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VOL XXIII.
N o . 7.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, March 14,1896.
In The West.
MEETING AND DINNER OF THE MUSIC TRADE
ASSOCIATION—C. H. MACDONALD ELECTED
PRESIDENT—WHO WERE THERE J. V.
STEGER RETURNS FROM A SUCCESSFUL
TRIP—NO STRIKE AT THE SHAEFFER
FACTORY C. C. CURTISS INTER-
ESTED IN A NEW BUILDING—TALK
OF A SYNDICATE BUYING THE
DECKER
BROS. BUSINESS.
LYON &HEALY--MR.CAMP'S
SPEECH LYON, POTTER
& CO. — AN OLD
STEINWAY.
DEATH OF THEODORE MOSHER.
HE fifteenth meeting and dinner of the
Music Trades Asociation took place in
the Auditorium last Saturday evening.
The attendance was not up to expectations,
and President Reed took occasion during
the evening to score the trade pretty se-
verely for its lack of interest. At the elec-
tion of officers for the current year subse-
quently the following were elected: Presi-
dent, C. H. MacDonald; first vice-presi-
dent, Geo. P. Bent; second vice-president,
Platt P. Gibbs; secretary, R. K. Maynard;
treasurer, P. J. Healy.
Some very happy addresses were made
by Geo. P. Bent, who had "fun" with the
names of the various manufacturers; Harry
J. Raymore, of the Shaw Piano Co.;
Robt. Widenmann, of Strich & Zeidler, and
I. N. Camp. Addresses were also made
by Geo. B. Armstrong and John C. Freund.
After a vote of thanks to the outgoing offi-
cers, the new president, C. H. MacDonald,
was introduced, and returned thanks for
the honor conferred on. him, and hoped
that with the support of the trade they
would be enabled to build up a great asso-
ciation which would be of value to the
members and of influence all round. The
full list of the gentlemen who attended is
as follows: H. F. Chandler, E. V. Church,
Geo. P. Bent, I. N. Camp, C. F. Summy,
S. H. Nichols, J. W. Gossard, F. M. Hicks,
W. F. Albright, A. H. Reed,C. F. Thomp-
son, J. W. Reed, G. B. Brigham, P. J.
Healy, H. A.'Saalfield, E. R. Mathews, H.
F. Voerbeck, Platt P. Gibbs, Chas. W.
Newman, Sol. Bloom, E. R. Nelson, I. N.
Rice, Harry J. Raymore,C. H. MacDonald,
C. H. O. Houghton, A. G. Cram, Jas. K.
T
M. Gill, B. H. Anderson, J. O. Twichell,
John C. Freund, J. W. Northrop, Phillip J.
Meahl, Lee F. Boyd, Geo. B. Armstrong,
John A. Kirk, Walton Perkins, C. C. Dun-
bar, George S. Spohr, C. J. Kops, F. D.
Abbott, J. O. Kops, C. A. Daniels, A. J.
Sorensen, Robert Widenmann, W. C. How-
land, H. C. Dickinson.
The choice made by the Association is
certainly an excellent one, and the mem-
bers of the trade here feel that Mr. Mac-
Donald is just the man to revive the lan-
guishing interest in the Association.
John V. Steger has returned from his
Eastern and Southern trip, and speaks en-
thusiastically of the kind reception vouch-
safed him everywhere. Mr. Steger is a
firm believer that trade can be had if
properly sought for, and he started out
with the idea of doing business, and he has
succeeded. He made some very fine con-
nections for the Steger and Singer pianos,
and as a result business is brisk at both
factories.
It was announced in one of the local
papers this week that the employees of the
Schaeffer Piano Co., of Riverview, 111., had
refused to do any more work until their
back pay had been received, and that a hun-
dred men had gone on strike. This has
been denied by the firm, who claim that
the statement has no foundation, and that
the report must have arisen from some
little difficulty with the mill hands, which
has been amicably settled.
A handsome building, to be adapted for
musical wareroomsand studios, will shortly
be erected on Michigan avenue, between
Jackson and Adams streets. It will con-
tain a large recital hall. I understand C.
C. Curtiss is interested in the project.
As I mentioned in a previous letter,
there has been considerable talk in this city
of the formation of a syndicate to purchase
the Decker Bros, business, and it is even
said that the visit of a certain trade editor
had something to do with the matter. I
doubt, however, if it will materialize.
Lyon & Healy are transacting a wonder-
fully large mail order business. The num-
ber of orders which they received during
February was the heaviest since 1892.
I. N.Camp, in his speech at the trade din-
ner, advised the manufacturers to go back to
the methods of the dark ages. Such pessi-
mistic utterances as fell from Mr. Camp's
lips are certainly out of place these days,
$3.00 PER YEAR-
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
when the only policy which will insure suc-
cess is (pardon the colloquialism) to "keep
a stiff upper lip" and fight for better times.
In this city I notice that the firms who are
aggressive, who have not curtailed their ad-
vertising, and whose policy is to ignore
the appearance of any depression, are get-
ting the largest share of what business is
going. This is entirely natural and right.
Business to-day comes to him who makes it.
I notice in the warerooms of Lyon, Pot-
ter & Co., the first piano made by the Stein-
way house, in Seesen, Germany, sixty years
ago. By the way, with some regret I
chronicle the death of Theodore Mosher,
who was connected with Lyon, Potter &
Co. for several years, and has also been
looking after the vocalion trade in this city.
Mr. Mosher was esteemed by his old asso-
ciates, and they regret his untimely death.
Louis Dederick, receiver for the Manu-
facturers' Piano Co., has returned from his
visit to New York. He has nothing new
to report.
It is thought that Mr. Gill, late manager
of the Mason & Hamlin branch in this city,
will be connected with a Western institu-
tion.
There is no truth in the report that the
Chase Bros. Piano Co. will discontinue
their branch in this city, as stated by one
of your contemporaries. The business
transacted by the concern for the past few
months has been much better than for the
same period last year.
Among the members of the trade in
town this week were Otto Braumuller,
James R. Mason, of the Sterling Co., who
has been visiting St. Paul and Minneapo-
lis; E. Ambuhl, who is working his way
South; Harry J. Raymore. of the Shaw
Piano Co.; Robt. Widenmann, of Strich &
Zeidler, and E. R. Mathews, president of
the W. P. Curtice Co., of Lincoln, Neb.,
who speaks cheerfully of business down his
way.
The Kimball on the Pacific Slope.
N important deal has been consum-
mated between the W. W. Kimball
Co., of Chicago, and the Kohler & Chase
Co., of San Francisco, whereby they will
push the Kimball products on the Pacific
Slope. During the past week several
large shipments of pianos have been made.
It looks as if Mr. Conway's trip to the far
West has been a successful one.
A