Music Trade Review

Issue: 1903 Vol. 36 N. 4

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
fflJ JIC TIRADE
VOL. XXXV1. No. 4.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Avenue, New York, Jan. 24,1903.
A SPLENDID PACKARD REPORT.
At the annual meeting; of the stockholders
of the Packard Co. held in Ft. Wayne, Ind.,
last week, no change was made in the officers.
Never in the history of this institution has
business been so prosperous as during the
past year. Not only has the output been
larger, but the prestige and standing of their
instruments has grown materially. In the
management of this enterprise Mr. Bond
has ever kept in mind high artistic ideals,
and in the pianos, as in the literature and
general business methods, he has imbued
this spirit with, the result that everything in
connection with the Packard house is high
grade—artistic.
For the present year's business the Pack-
ard Co.. are splendidly prepared to meet a
growth of trade which is inevitable. The
addition of a new building, 50x175, four
stories high, with every modern equipment,
gives them splendid facilities to meet all
demands. Their latest styles in grands and
uprights are certainly beautiful creations and
well merit the appreciation in which they are
held by dealers throughout the country.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
DEALERS COMBINE IN YOUNGSTOWN.
ULLMAN AGAIN AFTER DEALERS
[Special to The Review.]'
In Pianos and Furniture—The Assemblyman will
insist that Dealers doing business on the Install-
ment Plan be put under Bonds.
Youngstown, O., Jan. 17, 1903.
An important deal has been consummated
in this city whereby the Greenwood-Yahr-
ling Music Co. have been organized with a
capital stock of $12,000 by U. C. Green-
wood, C. H. Yahrling and H. E.. Greenwood.
They will continue to do a general music
store and piano business at No. 35 North
Phelps street, at which place they have been
for many years as individual business con-
cerns.
For the past four years Mr. Greenwood
has been manager of the Mahoning Piano
Co., whose business has tripled in volume
during the past twelve months. He has tak-
en his son, Harry E., into partnership, and
with Mr. Yahrling, who is a noted musician
and a business man of decided ability, they
intend to branch out on a much larger scale
than ever before.
A PROSPEROUS SOUTHERN HOUSE.
The Mobile (Ala.) Register of recent date
contained an extended notice of the E. E.
Forbes Piano Co. branch in that city, bear-
ing directly on what they are doing for die
BOUGHT TOO MANY PIANOS.
cause of music in Alabama and Mississippi.
[Special to The Review.]
This branch is under the management of
Huntington, W. Va., Jan. 19, 1902.
H. W. Parker, son of a prominent min- James O. Smith, who keeps ten representa-
ister at Clifton Forge, Va., was arrested here tive salesmen busy all the time.. The instru-
lately and is now in jail on a charge of de- ments handled by this house include the
Chickering, Mason & Hlamlin, Everett, Kra-
frauding merchants all over the city..
nich
& Bach, Emerson, Krell, Harvard,
Parker, who is a fine-looking man, went
Pease,
McPhail, Wilbur and Krell-French
to all the music stores about town and at
pianos.
each one purchased a piano or organ on
Speaking of this well-known house we may
credit. At furniture stores he purchased
say
that J. B. Piper, who was recently man-
hundreds of dollars' worth of furniture the'
ager
of the Forbes branch in Rome, Ga., has
same way, it is alleged.
moved
his headquarters to Ensley, Ala., and
He had the goods removed to a hand-
is
building
up a splendid trade in the steel
somely furnished home in an aristocratic part
section.
of the city and, it is charged, for two weeks
Recent additions to the Forbes staff of
past he has been selling the articles recently
salesmen
are J. F. Mankin, J. E. Wilson,
purchased regardless of value.
M.
E.
Jordan
and Luther Wakefleld.
He was preparing to leave the town to-
The
various
branches of the E.. E. Forbes
day for parts unknown when officials placed
Piano
Co.
report
the greatest business in
him under arrest on warrants sworn out by
the
history
of
this
house. The enterprising
merchants. He will be given a preliminary
methods
of
the
managers
as well as the
hearing to-morrow.
hearty support of their force by Mr. Forbes
The usual post-holiday dullness lias not
himself have unquestionably tended to pres-
been evident at the headquarters of Hazel-
ton Bros, in this city.. Their January trade ent prosperous conditions.
so far is the best that they have had in years
Grobel Bros, have just closed a contract for
and the prospects are for a continuance of the erection of a fine building on East Main
this activity. The Hazelton styles for 1903 street, Huntington, N. Y., which they will
are superb examples of the best in piano occupy as a music store when completed.
making, and they are worthily winning in- The upper floor will be used for musicales,
creased favor.
etc.
On Monday night Assemblyman Ullman
introduced a bill at Albany which provides
that every corporation or individual doing
business on the installment plan shall pay
a tax of $500 and shall also give a bond in
the sum of $5,000 for the honest conduct
of the business.
Mr. Ullman had a similar measure before
the Legislature at the last session, tut it was
not passed owing to the opposition which
developed against it from all sections of the
State. The installment dealers were repre-
sented against it in force.
It will be remembered that the New York
Piano Manufacturers' Association took ac-
tive steps in opposition to the bill. Chas. H.
Parsons, then president, as well as some other
members of the Association, went to Albany
to oppose the bill and the Association sent
out letters to piano dealers all over the State
asking them to write their Assemblyman to
oppose the passage of the bill. Similar action
was taken by other trade organizations and
through their combined efforts the bill was
killed..
One other feature which brought about
the defeat of the bill last year was the fact
that agricultural machinery is now sold in
the rural sections on the installment plan,
and when Mr. Ullman's measure was pro-
posed the men and firms who sell to farmers
on time payments worked against the bill
with the result that the up-state Assembly-
men also opposed it.
Mr. Ullman is undaunted by his expe-
rience. He says he has carefully considered
the matter between sessions, and is more
than ever convinced that installment deal-
ers should pav a tax to the State and also
give a bond that they will conduct their busi-
ness properly.
"My bill," said Mr. Ullman this week,
