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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
It is safe to state that no other artist
before the public to-day is the possessor of
such a number of valuable decorations,
each and all of them tributes to Mr. Sauer's
unique musical gifts and charming per-
sonality.
The American Felt Co.
INCORPORATED AS A NEW JERSEY CORPORA-
::_xiojsrwiTH. $5,000,000 CAPITAL.
Thsrirrcorporation of the American Felt
Co. was effected as a New Jersey organiza-
tion on Tuesday. The record of incorpor-
ation has been filed at Trenton. As an-
nounced in the last issue of The Review,
the authorized capital is $5,000,000.
Several meetings of the stockholders
have been held this week at. the head-
quarters of the company, n o and 112 East
Thirteenth street.
Meetings have also
been held at Boston. A final conference
to settle details of organization and elect
officers is in progress as The Review goes
to press.
It is understood that the selection of
W. J. Tingue, of Tingue & House, as
president, and of several of those who
have been active in securing the consum-
mation of the consolidation plan as officers,
—including Mr. Bloodgood, of Taylor &
Bloodgood—has been confirmed.
The
names have' not as yet been announced.
The Steinway Art Salon.
Perhaps no venture of Steinway & Sons
has been so successful from every point of
view as the Art Salon which they originat-
ed some time since for the display of
specially designed and decorated cases. It
has been equally successful from artistic
and monetary points of view. Through
this special department the wealthy patrons
of the^ Steinway house have come to realize
that it is possible to have the very finest
decorative work,. to match all desires and
tastes, executed right here in New York.
The success of the Steinway Salon is best
evidenced from the fact that over $50,000
worth of these specially decorated pianos
were sold during the past two months, and
this does not include the specially ordered
instruments which usually take along peri-
od before they leave the hands of the artist.
Were it not for the enterprise and fore-
sight of Steinway & Sons in establishing
such a department much of the trade which
they are now securing in this special field
would probably have found its way to
Europe. At the present time Steinway &
Sons have a corps of artists working on
special instruments which will be ready
for exhibition in the late summer and fall
—pianos that cannot be exceeded for beau-
ty and originality of design, delightful
tonal attributes and unique structure
throughout.
Meeting of Manufacturers
Not only are the manufacturers of
pianos and organs who accept the respon-
AT UNION SQUARE HOTEL NEXT TUESDAY TO
sibility for their own wares, and the legiti-
DISCUSS THE BILL RECENTLY INTRODUCED
mate dealers, injured by this deception, but
FOR THE REGULATION OF STENCILS.
the labor of the honest mechanic is also r
affected by it, as the constant slashing of
The Redington Bill to regulate stencils, prices by the makers of the stencil pianos
a copy of which appeared exclusively in is undermining the wages of the skilled
the last issue of The Review^ has created mechanic so that to-day he is barefy sub-
• • • ' • •
widespread comment throughout the trade sisting. - .
This
stencil
piano
has
had
its origin from
in this city.
the fraudulent practices of the dealer,
This is evidenced by the fact that a known as the private-house vender, who is
number of prominent manufacturers and always advertising in the public prints,
their representatives met on Monday offering a piano for sale at one quarter of
morning at the Bartholdi hotel, at the in-, the price he claims it originally cost, on/*
vitation of Henry Spies of the Spies Piano account (as he claims) of removal, death "of
a member of his family, business reverses,
Co., to consider the question of supporting or sailing for Europe, &c. &c., which com-
the proposed legislative measure.
pels him to sacrifice the same. It is need- '
Those present included Adolpho H. less to say that such advertisements are
Fischer, of J. & C. Fischer; Hugo Sohmer, gross misrepresentations.
The unsuspecting public, being unex-
of Sohmer & Co. ; Geo. Nembach, of
perienced and trusting to the honesty of
Steck & Co. ; Chas. B. Lawson, of the the dealers, has its confidence betrayed by
Weber-Wheelock Co. ; Robert A. Widen- these methods and is deceived in a most
mann, of Strich & Zeidler; John Evans, of shameful manner.
