Music Trade Review

Issue: 1905 Vol. 41 N. 24

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
REVIEW
THE
fflJJIC TIRADE
VOL. XLI. No. 24.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Avc, New York, Dec. 16, 1905.
in a recent letter to Mr. Werlein, stated that his
company expects to exhibit in Washington, but
In a Recent Trip to Cincinnati and Other Cities
will not show any special styles of cases unless
He Finds Much Interest Displayed in Asso-
other exhibitors are to take the same course.
ciation Affairs—The Washington Convention
Mr. Werlein assured Mr. Conway that the exhi-
Bound to Be a Big Success.
bition would be of no value to the individual
dealer unless it was confined to the real staple
(Supplied by Chairman Press Committee.)
line of pianos. Fancy and special cases will not
Philip Werlein, president of the National interest the dealer, as he will prefer to examine
Association of Piano Dealers of America, recently goods which will appeal to the average retail
made quite an extended business and pleasure buyer.
trip, and reports that the entire South is enjoy-
Some other manufacturers, notably Henry F.
ing such a boom as even the greatest optimist did
Parmalee, president of the Mathushek Piano
not anticipate. At no time during the past forty Company, have expressed themselves as opposed
years have the cities and towns throughout the to the Washington Exhibition, but the opposition
Southern section of the United States been so has, like many others, been made from an er-
prosperous.
roneous conception of the proposition.
Mr. Werlein visited most of the important
It is hoped that every manufacturer of promi-
cities and towns and extended his journey as far nence will arrange for an exhibit of his instru-
north as Cincinnati, calling upon the leading ments in Washington during the session of the
dealers of the trade everywhere he visited.
convention. Let him remember that he may ar-
At Cincinnati he had a most interesting talk range with his local representative to make this
with Henry Crawford, of the Smith & Nixon display; he may hold it in special rooms at any
Piano Co. Mr. Crawford naturally spoke of the of the hotels, or wherever it is most conventient
proposed exhibition of pianos to be held during to himself.
the Washington Convention, and stated that it
While in Birmingham, Ala., President Werlein
was the intention of the Smith & Nixon Co. to met J. P. Byrne, the First Vice-President of
exhibit only regular styles of instruments, taken cur Association, who was there with a delegation
from regular stock, and to use his words, "have from the Chicago Commercial Association. Mr.
an exhibit only on a common-sense basis."
Byrne expressed himself enthusiastically about
This suggestion, to exhibit only regular styles, the conditions through the South. He made a
undoubtedly will meet the approval of other man- long tour, covering practically all the important
ufacturers as well, that only such goods as are points in the South, and was amazed at the ex-
immediately marketable are desired. The idea of
tent of the present prosperity of that section.
making up special pianos for exhibition purposes
has not for a moment been thought wise by the SOLE ORGAN COMPANY ELECTS OFFICERS.
officers of the Dealers' Association; furthermore,
(Special to The Review.)
such a feature would undoubtedly prevent many
Fremont, 0., Dec. 11, 1905.
manufacturers from joining in the exhibition.
At the meeting of the stockholders of the John
It may therefore be announced officially that
it is the desire of the association that the manu- H. Sole Church Organ Co., held Saturday, the
facturers should confine their exhibits to regular following directors were elected: F. J. Swint,
John H. Sole, W. A. Gabel, Charles Bowlus and
styles.
In visiting the Krell Piano Company, Mr. A. E. Culbert. The directors elected these offi-
Werlein met Dawson J. Blackmore. Mr. Black- cers: President, F. J. Swint; Vice-President and
more at first expressed himself as being General Manager, J. H. Sole; Secretary and
very much opposed to the proposed exhibition, Treasurer, Will Gabel.
The new company has taken over the business
but after some little discussion it developed Mr.
Blackmore's idea of the exhibition was altogether of J. H. Sole and has already accomplished much
an incorrect one. Mr. Blackmore had not read in the way of enlarging the plant and business.
Mr. Werlein's interpretation of the resolutions The outlook for the new company appears very
relative to the exhibition, and he was under the flattering and the concern already has orders on
impression that the exhibit was to be held in one hand for large and costly church organs. Only
large hall or building for that special purpose. $25,000 of the $50,000 stock will be issued at
Mr. Blackmore, however, was entirely favorable present, the balance remaining in the treasury.
to the idea of placing exhibits wherever conveni- The company is now at work on an organ for the
ent to the exhibitor, and when it was fully ex- Lutheran church at Michigan City, Ind., which
plained to him that this, was the idea of the will be the largest organ in that state.
officers of the Association, he expressed himself
enthusiastically on the subject, and stated that GEO. H. CAMPBELL CO. INCORPORATED.
the Krell Piano Company would most certainly
The Geo. H. Campbell Music Co. have been in-
have an exhibit in Washington at the warerooms corporated with the Secretary of the State of Col-
of their regular representative.
orado with a capital of $250,000. Incorporators,
PRESIDENT WERLEIN'S TOUR.
