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THE
BIG BUSINESS.
Will Make Over 5,000 Instruments This Year—
Their New Plant Which Will Soon be Com-
:
pleted Will Give Them Needed Facilities to
Meet All Demands This Year—The Packard
Instruments Are Now Known and Esteemed
the World Over.
The recently erected additional buildings
to the factory of the Packard Co., in Ft.
Wayne, Ind., will be ready for occupancy
within six weeks. They increase the size
snd the capacity for work of the factory one-
third. The new buildings are 50 x 175 feet,
and, like the old factory, four stories high,
giving the establishment now a frontage of
230 feet on Fairfield avenue and 220 feet
on Organ avenue. It now employs 250 men.
When the machinery in the new buildings
is in operation this force will probably be
increased one-third, and the employees will
have more room and better conveniences for
work than they have at present.
The history of the Packard Co. extends
over a period of nearly a third of a century.
When started in 1871 the concern was known
as the Fort Wayne Organ Co. They then
had a building 100 feet long by 40 feet wide
and confined their manufacture to organs.
Now they manufacture both organs and pia-
nos—the Packard organ and the Packard
piano, famed the world over for their sweet-
ness of tone and excellence of make. Since
then six additions to their buildings have
been made, and they now have an establish-
ment that is among the largest in the city.
The down town store room and sales de-
partment is at the corner of Calhoun and
West Washington streets, and G. W. Mills
is in charge as manager.
General Manager Bond, talking with a lo-
cal newspaper man, said that the factory
manufactures between 3,500 and 4,000 or-
gans each year. The average number of
pianos made has been 1,000. That was the
output last year. This year they expect to
make 1,500 or more, thus giving them a total
sale of over 5,000 musical instruments for
1902.
The Packard pianos and organs have a
world-wide reputation. They are in every
country. There is a Fort Wayne Packard
in the boudoir of the Empress of Germany.
They are sold in London, in Paris, in Ber-
lin. They are shipped to Australia, to South
America, to the British Tsles of the Sea.
The country is a land of savages where the
Packard organ or the Packard piano are not
known. They carry the name of Fort Wayne
into every clinic and among the people of
everv nation on the globe.
McPHAIL'S ANNUAL MEETING.
At the annual meeting of stockholders of
the A. M. McPhail Piano Co. at their offices
in the Color ial Building, Boston, last week,
the present officers—Geo. F. Blake, presi-
dent, F. H. Owen, treasurer, and A. Max-
well, vice-president—were re-elected for the
ensuing year. The business report presented
was exceedingly satisfactory and a good divi-
dend was declared.
E. N. Kimball, Jr., who has been touring
the West, reached New York Tuesday. He
reports business as being most satisfactory.
Music
TRRDE REVIEW
HALLET & DAVIS WITH LING.
"I "•".-'
[Special to T h e Review.]
Detroit, Mich., March 7, 1902.
Trade in the city among the piano dealers
continues excellent. The retirement of that
trade veteran, C. J. Whitney, has naturally
brought about some changes in his lines.
E. N. Kimball, Jr., has been here, and has
arranged with J. Henry Ling for the repre-
sentation of the Hallet & Davis piano in
Detroit.
SOME WEBER FACTS.
Robert A. Wheat, of Warwick, N. Y., who
for the past thirty-three years has been agent
for the Weber piano and during that time
has sold hundreds of these superior instru-
ments, has recently received the following
interesting personal note from the superin-
tendent of the firm:
Weber-Wheeler Co.,
Piano Manufacturers.
New York, Feb. 17, 1902.
I was pleased to hear that you had paid
us a visit, calling in mind, as it does, old
times, and showing that we still retain the
friendship and the confidence of our old cus-
tomers. Our business is now approaching
its fiftieth anniversary, also the fiftieth year
of my connection with it, which has been
continuous since 1852. We always have been,
and still are, following the lines laid down
by its founder, Albert Weber, whose aim
was to make the best piano possible, and
whose success has been phenomenal, in spite
of misrepresentation from many of our com-
petitors, who have found our instruments
hard to fight. Hoping for a continuance of
your favor and wishing you every success,
long" life and happiness, I am,
Yours sincerely,
Edward Stroud, Supt.
