Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Prosperity's Clean Sweep.
Substantial- proof that prosperity is
sweeping over the entire country is ad-
duced in a late issue of the Chicago Times-
Herald. From a series of interviews with
prominent manufacturers and dealers who
supply the necessities of an advanced civi-
lization it is apparent that luxuries are
again within reach of the farmer. Of the
music trade industry this paper says, " the
leading manufacturers of pianos and or-
gans agree that they sold more of their
wares to the farmers this year than in any
year since 1892." In this connection the
following interviews are interesting:
LYON & HEALY—Conditions show that
farmers and country merchants are better
able than for years past to buy musical in-
struments and supplies of all kinds. And
the demand for a better quality of goods
also is increasing. We deal largely with
constimers direct. Our traveling men as-
certain whether a man in a particular com-
munity is likely to want a piano or an organ,
and if so he pays him a visit. Our men
report an advance in demand for instru-
ments, and from the increase in orders that
have come in from all over the country I
should say our business has increased at
least 10 per cent, over last year. The im-
provement did not become marked until
within six months, but during the last half
year it has gone ahead with leaps and
bounds. And in the rest of the world the
demand shows as marked an increase as in
the United States. We send goods to Mex-
ico, England, Austria, China, Japan, Aus-
tralia and South Africa, and everywhere
the demand for musical instruments is
greatly increased.
CHICAGO
COTTAGE
ORGAN
COMPANY-—
The farmers are buying more pianos than
heretofore, due both to the increase in
means and reduction in prices of pianos.
There are still probably more organs than
pianos sold to farmers, but the gap is de-
creasing. And we are selling more for
cash than on time payments. We used to
consign to country dealers and accept far-
mers' notes, but there is not so much of
this method of payment and more of cash
business than formerly. It has been hard
work to keep dealers supplied. We manu-
facture and sell about 800 pianos and from
1,200 to 1,400 organs a month. If we had
200 more pianos this month we could have
sold them. One of our travelling men
made a trip to the Pacific coast this fall,
and while away sent back orders for four-
teen car loads of pianos. A car contains
from fifteen to twenty-one pianos. These
were sold in Denver, Leadville, Butte,
Portland, Spokane, San Francisco and Los
Angeles. Our business has increased from
2
5 to 3 3 ^ per cent over 1S97.
STORY &
CLARK PIANO
Century Co. Huddle.
Judge Harrison has made his decision in
the matter of the instructions asked by the
assignee of the Century Piano Co. regard-
ing the procedure in the action against the
stockholders.
The decision is that only the creditors
who have filed their intervening complaint
can share in the proceeds. The question
came up in reference to the law of 1895,
which allowed an assignee or a receiver to
bring an action against the stockholders, as
well as a creditor. Some creditors claimed
that under the new law all the collections,
under a stockholder's suit, went to all the
creditors.
Judge Harrison holds that the procedure
under both laws shall be precisely the
same. By this action litigation is done
away with, as the creditors who had filed
claims have made an agreement of settle-
ment with the stockholders.—Minneapolis',
Minn., Tribune.
harps for Cuba.
Before Havana had been legally trans-
ferred from Spanish to American control,
Lyon & Healy received an order for one of
their famous harps. Probably it will be
utilized to render thanks for deliverance
from bondage.
Mrs. D. J. Kappel Assigns.
[Special to The Review.]
Pittsburg, Pa., Dec. 26, 1898.
Dorothea J. Kappel, wife of George
Kappel, a Smithfield street music dealer,
has made an assignment to W. I. Craig.
There is no statement of liabilities or as-
sets, and there is nothing to show how the
assignment will affect the business of Mrs.
Kappel's husband, although the assignor
is placed on record as a music dealer.
There were $45 worth of revenue stamps
placed on the deed of assignment. This
would indicate that $45,000 worth of real
estate is included in the assignment, as
the law requires $1 worth of stamps for
each $1,000 worth of real estate.
No
stamps are required for personal property.
The real estate assigned is described as
consisting of two lots on Fifth avenue and
Jumonville street, Fourteenth ward, one
lot on Penn avenue, and two lots at Edge-
wood, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kappel.
Hazelton Trade.
Holiday tn;de with Hazelton Bror. has
been most satisfactory. The output of
pianos for the month of December, just
closed, has been of such volume as to ex-
ceed all records of the best years in the
history of the house. The call has not been
solely for uprights—among which, by the
way, styles M and X are great favorites—
but the Hazelton grand output has exceeded
expectaiions. The utmost efforts are now
being made at the factory to replenish
wareroom stock. It is cheering to record
the steady growth of Hazelton trade. It
speaks well for the discrimination and
gocd sense of the purchasing public in all
parts of the country.
A Fischer Favorite for 1899— Style 20.
COMPANY—Our
agents have written in a general way of
the increased ability of farmers to buy
pianos and organs, and our increase in
shipments — about one-third over 1897—
plainly shows it. Last month we trans-
acted fully 50 per cent, more piano busi-
ness than in November of the preceding
year, and organ sales are also increasing.
In the spring business was excellent; then
the war came and sales went down, but
since the war there has been a large in-
crease. We sell mainly to retail dealers,
our only retail store being the one on Wa-
bash avenue in this city.
SMITH & BARNES PIANO
are buying pianos in much larger numbers
than for- a long period. Our business has
greatly improved in all ways since- last
year: it has doubled in two years. All our
factory force has been kept busy through-
out the year, and we expect to keep work-
ing at our fullest capacity. We are turn-
ing out twenty to twenty-five pianos daily.
Dealers who come to Chicago tell us busi-
ness is increasing, and the orders placed
by them are direct evidence of this.
COMPANY—Our
travelling men are sending in orders in
such a way as to demonstrate in the most
conclusive manner that the country people
The Fischer new Style 20, Grand Up-
right, now on exhibition at the Fischer
warerooms in fancy burled walnut and
mahogany, has already proved to be one of
the most successful styles ever made by
the Fischer firm.
A glance at the outlines of the instru-
ment, as shown above, will offer a ready
explanation of its success. There is em-
bodied in them a richness of effect fre-
auently attempted but rarely achieved in
piano building. •
The height of the new Style 20 is 4 ft.
9 in., length, 5 ft. 2 in.