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THE
ELIMINATING FAKIRS
In the Piano Advertising and Selling Fields—How
the Philadelphia Dealers Negotiated with the
Newspapers—An Example Which Might Be
Copied by Dealers in Other Cities—Excellent
Work by the National Dealers' Association.
The labors of the National Association of
Piano Dealers in its efforts to eliminate the
fake sale business is proving eminently suc-
cessful. It has been stamped out in Min-
neapolis and Cleveland. Chicago has now-
taken the matter up with the local papers
and Philadelphia is well in line as can be
seen from the following communication
which was addressed by the local Piano
Trade Association to the newspapers of
that city.
"We, the undersigned members of the
Philadelphia Piano Trade Association, de-
sire to submit the following complaint to
the newspapers of Philadelphia:
"For a number of years there has existed
and is now becoming more prominent, an
evil feature advertised in your 'For Sale'
and 'Piano columns,' which we can best de-
scribe by quoting the insidious advertise-
ments used by these 'gyps.' We have each
of us met many victims who report their
grievances, and we feel we are the greater
victims, because we are denied the fruits of
a legitimate trade by the pernicious prac-
tices of an illegitimate one.
"We have a letter signed by C. A. Elmen-
dorf, chairman press committee, National
Association of Piano Dealers, of Minne-
apolis, Minn., dated Sept. 21st, from which
we quote the following:
" 'These parties cannot thrive without
the columns of the newspapers, and if the
members of the piano trade will present the
facts of gross misrepresentation above re-
ferred to, to the managing department of
the daily papers in the section of the
country where such sales are in progress,
it is believed that the newspapers would
not be a party to the crime, and would,
therefore, cut out such objectionable ad-
vertisements, as they have done in some
cases where the matter was presented.'
"We feel that you will be glad to purge
your columns of anything that is fraudulent
as these sales are, because the piano sold
in this manner is miserably inferior in con-
struction and not worthy of the name, and
is 'stencilled' to conceal its real identity.
There is a concerted action now on foot by
all legitimate piano houses in the United
States to suppress this worst of all evils,
which we know to be more extensively
practiced in Philadelphia than almost any
other city. We should, therefore, like to
be able to report to the National Associa-
tion of Piano Dealers that Philadelphia
has been the first to stamp out this evil.
"Messrs. C. J. Heppe & Son, Jacob Bros.
Company, The Cunningham Company, Es-
tey Company, Henry F. Miller & Sons
Piano Co., F. A. North & Co., The Ludwig
Piano Co., Chas. H. Fischer, Geo. R. Flem-
ing, Blasius & Sons."
In reply to this communication, replies
were received by C. J. Heppe &
Son, from the Public Ledger, The
Evening Bulletin, The Evening Tele-
graph and Philadelphia Press, in which
the promise is made that objectional
business of the kind dealers complain
will be denied admission to the advertising
columns of these papers. The communica-
tions from the advertising managers of the
different papers were lengthy and showpH
the most earnest desire to co-operate in
every way with the dealers toward the end
desired.
MUSIC TRADE! REVIEW
It would seem as if the effective work
carried on in Philadelphia could be copied
by dealers in other cities throughout the
country, so that an end might be put for all
time to this fake house system of doing
business.
The modus operandi of the Philadelphia
Association is excellent. It demonstrates
that if papers are approached, as they were
in Philadelphia, they will be only too will-
ing to exclude this private house sale, as
well as other fake advertising of the "Gyp"
character, which is appearing in local
papers throughout the country, working
serious injury to the legitimate business of
the piano,dealer.
As The Review has often said before, this
evil cannot be remedied without some ef-
fort on the part of local dealers and now
that they have seen what can be done, it is
to be hoped that they will put their
shoulder to the wheel in every section of
the country and stamp out this evil for
once and for all.
CONSUMERS PAY GERMAN SURTAX.
According to our contemporary, the
Canadian Music & Trades Journal, the con-
sumer, not the German exporter, will have
to pay the German surtax. The tax was
retaliatory by Canada against Germany on
the latter placing Canada on the maximum
list after Canada had given a 33 1-3 per
cent, preference to British g-oods. There
are some classes of small goods in the
music trade that cannot be obtained else-
where, and the jobbers will pursue a very
short-sighted policy in selling at the old
rate in order to get business. We are
firmly assured by all the Canadian whole-
sale houses that the prices are advanced,
and will be kept there. Band goods of the
Besson and the Boosev make, while quite
superior to much of the German goods, will
come in at about half the duty that the
German goods must pay. Here the French
and United States makes should profit.
The sheet music trade will not be affected
to any extent, as the old duty was only 10
per cent., the new one being 20 per cent., but
as the German publications embrace the
best libraries and editions we must have
them, and the wholesaler will have to lose
the difference in cost.
THE HARMONIST A GREAT SELLER.
There is an increasing demand for the
Harmonist piano player made by Roth & En-
gelhardt of this city. The Pommers-Eilers
Music Co., of San Francisco, are doing a
splendid trade with these instruments as well
as with the Peerless nickel-in-the-slot piano,
and the other specialties in the piano playing
line made by this house. Few concerns are
as well equipped as Roth & Engelhardt to
supply the fullest line of players to dealers
desirous of handling and pushing "a good
thing."
11
FOR TRADE MARK LEGISLATION.
Board of Trade Also Pass Debtors' Accounts Res-
olution.
Further trade-mark legislation was de-
manded in resolutions adopted by the
Board of Trade and Transportation at its
regular monthly meeting Wednesday. Mor-
ris S. Wise offered the resolutions, which
call upon Congress to act in order to afford
additional protection to American owners
of trade-marks, both at home and abroad,
and especially to secure for them the bene-
fits of the International Union for the Pro-
tection of Industrial Property. The
United States has given its assent to the ob-
jects of the union, but additional legislation
is declared to be essential in order to make
the adhesion of this country effective.
Mr. Wise offered resolutions calling upon
the State Legislature to enact a law to pre-
vent debtors, on the eve of failure, from
selling their book accounts. He criticised
certain banks for buying such accounts.
The proposed measure, he said, would sup-
plement the one designed to prevent fraud-
ulent sales of goods in bulk. The resolu-
tions, at the mover's request, were referred
to the legislative committee.
EFFECTIVE EVERETT PUBLICITY.
One of the finest and best arranged ads.,
which has been published in the interest of
the Everett piano in some time, was that
which appeared in the Savannah, (Ga.),
Press of Oct. 24th, over the name of the
McArthur & Sons Co., of that city. It oc-
cupied a full page and contained portraits
of Reisenauer. Gabrilowitsch, Burmeister,
Campanari. The text was dignified in
language, and admirably displayed. It was
entirely in sympathy with the character of
the Everett piano which has won such wide
acclaim. Advertising of this kind re-
dounds to the credit of the McArthur &
Sons Co. and must be productive of the
best results. We must congratulate this
great southern house on their enterprise
in the realm of publicity.
WEBER AUGMENTING EQUIPMENT.
The Weber Piano Co., New York, are ar-
ranging to increase the effectiveness of
their plant by the introduction of the most
modern wood working machinery. The
change has been in contemplation for some
time, and it is now under way so far as the
consideration of machines are concerned.
JOINS THE F. S. CABLE CO.
W. D. Caldwell, the well known travel-
ing man, has joined the forces of the F. S.
Cable Piano Co., of Chicago. He is now
in the West and will soon make a journey
through the East in the interests of the
Lakeside and Sweetland pianos.
BEHR BROS. & CO
PIANOS,
29th Street and I Ith Ave.,
NEW YORK.
HIGHEST STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE.