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V O L . XXIX. N o . 9 . Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, August 26,1899.
Pianos
and Organs in South
Africa.
In his latest report to the authorities at
Washington, Chas. E. Macrum, United
States Consul at Pretoria discourses as
follows on pianos and organs in the South
African Republic:
"The climate here is a little hard on
these instruments," says Consul Macrum,
' 'owing to the difference in the seasons. The
summers are warm and wet and the win-
ters cool and dry, rain seldom falling from
the ist of May until the ist of November.
The temperatures, however, are remark-
ably equable during the respective sea-
sons. Cases and actions should be made
to withstand not so much the different
temperatures as the differences in humid-
ity. In summer both cases and actions
swell on account of dampness, and in win-
ter they contract and warp. During the
winter season, also, there are severe dust
storms, and it is impossible to keep the
fine sand and dust frora entering the
houses. This has a detrimental effect on
pianos and organs that are not built tight
'enough to keep out this element of de-
struction.
"The style of pianos most salable are
uprights of a rather low grade, but there is
also a market for some pianos of a much
better class. Organs of medium prices are
most salable.
" In number of sales, German makes
have a long lead, English and American
following in the order named. In point of
excellence, it is admitted on all sides that
the American makes show great superiori-
ty over all others; but they are too high
priced for the trade, and consequently
comparatively few are sold. Those handled
in this market are the following:
•'Pianos—Steinway, Collard & Collard,
C. Bechstein, John Broadwood & Sons, C.
Gunther & Son, Gors & Kallmann, Carl
Ecke, E. Sponnagle^ B. Squire & Son, J.
& J. Hopkinson, J. Bluthner, and C.
Mand.
"Organs — Mason & Hamlin, Estey,
Fort Wayne Organ Company, Kimball,
Needham, Packard, Dominion Company,
Cornish Company, Palace Company, and
W. Sauer.
"Pianos of the above makes sell for 50
to 200 guineas ($253 to $1,022); organs
from ,£13 ($63) upwards. Veneered cases
are principally sold on pianos, and the
preference as to tone, of course, varies; a
full and strong tone with a light touch is,
I think, generally preferred.
"Among the dealers in pianos and or-
gans I may mention the following: Hoyer
& Bock, Mackay Bros., and P. van den
Burg, of Pretoria; and I. F. Hurst, Mackay
Bros., and Thos. C. Litchfield, of Johannes-
burg. The German and English manufac-
turers extend to the dealer here a term of
credit averaging about four months from
receipt of goods, and it seems useless for
American manufacturers to attempt shorter
terms. If, however, the American firms
who make moderate and lower-priced in-
struments send their representatives here,
with proper prices and terms, to sell direct
to the dealer, I see no reason why they
should not have theirshareof the business,
which amounted in 1898 to nearly ^25,000
($121,663) in imports into the Republic."
Big Shipment to Hunn.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
Holmes Incorporates Co.
TO MANUFACTURE PIANOS WITH CAPITAL OF
$5O,OOO.
The Secretary of State of New Jersey
granted a certificate of incorporation this
week to Walter Z. Holmes & Co. whose
principal office is at No. 96 Montgomery
street, Jersey City, N. J., with the object
of manufacturing pianos. Capital, $50,000.
Incorporators: Walter Z. Holmes, George
F. Holmes, William C. Glass, of Jersey
City, N. J.
Large Piano Shipments.
One of the many proofs now abounding
of the growing prosperity of the music
trade industry, is the statement of Paul
Morton in the Chicago Times-Herald that
the Santa Fe Road has shipped more pianos
and organs over its lines in the Western
territory in the last three months than have
been shipped over that line since 1893.
When the farmers of Kansas and Ne-
braska are buying pianos, it is a positive
sign of good times, and gives no reason to
fear in the near future a recrudescence of
any large volume of silver agitation in
these States.
James Munn, the enterprising dealer of
Binghamton, N. Y., who has built up such
a large trade in that city as well as at his
branch stores in Middletown, Port Jervis
and Liberty, received this week one of
the biggest shipments of pianos and organs
ever known to have reached a dealer in
that section of the Empire State.
Behr Bros. New Warerooms.
The shipment amounted to three hun-
Several improvements are now in prog-
dred instruments— one-hundred-and-fif ty ress at the Behr Bros, factory, where all
Kingsburyand Cable pianos, and onehun- departments are now active. The ware-
dred-and-fifty Chicago Cottage Organs. rooms, formerly on the second floor, are to
They occupied sixteen cars and reached be transferred to the main floor. They
their destination from Chicago over the will be situated immediately behind the
Erie Road, on a daylight special freight firm's offices, and will be much more ac-
train. The cars were all placarded, in a cessible for callers. This change will give
prominent form, as follows;
considerable additional space for factory
purposes. The new warerooms are to be
\
Goods for James Munn,
tastefully fitted and decorated, forming an
•
Binghamton, N. Y. \
attractive Behr feature at headquarters.
j Shipped by Chicago Cottage Organ Co.
It is needless to say that this immense
train of musical instruments attracted at-
tention at every stopping place, and served
as a splendid advertisement for the Chi-
cago Cottage Organ Co. as well as for their
go-ahead representative, Mr. Munn.
In view of this big order it needs few
words to speak of the present prosperous
condition of Mr. Munn's business which
has been developed from modest begin-
nings until to day he commands a trade
which may be classed as among the most
successful in this State.
Packard on the Pacific Coast.
W. B. Lane is doing some effective
work in the Packard interests on the
Pacific Coast. He has been successful in
establishing many valuable agencies. The
Packard pianos and organs will surely
command as large a clientele of admirers
in that section of the country as in the
middle West and East, where the name is
a synonym for thoroughness and reliability
of manufacture as well as widely acknowl-
edged musical merits.