Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1905 Vol. 40 N. 16

Page 7 Text:

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Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL. XL. No. 16.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at I Madison Ave., New York, April 22, 1905.
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
LESSENING FIRE RISK.
THIRD DIVIDEND DECLARED
GOOD SALES IN DENVER.
The Maintenance of a Fire Brigade Such as
Lyon & Healy's Should Lessen Insurance
Rates—Something of the Organization.
On A. B. Cameron Mfg. Co., Bankrupt, Estate—
53 Per Cent. Paid So Far—The Remaining
Assets Imply Another Dividend.
Kimball Pipe Organ Sold by Knight-Campbell
Co.—Denver Music Co.'s Big Weber Trade—
Hext Co. Sell a Chickering a Day—The
Behning a Favorite.
(Special to The Review.)
Chicago, 111., April 18, 1905.
Readers of The Review may be interested to
know something of the Lyon & Healy Fire Brig-
ade, whose efficiency was tested about a month
ago, when they extinguished a very ugly fire
that had started in one of the show windows.
This fire, it will be remembered, the home fire-
men handled with the greatest skill, having put
it out twelve minutes before the city fire engines
arrived. The brigade is divided into nine com-
panies, as follows: Company A, basement; Com-
pany B, first floor; Company C, second floor;
Company D, third floor;Company E, fourth floor;
Company F, fifth floor; Company G, sixth floor;
Company H, noon hour, 12 to 1; Company I, noon
hour, 1 to 2. The officers consist of a chief, who
has full charge and supervision of the brigade
and all properties of the different companies,
with a captain, first lieutenant and second lieu-
tenant in charge of each company.
Each company is complete in itself, and is
expected to handle its own fire without any as-
sistance, and must drill separately at least once
a week without notice. A record book must be
kept showing the date and hour of each drill,
as well as what members of the company re-
sponded or were absent at the time. The books
must be sent to W. H. Wade every Saturday
morning for inspection and O. K. The members
of the company are compelled to be familiar with
the location of the nearest city fire alarm boxes,
must keep all passageways unobstructed, and
must not leave the building, except for lunch, or
at closing time.
A book giving the general rules governing the
fire brigade has just been issued by Lyon &
Healy. It contains much of interest concerning
the duties of the officers and men, and by its
perusal one is able to get an idea of the thor-
oughness which permeates every company in this
establishment.
There is one thought which occurs to the writer
in connection with the Lyon & Healy fire brigade,
and it is that fire insurance companies could
well afford to make a marked reduction in rates
wherever a house fire brigade of acknowledged
efficiency is maintained. There can be no ques-
tion but that the Lyon & Healy fire brigade has
lessened fire risk one-half in the Lyon & Healy
establishment. Isn't this a matter that insurance
companies should take into consideration?
Henry L. Rubino, trustee for the A. B. Cam-
eron Mfg. Co., bankrupt, has sent to the creditors
a third dividend of 8 per cent, declared on claims
against this estate. A first dividend of 30 per
cent, was paid on Aug. 31, 1903, and a second
dividend of 15 per cent, was paid on May 31,
1904, thus making the total paid up to date 53
per cent. The trustee's statement shows a bal-
ance of cash on hand of $529.69, after all dis-
bursements to date.
The trustee states that the remaining assets
in the estate are as follows: " 1 . Uncollected book
accounts in the sum of $2,744.26. The collectibil-
ity of the greater portion of these accounts is
very doubtful, as many of the debtors have been
found financially irresponsible. 2. Approxi-
mately sixty outstanding leases, most of which
had been assigned by the bankrupt to the C. B.
Turton Co., of 18 Exchange place, New York
City, to secure a loan of $5,000. I have been mak-
ing the collections on these leases and have so
far turned over to the Turton Co. the sum of
$2,302.20, leaving a balance due them at this
time of $1,251.68. The collections over a*hd above
this amount belong to the estate, and I estimate
the said equity to be approximately $2,000. In
view of thn fact that the title in these various
pianos remains vested in this estate until its
claims are paid in full, I consider all these claims
collectible."
This estate will yield a further dividend, the
amount of which, however, at the present time,
the trustee says, it is impossible to estimate.
TIRED OF $10,000 ORGAN.
Allegheny
to
Ask Mr. Carnegie for a More
Elaborate One.
(Special to The Review.)
Denver, Col., April 15, 1905.
The Knight-Campbell Music Co. have just made
the sale of a large Kimball pipe organ to the
First Universalist Church of Denver. The organ
was a gift of Andrew Carnegie, of New York.
The committee has arranged for a concert Fri-
day evening, April 14, when the organ will be
officially installed. It will cost $2,000.
The Knight-Campbell Music Co. seem to be
doing a splendid business, in spite of the con-
tinued bad weather, having some very good sales
to their credit.