It certainly is no discredit to any honest
Newby & Evans; Mr. Hazelton, Jr., of Ha-
zelton Bros. ; Thos. La M. Couch, of the manufacturer to have his name displayed
upon his own producf,.nor can any honest
Kroeger Co.; Henry Spies, of the Spies dealer feel ^Shamed "to offer to his cus-
Piano Co. ; Augustas Baus, of Aug. Baus tomer an article-that he can with confi-
& Co., and others.
~;
dence recommend as'an honest article of
\ -'
After a brief discussion, it was: decided merit. .
to-call a general meeting of mariufa^tufers- » Nor will the pjoor mechanic, if this Blil
be enacted, bfe,furthe.r^ground down in his
in the near future. 1 Opinion as to the ad- wages; but he cah""then hold up his head
visability of giving active support to the and feel that the musical industry is one
measure was divided, but those present he care be proud of.
This curse has extended throtighout the
were unanimous in the belief that reform
is needed. On Wednesday, a circular let- entire trade, and is like a running sore
that needs to be cut out if it be necessary
ter, with copy of the proposed bill, was to go to the bone; else the trade will be-
sent by the secretary of the New York come paralyzed, as the public will not pa-
Piano Manufacturers' Association to every tronize a trade that is run for the purpose
manufacturer, inviting attendance at a of fraud and deceit. There are to-day in
meeting, open to all members of the trade, New York City alone more than 60 firms
or corporations manufacturing pianos, rep-
for discussion of the question at issue. resenting millions of dollars of invested
The place appointed is the Union Square capital, and employing thousands of skilled
Hotel and the date set is Tuesday next, mechanics.
the 14th inst., at 2 P. M. A large attend-
Echo of Smith & Nixon Failure.
ance is expected.
•?»
*I"
*T*
[Special to The Review.]
"J*
In introducing the bill last week As-
semblyman Redington presented the fol-
lowing brief:
The object of the bill is for the purpose
of suppressing the fraudulent practices
now in vogue tending to deceive the
public:
The method commonly known as sten-
ciling is a practice by which fictitious
names are used for the purpose of closely
imitating the names of legitimate manu-
facturers, who, by reason of a superior
class of workmanship, years of assiduous
toil and study, and large sums of money,
expended in advertising their wares have
acquired a reputation for their instruments.
Names of manufacturers, who have been
well advertised and cease to exist, have been
resurrected for deception only.
This method has become so general as to
discourage the legitimate makers who
are not ashamed of their wares and who
are endeavoring to give to the public an
honest article for an honest price.
It gives the unscrupulous dealer the
opportunity to impose upon the public and
Behr Bros. & Co.
.
palm off an inferior and often worthless in-
This week's report at the Behr Bros. & strument at an outrageous price, under the
Co. factory is,as usual, satisfactory. Orders fraudulent representation that the same is
for the choicest styles in Behr uprights an instrument of great merit.
Every legitimate dealer as well as manu-
continue to be received from Behr repre- facturer is opposed to the so-called stencil
sentatives with a frequency that indicates piano but is unwillingly compelled to com-
active business and prosperous conditions. pete with the same fraudulent practices.
Dayton, O., Feb. 7, 1899.
The case of Elmer Houck vs. Andrew . •
Forney, and his seven bondsmen, which
was commenced before Judge Dustin in
Room 1 yesterday afternoon terminated this
morning, when the jury, after being out
four hours, returned a verdict for the
.plaintiff for $35. Houck sued for $700.
The suit pertained to the transfer of a .
piano. Houck claimed that in the summer
of 1896, his wife granted an agent for the
Smith & Nixon Co., permission to place a
.piano in his house, pending- certain im-
provements in the company's store room
r
here.
Before the agent called for the piano, the
Smith & Nixon Co. made an assignment,
and Mr. Houck in order to protect himself,
refused to turn the instrument over to any
one unless he had an order from the as-
signee of the company.
The local agent brought suit against him
in 'Squire Forney's court to replevin the
piano, and this was done. Houck, so he
claims, intended to fight the case, but
'Squire Forney dismissed it before his
claim could be heard.
The piano was never returned to Houck,
and he has not seen it since.
~.r