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THE NEW YOPK
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V O L . x x x v i i i . No. 11. PaMisMErerr Sat. by Edward Lyman BUI at 1 Madison Are,, New Tort, April 23,1904.
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
PORCH BROS.' CELEBRATION.
IOWA DEALERS TO MEET
DEFECTS OF PATENT SYSTEM.
A Great Gathering in Attendance Who Enjoy the
Music and the Beautiful Establishment.
In Convention the First Week of May—Many Sub-
jects of Interest to be Discussed—Henry Dreher
Will be Present as Well as Other Dealers of
Note.
Inventors Constantly Blocked by Prior Patents
That Have Only a Remote Bearing on New
Developments Yet Have a Legal Relationship
—Some Excellent Suggestions in This Con-
nection.
(Special to The Review.)
Johnstown, Pa., April 18, 1904.
Porch Bros, of this city, have just closed a
grand festival week in honor of the opening of
their remodeled music store on Franklin street.
Every evening there was instrumental music
by Findlay's Orchestra and full reed band, which
was interspersed with other features of interest.
There were crowds of people in attendance all the
week, the brilliancy of electric lights, the sweet
odor of the flowers, and the presence of tropical
plants made a picture of great beauty and attrac-
tiveness. R. L. Druckenmiller, manager, super-
intended the fete, and the success of the recep-
tion was naturally gratifying to both gentlemen.
The new store of Porch Bros, is one of the
model places of its kind in the city. On the first
floor is a fine line of small musical instruments,
presided over by Wm. Heiple; at the rear of the
same department are located the offices of the
manager, bookkeepers and the stenographer. On
the right is the electric elevator which runs to
the top floor. The second floor of the building is
the "edition de luxe" of the store. Here are dis-
played a magnificent line of Steinway, Conover,
Lester, Hobart M. Cable, Wissner, Story & Clark,
Schiller and other pianos, and Miller, Burdett and
Crown organs. On this floor also is to be found
Mr. Porch's private desk, while the third floor is
devoted to exchange instruments.
Mr. Porch can feel proud of his new quarters,
and the success achieved since he made his debut
in the business eighteen years ago.
The salesmen employed by Porch Bros, were en-
tertained at the Crystal Cafe, Saturday night, by
their employers. A very elegant dinner had been
prepared by the Crystal management, and for
over an hour the entertainers and their guests en-
joyed themselves. The affair was attended by the
following: W. W. Porch, Prof. R. L. Druckenmil-
ler, William Heiple, C. W. Thompson, W. K. Miles,
Bert Best, Robert E. Taylor, S. H. Scott, S. J.
Klinginsmith, J. B. Hall, W. C. Miller, Wilbur
Crotzer, Henry Fleshour, J. J. Harter, P. W. Ack-
erman, John Thompson, A. C. Hinton, Prof. Du-
ganne, T. E. Van Scoyoc and L. M. Stabler. The
banquet followed the close of the musical program
rendered at the store.
ADMIRE THE KROEGER PIANOS.
John M. Gallup & Co., the old-time and re-
spected piano dealers, of Hartford, Conn., are
great admirers of the Kroeger pianos. In a
very clever advertisement, which appeared re-
cently in the Courant of that city, they say:
"The equipment and administration of the
Kroeger factory is planned with a view to the
production of instruments of exceptional value.
Kroeger pianos have unquestioned merit, which
has won for them high reputation insuring great-
est value to the purchaser. Elegant designs in
all woods always in stock."
BYRON MAUZY'S CECILIAN SHIPMENTS.
Byron Mauzy last week shipped three Cecilian
piano players to Lyon & Co., Ltd., of Honolulu,
and another Cecilian to Mr, Spboth, pf Kobe,
Japan.
(Special to The Review.)
Des Moines, la., April 18, 1904.
The first annual meeting of the Iowa State
Music Dealers' Association will be held at the Sa-
•very Hotel, in this city, May 4 and 5. A pro-
gram of exceeding interest has been prepared,
which includes the reading of papers upon "Meth-
PRESIDENT A. U. COATES.
ods of Advertising," "Terms of Sales on Pianos,"
"Manufacturers' Warrantee" and other subjects
of moment. These topics will be taken up and dis-
cussed at length.
Henry Dreher, president of the National Asso-
ciation of Piano Dealers, will attend, and prob-
ably James A. Guest, of Burlington, will deliver
an address on the first day of the Convention. At
the banquet, toasts will be given by Mr. Carl, of
Newton; Mr. Eadie, of Marshalltown; Adam But-
tell, of Des Moines; Bert D. Pace, of Creston,
and S. Z. Marks, of Des Moines. The orators at
the banquet will be brief, and not exceed fifteen
minutes each.
Much interest is being displayed in the organi-
zation, and a large attendance is expected at the
convention when officers will be elected for the
ensuing year. The present officers are: A. U.
Coates, of Perry, president, and C. B. McNerney,
of Des Moines, secretary.
Complaint is made by The Electrical World
and Engineer that our patent system, though
perhaps as good as that of any country, yet has,
among other serious defects, that of failing to
make the life of patents depend upon their prac-
tical utilization by the owners. As a result of
this, it says, "an attempt to work up the state
of the art in almost any line discloses large num-
bers of more or less conflicting patents running
back over a long term of years. Of these very
few are fundamental in their bearing upon the
art. Most of them are interlinked with their
predecessors in a more or less complicated fash-
ion and belong in the category of improvements.
"But of the whole mass of patents, primary and
secondary, only a very small percentage has any
record of practical usefulness. The vast majority
is composed of patents unsuccessful and entirely
unworked, or of patents taken out for purely de-
fensive purposes, and never seriously intended to
be worked. The result is that the inventor hon-
estly striving to produce an article of industrial
importance continually finds his way blocked by
prior patents touching his invention, more or less
remotely, but still sufficiently in the way to hin-
der material improvements or to control them if
made."
The difficulties in the way of remedying this
evil, are many, and our contemporary makes the
suggestion that patents be issued for a primary
term of only seven years; that a reissue for a
similar term be conditioned on proof that the
invention is actually manufactured and sold on
the market in good faith and in quantities ade-
quate to meet current needs; and that only vne
more reissue be granted after a still more strin-
gent inquiry. When reissue is denied for cause
the patent should go out of existence and the in-
vention become public property.
Thus would not only all dead failures of the
inventors be eliminated, but also most of the
patents held for obstructive purposes, and the
way for improvements would be cleared. It is
noted that such a law would have cleared up
some of the most famous patent tangles of recent
years, and it would materially lessen the amount
of litigation with which inventors are burdened.
This plan would, of course, greatly increase the
responsibility of the Patent Office officials, but
that is hardly a reason for condemning it in a
country where the people can always get as com-
petent servants as they need and desire.
KRANICH & BACH FOR ENGLAND.
HARDMAN FOR STONE OPERA HOUSE.
The new Stone Opera House, at Binghamton,
N. Y., which has just been rebuilt after the fire
of last fall, is to be equipped with a magnificent
Hardman piano, which will be supplied by Bar-
rett Bros.
Grinnell Bros., Detroit, have purchased a large
brick warehouse on Cass avenue, adjoining their
present building in Detroit, which will give
them needed facilities for manufacturing.
D. S. Andrus & Co., the well-known piano deal-
ers of Elmira, N. Y., have just shipped a beautiful
new mahogany upright Kranich & Bach piano to
a customer in Birmingham, Eng. This firm re-
port big demands for this celebrated piano, due
entirely to the merits which they possess.
The De Stieger Music Co., of Detroit, are mov-
ing this week into new and larger quarters in
that city.