The Denver Music Co. have placed a large
Weber concert grand piano at the Orpheum. They
have a very prominent placard on the piano, set-
ting forth its merits and superiority. This card
draws many thousands of eyes upon it, and as a
result will no doubt be of great benefit to its
agents. They are advertising the Weber piano
quite extensively, having placed large posters
throughout the city and State. This firm have
just received a carload of Smith & Barnes
pianos. They present a fine appearance in their
artistic parlor and window displays. Special at-
tention is being given this week to the sale of
the large stock of Steck pianos which were re-
cently transferred from the Knight-Locke Piano
Co.
The Hext Music Co. are doing an elegant busi-
ness in the absence of Mr. Hext. The manager
reports the sale of four Chickering pianos in as
many days, among them being a baby grand. Mr.
Hext, who is now in the East, attended the meet-
ing of dealers who celebrated the 82d anniver-
sary of Chickering & Sons in Boston on Friday,
April 14.
Mr. Mabel, of the Mabel Music Co., says that
business is better this year than he has ever
known it to be before. He states that the Behn-
ing piano is rapidly becoming a favorite in
Denver.
F. H. Frazelle, representing Paul G. Mehlin
& Sons Co., was in town this week.
F. Q. Evans, of the Story & Clark Piano Co., is
in Denver.
Allegheny, Pa., wants a new pipe organ. It is
hinted that Allegheny is jealous of Pittsburg
with her fine new Carnegie organ, and, though
the $10,000 organ which Mr. Carnegie gave to
Allegheny not so many years ago is still used
each and every day, it is estimated that it will
cost $6,000 to bring it up to date, and Mr. Car-
negie therefore is to be asked to give the north
side another and more elaborate instrument.
BUSY TIMES WITH BREWER-PRYOR CO.
E. J. Mcllvaine, Director of Public Works, has
been delegated by the City Council to visit New
(Special to The Review.)
York and lay the matter before Mr. Carnegie. It
Binghamton, N. Y., April 17, 1905.
will be explained among other things that the
Three hundred pianos are in course of con-
town organist has to sit so high when perform-
ing in the Music Hall that he must needs be an struction at the new plant of the Brewer-Pryor
CLARENCE GENNETT IMPROVING.
acrobat in order to get to the different keyboards. Piano Mfg. Co., at the foot of Carroll street, and
the industry has already taken its place among
Clarence Gennett, secretary and treasurer of
the leading concerns of the city. As none but
Falkenstein
Bros.,
of
Hanford,
Cal.,
have
pur-
the Starr Piano Co., Richmond, Ind., who was
operated on for appendicitis last week, has with- chased the sheet music stock of J. H. Hull. W. P. skilled workmen are employed the wages are
Gillett will have charge of the piano and musi,^ necessarily high and the employes form an un-
stood the shock most satisfactorily, we are glad
usually desirable class of citizens. Representa-
to say, and is steadily improving. Few of the department of this business.
tives of the concern are soon to go on the road
younger generation in the piano trade have more
The Security Piano Co., Bowling Green, Ky., for the purpose of soliciting orders, and It will
friends than Mr. Gennett. and it is the earnest
which is under the management of H. D. Sofge, only be a question of a short time when the ca-
wish of one and all, including The Review, that
pacity of the plant will be increased.
are handling the Krell and Royal pianos.
his convalescence will be rapid,

Page 8 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
8
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
KOTO
EDWARD LYMAN DILL.
Editor and Proprietor.
REIVi£W
pose to uphold the dignity of the music trade. Reputable merchants
in other lines have long since abandoned the throwing in of acces-
sories in order to close a sale and why should piano merchants
adhere to worn out customs, thereby lessening their prestige and
reducing their profits ? #
One thing is certain, if these far Western men do have lively
advertising tilts in the columns of the papers and bloodless
battles, they are keen business men, broadminded as well, and the
stand that they have taken to extinguish the gift enterprise shows
them to be farsighted merchants.
J. B. S P I L L A N E , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r .
EXECVTIVE AND REPORTORIAL STAFF:
GEO. B. KELLER,
W. N. TYLER,
EUILIE FRANCIS BAUKR,
WM. B. WHITE.
W. L. WILLIAMS,
A. J. NICKXIN,
GIO. W. QUBRIPEL.
BOSTON OPF1CE:
CHICAQO OFFICE:
EBNKST L. WAITT, 255 Washington St.
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, 80 La Salle St.
MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL:
R. W. KAUFFUAN.
E. C. TORREY.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE:
5 T . LOUIS OFFICE :
CHAS. N. VAN BUREN.
ALFRED METZGER, 426-427 Front St.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Nadison Avenue, New York.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United State*, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $2.00 per inch, tingle column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed.
Advertising Pages, $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $76.00.
REMITTANCES,
in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
THE ARTISTS'
DEPARTMENT
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains in its
"Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This is effected
without in any way trespassing on the size or service of the trade
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and therefore aufr
ments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
mtrrmDV^DUMA
M*MirV*V»i-ii« • - «
MANUFACTURERS
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
found on
» n °t h er page will be of great value, as a reference for
dealer8
and
otheri
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NUMBER
1745 GRAMERCY.
NEW YORK. APRIL 22. 19O5.