By confining the exhibits to regular style of
product and allowing the exhibitors the privilege
of placing their exhibits wherever they please it
eliminates two serious objections raised by the
manufacturers and will probably result in mak-
ers joining the movement who had decided not
to do so.
E. E. Conway, of the Hallet & Davis Co.,
Geo. H. Campbell, Albert Giescke, Chas. E. Wells
and Edgar A. Cox, all of Denver.
ROBERTSON OPENS IN BL00MINGT0N.
G. D. Robertson, of Bloomington, 111., has
opened his music store in the Bell Building,
North Main street, that city.
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
TO STOP SHARP PRACTICES.
Employment of Lawyers in Bankruptcy Cases
Now Regulated by Court Order.
There has been such rivalry at the Bankruptcy
Court among certain lawyers to get receivers ap-
pointed in bankruptcy cases, so as to become at-
torneys for the receivers, that the Judges of the
United States District Court issued an order to
stop the practice. Half a dozen lawyers kept run-
ners around the court to get the names of the
petitions filed, and would rush to get in an ap-
plication for a receiver ahead of the lawyer who
had the case.
When the receivership was ended the lawyer
would get an allowance.
The rule promulgated is as follows: "Receivers
and trustees in bankruptcy are directed not to re-
tain as their attorney or counsel the attorney or
counsel of the bankrupt, of the petitioning credi-
tor, of the person applying for the appointment
of a receiver, or of any creditor, and trustees are
also directed not to retain as their attorney or
counsel any attorney who has obtained proxies
and voted upon the election of such persons hold-
ing such proxies, unless a special order authoriz-
ing such retainer is obtained."
EGGLESTONS BUYjNUSIC STORE,
After January 1 Will Have Charge of Baldwin
House at Danville.
(Special to The Review.)
Champaign, 111., Dec. 11, 1905.
The managers of the Eggleston Music House in
this city have purchased the Baldwin Music
House in Danville, and Jacob L. Eggleston will
take charge of the Danville store. He has been
iu that city the past few weeks and will have ac-
tive control after January 1.
Mr. Eggleston, while in partnership with his
brother Jasper, was one of Champaign's success-
ful and energetic business men, and the Eggles-
ton store in Danville will be in good hands while
he is in charge.
TRAVELING FOR THE JANSSEN.
Claude Menkee, formerly traveler for the Jans-
sen piano, who recently opened a music business
in Oconto, Wis., has been prevailed on by Mr.
Janssen to resume his former position for a short
trip through Wisconsin and surrounding States.
He is meeting with good success in securing live
dealers to represent this make. He also reports
meeting with fine success with the Janssen in his
own territory.
DEATH OF MRS. FRANCES WILLIG.
Mrs. Frances Willig, wife of Mr. Henry Willig,
piano dealer, Baltimore, Md., and daughter of
the late John Lohrfink, died this week at her
home, 1807 Park aveirue, from heart disease,
with which she was stricken last Wednesday.
She had been ill for nearly eight months. Be-
sides her husbanu, Mrs. Willig is survived by a
daughter, Miss Eugenia Willig, and a sister. Miss
Sue Lohrfink, a teacher at the Eastern High
School.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
TH
6
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Staff:
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PHILADELPHIA OFFICE: MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: ST. LOUIS OFFICE:
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SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE:
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CINCINNATI, O.:
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I'IOII-SMITH.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as SeccnJ Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (Including postage), United States, Mexico, and Canada, .fii.OO per
year: all other countries. $4.on.
ADVERTISEMENTS, •Sli.nii per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising rages. $.~iiUKi ; opposite
reading matter, :<7.">. REMITTANCES, in other than currencv form, should he made payahlc to Kdward
I.vmaii Hill.
Directory of Piano
The directory of piano manufacturing linns and corporation.^
found on another page will he of great, value, as a referetici
Manufacturers l o | . ,i,.nlers and others.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE NUMCCR 1745 GRAMERCY
NEW
Y ORK,
DECEMBER 1 6 ,
1905
EDITORIAL
S Christmas approaches the retail trade becomes accentuated
and manufacturers everywhere are doing their; utmost to
supply the needs of their representatives. A good many orders
will be carried over to the new year, for it will be impossible for
the piano men to supply the demands which are being made upon
them.
1905, counting from the early fall, has been a period of unpre-
cedented activity, and the holiday season so near at hand will find
business men everywhere in a mood to take off their hats and echo
the sentiment that Christmas brings abundant blessings of all kinds.