"has for its chief object redress to persons
who have paid a certain amount of money
on an article and then find themselves un-
able to continue their payments.
"The custom in New York City among
certain installment dealers, when a person
is unable to meet his installment payments
up to the full amount of the purchase price,
is to levy on the article and give no rebate.
This sharp practice is extensive and should
be stopped. If installment dealers were com-
pelled to put up a bond of $5,000 they could
be sued on this bond whenever they tried,
to take advantage of a person,"
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
7VYVSIC T R K D E
REVIEW
EDWARD
LYMAN
BILL,
viously supplied by The Review representing the total output of
pianos for 1902. Our estimate for 1901 was 159,500, and the past
year 210,000.
than $300, but the increrse and the output from the high-grade fac-
tories brings the average up materially.
It is interesting to note that a number of the dealers estimate
that sixty per cent, of all the instruments sold in their respective local-
ities were under $300.
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR
EXECUTIVE STAFF :
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
WALDO E. LADD
GEO. B. KELLER
There were a good many pianos retailed at less
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
GEO. W. QUER1PEL
A. J. NICKLIN
v* Published Every Saturday at I Madison Avenue, New Y o r k . *
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency (orm, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, JANUARY 24, t903.
In some localities there has been a tentative agreement among
some of the leading houses not to sell pianos for less than $10 down
and $6 per month. However, in those localities where such agree-
ments have been made there is an evident existing belief that all have
not lived up to the agreement in every particular.
The trouble with such price arrangements is the fact that there
are many ways in which a merchant may avoid open violation of
contract by making concessions and still rigidly maintain his price
agreement.
TELEPHONE NUHBER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
THE
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In Its
ARTISTS'
"Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This Is
B
T M KIT ejected without in any way trespassing on the size or service
DEPARTMENT of the trade section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corpora
DIRECTORY
tlons found on page 31 will be of great value as a reference for
pi A N r>
n c
MANUFACTURERS
f
I HERE is an unmistakable tendency to sell pianos even of the
*
highest grade on small payments down and meagre instal-
ments.
Trade methods which in some localities were most disrep-
utable have been materially reformed, and while a great many
dealers advise us that most despicable p ractices
vogue among their competitors, it cannot be denied but that as a
EDITORIAL
whole the business is run on cleaner and more healthful lines than
heretofore.
I T is imperative that piano manufacturers who intend making an
*
are still in
Every year sees a material betterment in this partic-
ular.
exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition should arrange for space
EGARDING the outlook for the present year there is a vari-
at the earliest possible date.
ety of opinion.
J. A. Ockerson, chief of the Liberal Arts Department, remarked
while in the offices of The Review this week:
"We have received
application from a number of piano manufacturers and it would
In the Middle West and the East dealers
complain bitterly of the effect of the coal famine upon their
trade.
seem from the way applications are coming in from all quarters
There is no question but that the retail piano business has been
for space that it will be difficult later on to give exhibitors just what
hit, and hit heavily by the lack of ability of the people to procure
they desire in location and in number of square feet needed for
coal. The increased cost of this necessity and the uncertainty which
exhibition purposes.
exists almost everywhere has steadily retarded business, and this
Naturally those who make early application
unpleasant factor is liable to figure for some weeks yet.
will receive the first attention."
The matter of space is a very important one and those who
Regarding prospects for the present year, eliminating the coal
delay too long may be disappointed in the location which they may
question, all agree that there will be a material increase over last
be able to secure later on.
year.
Estimates for the present year predict an increase of from
twenty to thirty per cent.
UK ING the pas; week we have been in receipt of communi-
cations from hundreds of dealers in every part of America
I T may be stated in this connection that the retail piano ware-
express ng personal view's on matters of general trade moment.
*
rooms all over America do not contain more pianos than ordin-
Some of these are presented in another portion of this paper, and
arily are found therein at this season of the year.. In fact, many of
just now when manufacturers are making preparations for the new
them were pretty well denuded of instruments during the holiday
year they will be of exceeding interest.
They serve to show the
season, and from estimates supplied us, we are inclined to say that
views of men prominently identified with the distribution of musi-
an exact statement of the retail stocks throughout the country
cal instruments to the general public upon a variety of subjects.
would show that there were less pianos on hand in the warerooms
than there were a year ago.
O
PINIONS from leading dealers in various cities throughout
T is interesting to note that nearly all dealers affirm that there
the Union indicate that the average retail price at which
pianos have been sold during 1902 would closely approximate $300.
The increase in business over that of 1901 varies according
!
has been a decline in the sale of what we may term pianos hav-
ing an indefinite, sometimes called "stencil" origin.
to localities from twenty-five to seventy-five per cent. The average
There has been, however, an increase in the sale of instru-
from all points from which we have obtained definite information
ments not bearing the stencil of manufacturers but the names of
appears to be a trifle over thirty per cent.
dealers. These have a definite origin and are referred to in differ-
The figures of increase
as told by the dealers are in exact accordance with the figures pre- ent terms than the old-time illegitimate piano.

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