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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
ceeding monthly payments, so that a year
and a half practically elapses before they
secure enough cash from the customer to
balance what they have had to lay out in
cash for freight, cartage, salaries, advertis-
ing and rents.
Now, when we study the retail field of
America, we feel confident that our cam-
paign of advocacy of more cash and larger
installments has had a beneficial effect
upon the trade. Our belief in this is sup-
ported by actual testimony from hundreds
of dealers throughout the country, who
have written commending the attitude of
The Review in this particular. This is a
cold, commercial age, and the man who
can run his business on clean-cut lines,
working for the good round cash sales and
not the long drawn out installment busi-
ness, is the man whose business thermom-
eter is steadily rising.
The dealers who have learned what it
actually costs to sell pianos are the ones
who are generally successful, for it is a
fact demonstrated by events that there are
some men who have not learned, as yet,
the actual cost incurred in handling pianos
up to the time the instrument is landed in
the home of the retail purchaser.
THE YEAR OPENS WELL.
'"THUS far we have not encountered the
usual January stagnation which usu-
ally succeeds holiday activity. Manufac-
turers have plenty of orders on hand, and
reports which we have received of the re-
tail trade in various cities is most encour-
aging and promises big things for the
year.
In general business the trans-
actions for January have aggregated an
amount which has astonished those in a
position to accurately diagnose the busi-
ness situation. Such flattering reports
encourage piano manufacturers. The
year 1900 has been inaugurated with an
amount of business enthusiasm that has
rarely been equalled and never surpassed.
AN IMPORTANT /EOLIAN DEAL!
NEGOTIATIONS CONSUMMATED FOR THE ERECTION OF IMMENSE FACTORIES AND DWELLINGS
AT ^EOLIAN, N. J.
TO BE OCCUPIED BY THE VARIOUS INTERESTS CONTROLLED
BY THE AEOLIAN CO. THE VOTEY ORGAN TO LOCATE BY MAY I .
The main factory building—the first of
a series to be erected by the firm—will be
350 feet long, 50 feet wide, and four stories
in height. The structure will be purposely
narrow in order to give ample light.
Every modern appliance is to be used, in-
cluding electric lighting and power, eleva-
tor service, steam power and heat, and the
latest and best machinery for manufacturing
purposes. No pains or expense will be
spared to make the establishment one of
the most complete in the United States.
At present the ^Eolian Co. 's manufactur-
ing interests are separated into three parts
located at Meriden, Conn., Worcester,
Mass, and Detroit, Mich., the latter being
the headquarters of the Votey Co. 's organ
factory. The first move to be made will
be that of the Votey Co. plant, in May
next, from Detroit to ^Eolian. Then, in
due course, after the completion of this
move and the erection of additional factory
buildings at the latter place, the Meriden
and Worcester establishments will be trans-
ferred to the new field of ^Eolian enter-
prise and activity.
Meanwhile, cottages will be erected in
the vicinity of the new factories and these
will be occupied as fast as they can be
completed. It is calculated that, within
two years, the entire ^Eolian manufac-
turing plant will be centered at yEolian,
which, by that time, will be an incorpor-
ated town, with several hundred busy,
prosperous and contented workmen and
their families.
The move now recorded is the culmina-
tion of many rumors. Hitherto, such al-
leged "facts" as have been published
were mere fancies, for a final decision has
only just been arrived at and up to the last
moment, the whole plan was liable to
change or cancellation.
Sterling's 40th Anniversary.
Doll and the Pompadour Grand.
The ^Eolian Co. have now closed nego-
tiations for the erection of a big factory in
New Jersey. The location is about one^
mile east of Westfield, on the line of the
line of the N. J. C. R. R. With the fac-
tory will be founded the town of yEolian,
on the site at present occupied by Garwood.
This town, according to present plans, is
to be occupied by the company's em-
ployes. Work on the factory is to be be-
gun at once and arrangements are in prog-
ress for occupancy on or before May 1,
1900.
fSpecial to The Review.!
Derby, Conn., Jan. 8, 1900.
The fortieth anniversary of the begin-
ning of the manufacture of organs in
Derby by Charles A. Sterling, and of the
foundation of the business which has since
developed into the important interests of
the Sterling company occurred last week.
While the business was started in i860, it
was not until 1866 that the Sterling com-
pany was organized and not until 1884 that
the manufacture of pianos was begun.
People who remember the unpretentious
beginning of the concern can but marvel
at its rapid growth and development.
In the office at the factories to-day
hangs a picture of the shop in which the
manufacture of organs was begun. It
was a small building and was destroyed
by fire about 1870. The one which was
Boers have a funny but neverthe- immediately erected now forms the cen-
ter of the main factory.
less emphatic way of doing things.
From that time on the concern steadily
Fifty cases said to contain pianos were increased in size and when the manufac-
landed last week at Lorenzo Marques, and ture of pianos was commenced the growth
it is asserted that the contents in reality became so rapid that addition after addi-
consisted of Krupp and Creusot guns for tion had to be built. The manufacture of
the use of the Boers. But undoubtedly pianos is now the largest part of the con-
the guns will make music, though techni- cern's work and 8,000 are turned out an-
nually. The organ department had to be
cally they may not be classed as musical moved into a factory adjoining, which was
instruments.
purchased for that purpose.
The past year has been one of the most
Rhodes Joins Sommer
successful in the Sterling company's his-
tory and if it continues it will be only a
[Special to The Review.]
Omaha, Neb., Jan. 9, 1900.
matter of a short time when more large
H. H. Rhodes, who was at one time with additions will have to be made to the plant.
A. Hospe for several years, has formed a
Layton Bros, of Montreal have secured
copartnership with C. Sommer for the man-
the " Angelus" agency for that city.
ufacturing of pianos.
Jacob Doll, the well-known New York
piano manufacturer, has concluded arrange-
ments with that distinguished inventor, J.
Frank Conover, whereby the latter becomes
associated with him in the manufacture of
"Pompadour grands," reference to which
has been made in the columns of The Re-
view.
Mr. Doll remarked in conversation, "I
have gone into the matter exhaustively
and believe that Mr. Conover's invention
will be a great success." Mr. Doll's friends
know that he is not apt to take an over-
optimistic view of anything, but when he
takes hold of any enterprise he invariably
takes hold to win. His success in piano
making has demonstrated this, and, depend
upon it, what there is in the "Pompadour
grand" will be brought out by Mr. Doll.
His splendid facilities for manufacturing
and marketing this product are too well
known to dilate upon.
Opposing the Freight Advance.
Merchants and manufacturers in many
different lines of business and in very
nearly every part of the country are mak-
ing vigorous protests against the new
trunk-line freight classifications and the
advances in the rates for many commodi-
ties. The new schedule went into effect
with the beginning of the year, and its
enforcement has naturally brought out
many practical instances of what shippers
consider hardship or injustice.
Bruce Cameron, of the A. B. Cameron
Co., has started on the road again in the
firm interests. There is a steady demand
or the Cameron instruments,