One need not telegraph near or far to hear good tidings of business
joy humming over the wires. T h e message is charged into the
atmosphere about us, as electricity sparkles and tingles in the rare
frost bitten airs of winter. The faces of business men are bright,
the greetings that they give each other are optimistic. There may
have been years for mourning", but 1905 will not be numbered among
them. Good crops, splendid sales, debts paid off, and work for all
who are willing to work and good pay! for those that earn it are the
tokens by 1 which we measure the performance of 1905, and the
promises offered \\% by the year that is to come.
Of course there will be a slowing down after the holidays; we
expect that, but there is every indication of the year opening in bril-
liant form, for there is no cloud discernible on the horizon.
A
S
OME have estimated, the output for the year to approximate
two hundred thousand pianos,' stating, in this connection, that
it will be the largest yearly output in the history/ of the trade.
This is wholly incorrect and misleading, as it gives a false im-
pression of the magnitude of this industry. We have produced in
a single year considerably more than two hundred thousand pianos.
and the output for 1905 will approximate 230,000 instruments.
This may seem to some an extravagant statement, but we are
inclined to believe that before the closing of the year it will prove
a conservative estimate. 1905 will rank from every standpoint as
the banner year in piano trade history.
P
ROFITS, that is, manufacturers' profits, will be materially les-
sened on account of the increased cost, varying from twelve
to twenty per cent, advance in the cost of manufacturing. There is
no possible hope that there will be an immediate decrease in any
particular. We must therefore face the present situation regarding
prices as one which will be liable to endure for some time, conse-
REVIEW
quently all business enterprises must be adjusted to conditions which
confront them. Manufacturers will receive more for their instru-
ments in 1905 than they did during the past year. Some of them
did not hesitate to advance prices and dealers recognizing the cor-
rectness of their position did not demur at a reasonable marking up
and it was easy, too, for the dealers to get more.
T
H E R E will be a joint meeting of the executive committees rep-
resenting the manufacturers' and dealers' associations, which
will meet in New York some time in January. Important matters
will be brought up for consideration, and it is presumed that some
action will be taken regarding the proposed piano exhibit in Wash-
ington. Some of the dealers feel that a trade exhibition there will
be an incentive for members to attend. I>ut there are others who
feel that an exposition where a number of pianos are to to be exhib-
ited on the same floor in close proximity would prove unprofitable
from a business standpoint.
It will also be settled at the joint meeting whether the manu-
facturers will hold their convention in Washington during the same
week when the dealers will meet, or whether they will go to West
l'aden, Indiana.
There has strong opposition developed which will probably
result in cutting out the Indiana town, and holding the two meet-
ings in Washington upon dates which will make it possible for mem-
bers of the trade to attend both conventions without inconvenience.
O
NE piano man who controls a number of large retail estab-
lishments remarked to The Review that he had trouble in
securing good salesmen. ()thers have remarked along similar lines
and it is a generally admitted fact that efficient salesmen are diffi-
cult to find.
( )ne reason for this may be due to the fact that the good man
is never looking for a position, a position is seeking him. This holds
good in both the retail and wholesale departments.
There are some well-known establishments that are endeavor-
ing to make this salesman famine an impossibility by inaugurating
a custom of holding conference meetings in which the conditions
prevailing in these particular stores are discussed. The managers
make suggestions, methods are taken up and analyzed, the salesmen
are invited to take an active part and tell frankly their own ideas
of weakness that exist in the stock management or service.
T
J1IS plan is a splendid one, and it has always been a feature of
some of the successful mercantile establishments in America.
]t forms a basis of helpfulness that enthuses the salesmen and spurs
them to extra effort until it is time for another meeting. In short,
a good manager can increase the productive capacity of his staff by
this line of work, for many salesmen would gladly do better work
if they knew how to accomplish it. A system that gives knowledge
to an employe is a good system.
Jos. T. Leimert, the retail manager of the Cable Company of
Chicago, in a recent article in Salesmanship, a well-known magazine,
said :
To keep a sales organization on a hundred per cent, basis of ex-
cellence and efficiency requires : first, perfect harmony ; second, fre-
quent meetings on a perfect social level between the members of the
organization; third, a thorough knowledge, on the part of all the
men, of the. wares which their house sells, as well as the wares sold
by its competitors.
To accomplish the latter aim the writer's plan is to have a bi-
monthly meeting of all members of the sales department and all can-
didates.
At each meeting a different make of piano or organ or piano-
player is to be sold, in theory, to a salesman in the role of a pur-
chaser, by a salesman who has made a study of the selling points
of the instrument in question. A stenographer takes a verbatim
report of the evening, and all the other salesmen and candidates
present report their impression, privately. These reports are turned
over to the salesmanager, who selects from them all the material
that is good, and arranges it in correct form to be printed, as a
regular lesson on the article sold.
There should be such a les$on in regard to every different in-
strument which the house has for sale, and, as far as possible, every
instrument sold by competitors. The candidate is required to know
these lessons thoroughly, and to have studied the wares of his house,
in the course of their construction, before passing the examination
which will admit him to the sales department.

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