W
HILE the dealers have been having a warm time in music
trade circles on the Pacific Coast, the fact should not be
overlooked that they have also taken important action upon matters
of considerable interest to the trade in all sections. They are
endeavoring to do away entirely with the gift element of the business.
It is generally admitted that the throwing in of a stool and scarf
as an inducement in piano bargains is not good business. Years
ago it might have been considered fitting, but we have out-
grown those early and somewhat crude conditions. A stool and
scarf should, of course, go with a piano, but they should be paid for
separately. To include a stool and scarf in a piano sale seems like
throwing in a pair of suspenders and a necktie to close a bargain in
the clothing business.
N
O good reason can be advanced why the piano business should
not stand with other dignified divisions of trade, and we
heartily commend the attitude of the San Francisco dealers in the
stand that they have taken to do away with the giving away of stools
and scarfs. They have agreed to eliminate that practice from their
piano sales after May ist. It is just as reasonable to ask a jeweler
to throw in a chain and charm with every watch sale as to expect a
man to throw in a stool and scarf.
The San Francisco dealers have also established a uniform rate
of cartage, and another important move which was chronicled by the
Review's San Francisco representative in an earlier issue of the
paper was that they have agreed not to advertise pianos for less than
$200, and not only have they agreed as far as the local advertising
goes, but they have gone further—they have agreed that no new
pianos shall be sold below that price in the warerooms.
A
S parties to this agreement were included practically all of the
important music trade institutions of San Francisco, and the
future effect of this new move will be watched with exceeding
interest. This agreement has been caused by the tendency to cut
and slash prices to such a degree that it has been conceded that the
legitimate trade interests have suffered largely thereby.
Certainly this position assumed by the San Francisco dealers is
deserving of the heartiest commendation for it shows that they pro-
LEADING Pacific Coast dealer while visiting these offices last
week remarked that he had been much interested in the various
editorials appearing in The Review arguing the abandonment of the
special brand pianos entirely. He remarked that he had always
preferred to exploit pianos under the manufacturer's name, and that
while he had done a vast amount of advertising he had carefully
refrained from exploiting pianos under his own name, or other spe-
cial brands that he might control.
He took occasion to say that The Review was doing splendid
work in creating an opposition to the extension of the special
brand business. Continuing he sad, "The excerpt from the adver-
tisement of Kohler & Chase, which you reproduced, shows clearly
that the most reputable dealers exploit pianos bearing their own
name as equal to the best makes."
A
T
O our minds, the only way to intelligently grapple with this
special brand problem is to carry on an argumentative cam-
paign so that manufacturers and dealers may fully realize the danger
which will result from a continuance of this particular business.
In the end it can have no other effect than to cheapen the retailing
of pianos, and to lower the level of the trade to an astonishing degree.
Even now, some of the manufacturers of the higher grades of instru-
ments complain bitterly of the noticeable lack of sales of their own
instruments by dealers who have held the agency of their pianos
for many years.
NE manufacturer stated to The Review that since we had
commenced this campaign he had taken pains to investigate
the causes of the slowing down of his sales, and in three cases he
found the lack of business which he was experiencing was due almost
wholly to the fact that the dealers were pushing pianos bearing their
own names, which they had manufactured for them, and which they
pronounced in their advertising and through the mediumship of
their salesmen to be equal in every respect to the instruments famous
in piano history. They were simply using the great names to draw
the people in, and when once inside the warerooms all of the energy
was placed on the sale of the "just as good" instrument which, of
course, meant that the old names were used as drawing cards to sell
the new, or special brand pianos.
O
F course these are purchased at low prices and are sold as a
rule at higher figures than their actual value should entitle
the dealer to receive from them. Large profits are considered an
essential to retailing, and many of the dealers are devoting their
energies to the selling of cheaper instruments at prices which in
many cases are far beyond their actual worth.
There must be a halt to this business else the trade will suffer
severely. Indifference to this traffic will not remove it, for the evil
exists, and what is worse it is growing and it is up to the manufac-
turers to adopt some strenuous rules to suppress its increase.
O
B
Y establishing prices at which their products may be sold at
retail, the manufacurers will create a clear line of demarca-
tion between the instruments bearing the manufacturers' brand and
the special brands created for the dealer.
While recently discussing this important matter, Mr. John Gog-
gan, of the great Texas house of Goggan, stated that he was in favor
of the manufacturer of a standard make insisting on a regular price
being maintained for his pianos at retail. He said that people in
other lines had adopted this plan with satisfactory results, and that
there was no reason why the piano manufacturers should not follow
the same plan with great advantage to themselves. In the opinion of
Mr. Goggan competition from department stores would be reduced
to a minimum if this practice were generally in vogue.

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