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TtHE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Manufacturers and Retailers of This City Should Receive Inspiration from the Good Work Ac-
complished at Washington—A Meeting Room Suggested for Local Gatherings—Piano
Business for May Quite Encouraging—Good Demand for Player Pianos—Comments on
Window Decoration—Piano Men from New York Visit on Way to Convention.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., May 16, 1906.
The Philadelphia manufacturers and retailers
who were in attendance at the Washington con-
ventions—and most of our manufacturers re-
mained over for the retailers' meetings—were
very much pleased with what was accomplished.
They consider that much good was done, and
that a spirit and push pervaded all the proceed-
ings that cannot but have a general good effect
upon dealers from all over the country. It is to
be hoped that these same convention attendants
will have been imbued with a spirit that will
put them to work to help things along at home
cs much as possible. They must certainly have
been inspired with the accomplishment of their
own president, who received praise on all sides
for the way he conducted his office during the
year, and with such a president as D. E. Wool-
ley as a leader much good should be accom-
plished by the Philadelphia association in clear-
ing up many of the abuses of which the Phila-
delphians have reason to complain.
Mr. Woolley feels keenly the lack of interest
displayed by the Philadelphia members in their
association, and he is trying to devise some plan
to overcome this. He is thinking seriously of
having the association secure a room or rooms
at which the meetings could be held, and where
the men could periodically assemble, and where
piano literature, trade papers, etc., could be kept.
He thinks that such a meeting place would go a
great ways toward helping things along, and
would be very grateful if any member of the
Philadelphia trade would find it possible to offer
a room or two for such purpose, centrally lo-
cated. This would be a very good move, and it
to to be hoped that other members will consider
it seriously and help him out on the plan.
The Philadelphia trade is certainly indifferent
as to its needs, as was well expressed this past
week in a visit to this city of Rufus S. Herrick,
who is one of a committee fighting for the pas-
sage of a bill to place alcohol on the free list,
a measure which, if passed, would be a great
saving to all the piano men. With the usual in-
difference, however, Mr. Herrick received hardly
a polite hearing from the Philadelphia trades
people, and worse than all, he received no sub-
stantial assistance to nelp him carry on the
work, the real object of his visit. Mr. Woolley,
however, wrote to both the Pennsylvania Sena-
tors, asking for their assistance, and this week
received a letter from Senator Boies Penrose as
follows:
"Gentlemen—I acknowledge the receipt of your
communication of recent date, praying for the
passage of H. R. 17453, and beg to advise that I
will present the same in the Senate, and ask that
it be referred to the proper committee." This is
accomplishing at least something, but tnere are
hundreds of thousands of farmers to be written
to, asking for their help with their local repre-
sentatives, and all this requires money, but none
of it will come out of Philadelphia, that is, if the
present views of the members carry.
The piano business in May is quite encourag-
ing, and the retailers have been more than usu-
ally busy the past two weeks. It is expected
that the month is going to show a good sub-
stantial increase over the corresponding month
ot last year. This is also true of the small
goods firms. Bauer & Co. report an increased ac-
tivity, and Robert C. Kretschmar, the big local
importer, says that he has almost double his
orders of last year, which he has found neces-
sary through present conditions, although for a
short time he was rather dubious about this, ow-
ing to the threatened coal strike, as he does a
very heavy business in that section.
Business at the department stores is particu-
larly nourishing. Gimbel Bros, say they are hav-
ing the best spring of the seven since they have
been in the piano business. They have just re-
ceived a line of the new pianos, of various makes,
which are very much admired. These instru-
ments are meeting with a ready sale in Phila-
delphia, as are also the Knabe-Angelus and Em-
erson-Angelus player-pianos. The Heppes did
good work with their auto-manual action at
Washington, which was exhibited there by their
Mr. Wuest, who is responsible, in a great meas-
ure, for the effectiveness of this action. The
Estey Co.'s player-piano has been well received,
but it has been difficult to get stock, although Mr.
Woolley says he is promised a large shipment
soon. The Steck and Weber-Pianola pianos are
also doing well, and these self-player instruments
are helping these firms out very much in the
volume of business they are doing.
