. Kimball did not know it was a part of the scheme
to have a stock of these chances on hand, so when he
saw a young Indian boy with a string of trout his delight
knew no bounds, and he felt it was an answer to prayer.
He did not quibble for a moment when the lad asked
$2.50 for his fish, but produced the money at once, too
happy at his luck to notice the bargain very closely.
When he reached the hotel he proudly displayed his
treasure, but for a moment was nonplussed to see peo-
ple turn away and hold their noses. It did not take
long for him to discover the cause. The string of fish,
when handed him by the boy, was dripping with water,
but in the walk home they had become dry and hard,
and the odor they emitted proved them to be several
days old.—Exchange.
HENRY BEHNING BACK FROM THE WEST.
C
OMRADE Henry Behning returned from the
West on Wednesday, the 18th inst. A pleasant
surprise awaited him at the factory where num-
erous and effective changes had been made in the ware-
rooms.
CABLE & SONS.
ANOTHER STANCH SUPPORTER.
THEO. P. BROWN, OF WORCESTER, MASS., ENTHUSIASTIC
FOR THE PROTECTIVE UNION.
r p H E O D O R E P. BROWN, representing The Wor-
I
cester Organ Company. Worcester, Mass, and
Messrs. Brown & Simpson, piano manufacturers
of the same place, made a special journey to this city
on Tuesday last, for the purpose of attending the pre-
liminary meeting of the newly formed Protective Union
of American Piano and Organ mauufacturers.
Prior
to that most successful meeting, and in the office of
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW afterwards, Mr. Brown ex-
pressed himself as being greatly interested in the new
organization, and fervently desirous that it would be-
come powerful and prosperous. He was appointed one
of the committee of twelve who were charged with the
duty of perfecting plans for the progress and develop-
ment of the union. Mr. Brown stated that although
his business required his presence in Worcester almost
every day, he would certainly be in New York on
Monday next to join in the labors of the committee.
The Worcester organ is having a decided boom in
many sections. Like the Brown & Simpson pianos, in
which Mr. Brown is largely interested, it is becoming
more popular every day.
JOHN W. SHETTER.
HE BELIEVES IN THE PROTECTIVE UNION. AND IN EVERY-
THING ELSE THAT IS GOOD.
J
OHN W. S H E T T E R , treasurer of the Weaver
Organ & Piano Co., York. Pa., dropped in to see
us while in this city for the purpose of attending
last Tuesday's Convention of American Piano and Organ
Manufacturers. He reports that the trade of his house
is better than ever. Their organ business has more
than doubled since January last. This is not surprising,
for a large trade is always assured for goods of such a
variety and quality as are turned out by the Weaver
Company.
Mr. Shetter was so pleased with the proceedings of
the convention, also with the people whom he met
thereat, that he has become a more ardent supporter
than ever of the project which, to use his own words,
has been " so energetically pushed to the front." The
Weaver company, and indeed the entire music trade of
the country, are to be heartily congratulated upon the
presence among them of so talented, clear-headed, and
conscientious a man as Mr. Shetter.
A LIVELY AND GROWING TRADE—THE BLIND TUNER.
T
H E house of Cable & Sons, N. Y., is one of those
old-established concerns whose successful weath-
ering of the storms of many years indicates that
good, solid merit of one kind or another must be set to
their credit. Their pianos have found resting-places in
thousands of homes of many classes of society. On
visiting their factory a few days ago we discovered that
their sales have not only not diminished of late, but that
they are having something very much in the nature of
a boom. Double the quantity of instruments turned
out of the Cable factory a year ago are now in demand,
a large proportion of the orders on hand being from
dealers in the western and southern states. Some of
these orders are very large, and this remark also applies
to their trade nearer home, a local dealer having a short
time back made a contract for no less than three hun-
dred pianos, to be delivered within the next twelve
months.
GAZETTE.
JOHN F. KATES, Ord, Neb., moved to Grand Island.
FRANCIS MEYER, (Piano plates) Brooklyn,
N. Y.,
assigned.
L. S. COGSWELL, Wellington, Kan., chattel mortgage,
A. KESTNER, Derry Station, Pa., judgment vs. A. & W.
Kestner, $400.
ROBERT WEISBACH, Tacoma, Washington State, burn-
ed out ; loss $2,000 ; insurance $1,000.
A. J. POMMER, Sacramento. Calif., mortgage $500,
released.
Miss. BERTHA N. ZOLLER, Peoria, III., succeeded by
Zoller Brothers & Co.
O. E. & J. M. WICK, Chicago, 111., chattel mortgage,
$1,500.
Notwithstanding the death of the senior Mr. Cable,
SAMUELSON & MAGMISON, Minneapolis, Minn., suit,
the business is still carried on under the old style of
"Cable & Sons." This of itself would seem to evi- $93-
dence a sound commercial standing.
MARTIN BROS. & FREITCH, Dayton, O., chattel mort-
The factory presents a very lively and busy scene. gage, $2,585.
While making a hasty tour of it we had the pleasure of
RYLAND & LEE. Richmond, Va., suit vs. them for $400.
being introduced to the firm's chief tuner—a remarkable
O. D. BENNETT, New Hampton, la., real estate mort-
man in his way, for though an excellent pianist and an
adept in his calling, he is totally deprived of the power gage, $650.
of vision.
C. B. HOLWAY, Boston, Mass .chattel mortgage,$200
THE EIFFEL TOWER.
O
N the point of going to press we are in receipt of
a magnificent picture of the " Eiffel Tower,'-
Paris, forwarded to us by Messrs. Wm. Tonk &
Bro. with the compliments of the Herrburger-Schwan-
der action firm. The representation of the famous
tower, and of the surrounding portion of the French
capital, is perfect.
We do not remember ever to have
seen so fine and imposing a work of the kind.
CHASE BROS. PIANO CO., Grand Rapids, Mich., suc-
ceeded by Chase Bros. Piano Co. (incorporated).
MARTIN & FRITCH, Dayton, Ohio, chattel mortgage,
$125, to Mary A. Fritch.
WILLIAM DAVIDSON, Ridgetown, Ont., dead.
L. S. COGSWELL, Wellington, Kan., chattel mortgage
C. R. CRESSEY, Portland, Me., now Cressey & Jones.