NEW CORPORATIONS AND CHANGES.
Among the incorporations filed this week
with the Secretary of State of Michigan, was
that of the Chas. E. Roat Music Co., of
Battle Creek, with a capital stock of $10,000.
The purpose is to conduct a general musical
merchandise business. The officers of the
company are: Chairman, B. T. Skinner;
vice-chairman, Edwin Barnes; treasurer, P.
D. Ferguson; secretary, Chas. E. Roat; man-
ager, A. C. Kingman.
The Acme Organ Co. has been incorpor-
ated with the Secretary of State of Wiscon-
sin, for the manufacture in Milwaukee of
pianos, organs and other musical instru-
ments, with $20,000 capital stock. H. W.
Bolens, of 632 Jackson street, and Chas. J.
Travers and Edward Barrelman, of Port
Washington, are the incorporators.
Among the incorporations filed with the
Secretary of State of Ohio was that of the
H. D. Munson & Sons Music Co., of Zanes-
ville, with a capital of $100,000. The incor-
porators are Horace D. Munson, Chas. E.
Munson, Jas. F. Miller, E. W. Stockdale and
T. M. Brclsford.
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The Driggs & Smith Co., of Waterbury
Conn., have filed a notice of increase of cap-
ital stock from $14,000 to $25,000.
THEY GAIN EXPORT MARKETS.
Some Facts Regarding the Hamilton Piano and
Organs Which Demonstrate That There is a
Big Opening Abroad for American Pianos in
Competition With French and German Makes
if the Business is Handled Properly.
The recent and constantly increasing ship-
ments of Hamilton pianos and organs to
KAFFENBERGER & CANTOR.
foreign countries conclusively show that
During a visit on Monday to the factory there is'a field in foreign countries for good
and warerooms of Kaffenberger & Cantor, American pianos, in competition with Ger-
the "Big Piano Cover House," 103 Fifth man and French makes—if the requirements
avenue, the Review noted the large and of the foreign dealers are carefully studied,
varied stock of scarfs and covers available. and if the business is done on sound Amer-
The stock is well kept and well arranged. ican methods.
Charles T. Kaffenberger, of the firm, refer-
Within the last month the Baldwin Co.
ring to trade conditions, reported a steady have shipped pianos and organs to Mexico
growth of business. "We have many new City ; Antwerp, Belgium ; Rotterdam, Hol-
designs in coloring," he added. "They are land ; Athens, Greece: Kingston, Jamaica;
quite out of the ordinary run, and have never Leeds, England; Warsaw, Poland; Rosario,
been shown before. The line we now have Argentine Republic; with increasing orders
on view of fine damasks and velours is ex- coming in from all parts of the globe. Con-
ceptionally large and choice. It will pay the sidering the fact that German manufacturers
trade to write for samples. We want to hear of pianos have established their foreign trade
from all dealers and other probable patrons through personal representatives and trav-
who are interested in scarfs and covers."
eling men, and have developed their foreign
trade on a credit system, which American
AUTOMATIC PIANO-PLAYERS ABROAD. manufacturers would call risky in foreign
Another small but not unimportant indus- countries, it is astonishing how the Hamil-
try is going by default, says a London paper. ton pianos and organs are gaining ground
No less than six different kinds of American and popularity all over the world.
automatic piano-players have been introduced
here. Now, I daresay that fully 2,500,000
pianofortes contribute to the happiness (or CHICKERING AGENCY WITHDRAWN.
otherwise) of the 40,000,000 inhabitants of
Chickering & Sons announce the with-
the United Kingdom. The automatic piano- drawal of the representation of the Chicker-
player is such a fascinating instrument, even ing pianos from the Daynes Music Co., of
to pianists, that it is quite probable that in a Salt Lake City, Utah.
few years time the owners of one in five of
these 2,500,000 pianos will have bought one.
TO LOCATE IN FINDLAY
That means a sale of 500,000 piano-players,
The Self-Lifting Piano Truck Co., of
value $15,000,000. Is this trade, like that
in typewriters, to be resigned to the United Lima, will, it is said, move to Findlay, O.,
States ?
and establish a factory employing thirty men.