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FIFTY-TWO PAGES.
RMFW
THE
VOL. XXXIX. No. 18.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Ave., New York, Oct. 29, 1904.
sible. There is no reflection whatever intended
on any dealer in what I have said. It is said
and meant in a friendly, man-to-man way, and I
Particularly the Smaller Piano Man in Too
am sure that the force of it will be recognized by
Large Instalment Business—Some Timely
those who will think over the whole situation
Remarks From Wm. Dalliba Dutton.
calmly. Far better for the dealer in moderate
Hardman, Peck & Co. are having a busy time circumstances to be less ambitious in the matter
at their several factories. Healthy activity pre- of doing a large instalment business than for
vails in every wholesale department, also in the him to order and place pianos and then live from
retail department. Mr. Dutton, who recently re- hand to mouth until they are paid for, in the
turned from a trip occupying several weeks, meantime being compelled to make excuses in-
found trade conditions satisfactory all along his stead of payments to the manufacturer, who, if
route, which included New York State, Pennsyl- he tried the same plan persistently with the firms
vania, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Ohio who supply him with material, would very soon
find himself without material—and therefore
and other adjacent territory.
Asked by The Review for a brief statement as without the means of manufacturing at all."
to his observations, Mr. Dutton said that he
noted, during the journey, as being most extraor- PRICE & TEEPLE PIANO SECURES DIPLOMA
dinary, the seeming lack of interest in the cam-
The piano exhibit in the Floral Hall this year,
paign. He hardly heard it mentioned at any
stopping place, on the trains or among the deal- far exceeds that of former years, and to secure
ers. This he considered an evidence that trade the "diploma" from five competitors causes A.
would not suffer from the usually disturbed con- J. Smith, of Clinton, considerable satisfaction,
especially as this is his first exhibit at DeWitt.
ditions at such a time.
This award was placed upon a Price & Teeple
"There was only one thing I noticed on my
tour that was out of harmony with the general English oak piano, and brought forth much
good condition of trade. It is to my mind most favorable comment from piano experts.
Many friends were made by Mr. Smith and
regrettable, and I do hope that a much-needed
reform, largely in the hands of dealers—some able assistants, who will doubtless see them when
dealers—will be wrought out in the near future. looking for pianos.—The DeWitt (Iowa) Adver-
Where extensive retail piano establishments, hav- tiser, September 15, 1904.
ing a substantial working capital, purchase in-
struments from the manufacturers they are well
NORRIS NOISELESS AXIOMS.
able, if they so desire, to do a large instalment
business. It does not make very much difference
NO. XL.
to them if they have to wait, say, three years for
It was one of our philosophers who said: "An-
the return of their money. The notes they give
tiquity is not always a mark of verity" and this
to the manufacturers maturing at, say at four,
truth applies with singular force to some con-
eight or twelve months, can be met without diffi-
structive features of the pianoforte. Take the
culty, as they ought to be met if the manufac-
matter of piano pedals and it must certainly be
turer is to do his own business correctly and
admitted that the old time device with its
promptly with the people to whom he is from
squeaking and annoying attributes is not satis-
time to time indebted.
factory nor does it reach the sublime verity or
"But it is an entirely different proposition for ideal which is to be found only in the Norris
a piano dealer having only a small working capi- noiseless pedal action, made by the Norris Noise-
tal, or, as is apparently the case in a number of less Pedal Action Co., of Boston, Mass. This me-
instances, without any reserve at all, to order chanism is now used by the leading men who
pianos, giving notes maturing, say. at four, understand its importance and its value and it is
eight and twelve months and then to go to work unanimously conceded that no piano can be
and put those pianos out—or most of them—on deemed perfect without it. Other specialties are
the instalment plan which necessitates a wait of, made by the Norris institution which also con-
say, three years for the return of the full value tribute materially to the betterment and improve-
and quite eighteen months for any profit what- ment of the piano.
ever. It is, in my opinion, looked at from a
business standpoint, entirely wrong. For the
GEO. SCHLEICHER CO. INCORPORATED.
dealers themselves who do this it is a dangerous
and uncomfortable method. They are always on
George Schleicher Co., New York, was incor-
the anxious seat. Of course, they mean well, but
ci what service is that fact to themselves or porated with the Secretary of State at Albany, on
to the manufacturer who, instead of receiving his Wednesday, for the purpose of manufacturing
money or having his note met when it is due— pianos; capital, $25,000. Directors:
George
the only business way, of course—is asked for Schleicher, Sr., Bertha Schleicher, Stamford,
another and then another extension time after Conn.; George Schleicher, Jr., New York.
time as a matter of course.
MAKING IMPROVEMENTS.
"I say this plainly because the general effect
of such a custom is demoralizing to the whole
H. J. Smith, the enterprising piano dealer, of
industry. How can a dealer be prosperous when
he is continually handicapped in such a way as Racine, Wis., has been making a number of im-
I have described? How can a manufacturer be provements in his establishment which will ren-
prosperous under such conditions? It is impos- der it quite attractive.
DANGER LINE FOR RETAILERS.
SINGLE COPIES. 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
KOHLER & CAMPBELL ACTIVITY
On the Pacific Coast Illustrated in the Demand
for Autopianos.
A. G. Bartlett, president of the Bartlett Music
Co.. Los Angeles, Cal., has been in town for the
past few weeks. Just after his arrival he received
a telegram from his firm headquarters, refer-
ring to one of the Kohler & Campbell specialties,
it said: "Demand unprecedented. Must have an-
other carload Kohler & Campbell auto-pianos."
The previous carload, shipped not long ago, had
evidently sold "like hot cakes," and a call for
more made the demand sufficiently urgent to
justify the dispatch of a telegram across the con-
tinent to the head of the firm.
Trade conditions at the Kohler & Campbell fac-
tory are lively to say the least. The men, num-
bering nearly three hundred, are working steadily
from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m. in order to keep up with
current orders. Mr. Keeley, now on the road, is
sending in good reports.
DEFRAUDED SCHUBERT PIANO CO.
(Special to The Review.)
Buffalo, N. Y., Oct. 24, 1904.
Detective-Sergeant Frank Stoner left for To-
ledo last evening to bring back a man who it is
alleged defrauded two Buffalo firms by means of
bogus checks. While here the man gave his name
as Gordon Whitney.
Whitney is alleged to have given a check for
$310 to the Schubert Piano Co. in payment for a
piano. He got about $45 in change, it is, alleged,
before the firm learned of the fraud. It is also
said he passed a bogus check on another firm.
The Buffalo piano house notified all the men
in the same trade throughout the country. When
Whitney tried the same game in a Toledo piano
house he was quickly arrested. He will be
brought back in time for trial in police court.
LINDEMAN & SONS' SMALL GRAND.
Orders are coming in freely from the Linde-
man & Sons agencies for each of the current
styles in Lindeman & Sons small grand. The con-
census of opinion is that the artistic creations
included in the latest Lindeman & Sons catalogue
excel in gracefulness of outline and finish all
previous efforts of the firm, which has been fa-
mous from the first for the production of high-
grade pianos of attractive case design, fine qual-
ity of tone and superior quality of workmanship.
CONDITIONS WITH BEHR BROS.
Edward Behr, of Behr Bros. & Co., 29th street
and Eleventh avenue, reported to The Review, on
Tuesday, when a call was made for news, that
October, thus far, had brought in fairly satisfac-
tory results in the shape of orders, original and
duplicated. Messrs. Brown, of the firm, Shafer
and Krumme have received many substantial or-
ders since the season began. Style A, Henry
Behr's successful creation, is still a great favor-
ite.