The Charles H. Fischer Co. are very well
pleased with their branch store business, and
seem to have struck an outlet which is having a
good telling effect upon their business. It is a
wonder that more Philadelphia firms do not go
into this field, when the wide territory they have
to cover is summed up. Mr. Fischer has taken
deeply to heart the criticism of his method of
advertising, but it was no doubt warranted, for
so well-established a house as Fischer need resort
to no such catchpenny methods to sell goods any-
where, particularly as it is in such a financial
condition now that "money is no object."
The Henry F. Miller Co. are continuing to re-
ceive weekly shipments of their Lyric grand,
and they are sending them out fast. They are
A SOUVENIR OF THE CALIFORNIA DISASTER.
still holding the Philadelphia record on the sale
of small grands, and it is not likely that they
will ever lose it, with so popular a seller as the
Lyric. They have also done well with their up-
rights, and the uprights they handle of the P.
Connor Co., as well as Howard.
Patrick Cunningham is to be complimented for
his fine window decorating these days, as well
as some of the other firms. The Blasius Co.
had a most attractive display this week. It is
about time for Florence Heppe to wake up, be-
cause the Heppes used to have the premium win-
dows in this city, but of late they have badly
neglected this part of their business. Mr. Heppe
has attributed it to the indifference on the part
of his floor men, but now that he has a full force
he should put them to work. A window display
along Chestnut street is not to be sneezed at, as
is to be noted in the great number of people
that stopped to look at the fire pictures as shown
in the Esetey window, and unintentionally to
examine the fine Eestey pianos displayed there.
Many of the piano men from New York and
the New England States stopped off in Philadel-
phia on their way to and from the Washington
convention, and they no doubt carried away with
them some good impressions, because while Phila-
delphia is slow in many respects, it has some
few piano men who are live and up to date, and
who can give some valuable information to men
from other cities for there is undoubtedly no
city in the country in which the piano business
is such a difficult proposition as in Philadelphia.
A party of twenty piano manufacturers cf New
York City arrived in this city last Wednesday
in five Duquesne touring cars. They remained in
this city sightseeing and then left for Baltimore
to attend the Piano Manufacturers' Convention
there. Charles Jacobs was at the head of the
party. The autos were taken to the garage of
L. M. McComb, of the South Broad Street Auto-
mobile Co.
MEHLIN LOUIS XV. ART GRAND.
(Special to The Itevk'w.)
Allentown, Pa., May 14, 190G.
The well-known music house of G. C. Asch-
bach delivered last week at the beautiful home
of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin J. Thomas, at Lansford, a
magnificent Mehlin Louis XV. art grand piano,
which was a present to Mrs. Thomas from her
mother. The piano has elicited the highest praise
from such who had the pleasure of seeing it. The
G. C. Aschbach Music House is the sole repre-
sentative for the sale of the Mehlin & Sons
pianos for Allentown and vicinity.
WURLITZER CO. TO OPEN IN LEXINGTON.
(Special to The IU'vlcw.)
Lexington, Ky., May 15, 190G.
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., of Cincinnati, O.,
are about to open a large retail piano store in
the Phoenix Hotel building on Main street. Ex-
tensive repairs will be made so that the store will
oe a continual delight to the eye and a revela-
tion of the industrial development of the musi-
cal instrument trade. There will be cozy corners,
to which the visitors will be invited to sit and
listen to the music. In one of the apartments
will be seen the famous Wurlitzer collection of
violins that were gathered by Rudolph H. Wur-
litzer from every nook and corner of Europe.
BELL CO. CREDITORS TO MEET.
The first meeting of the creditors of the Bell
Piano Co., recently adjudged bankrupts, will be
held at the office of the receiver in bankruptcy,
Nathaniel A. Prentiss, 120 Broadway, on May 25,
at 3.30 p. m., at which time the creditors can at-
tend, prove their claims and appoint a trustee
to examine the bankrupt.
John E. Hunt, proprietor of Hunt's music store,
Wellsville, N. Y., has remodeled his store at 1G5
Railroad avenue, enlarging it by one-half. Mr.
Hunt opened a small store on April 1, 1903, and
by hard work has built up a business that has
necessitated the increasing of his quarters.