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THE
fflJJICT^ADE
VOL. XLII. No. 2 1 .
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Ave., New York, May 26, 1906.
THEY LIKE THEJANSSEN PIANO.
OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE
Some Complimentary References to This Piano
in Orders Which Have Just Reached Ben
H. Janssen from the Far West.
Continues to Expand—Amounted to a Quarter
Billion of Dollars for the Month of April.
Ben H. Janssen, the widely-known piano man,
of 1881-1883 Park avenue, New York, is feeling
good these days because of the growing appre-
ciation of his pianos. During his recent trip to
the Far West he took orders, among others, for
a number of sample pianos, and is now hearing
from them >in a very pleasing way.
For instance, Smith & Delano, of New Lon-
don, Wis., under date of May 7, write: "Just
opened the style H. A perfect beauty, beats any-
thing we have ever had. We doubted what you
said about getting a tone to please us, but you
have done it in grand shape. Send us all like
this and Janssen will have a reputation in this
neck of the woods. Find check for this piano."
T. J. Hammett writes from Redlands, Cal., on
May 3, and enclosing draft for piano, says: "The
piano arrived yesterday. It is excellent value,
and a credit to you. If you will guarantee me
the same quality and completeness in every de-
tail, I shall be pleased to give you an order for
several and discontinue several other lines I
have now on stock," etc.
R. E. Trognitz, San Diego, Cal., writes under
date of May 4: "The piano arrived all O. K., and
it is just as you represented; in short, a beauty,
and I want to say that I am not sorry for giving
you the order. I am simply delighted with it.
Flease find draft for same."
The Minneapolis Music Co., Minneapolis, Minn.,
writing on May 9, add their tribute of praise,
thus: "The piano seems to be a nicely made in-
strument. Our boys in the store like it as well
as myself. The finish and veneering is good, and
it also has a good scale. We think you deserve a
larger trade than we are able to give you, al-
though we sell a number during the year, and
hope the time will come when we will be sit-
uated to handle a good many of your pianos."
Coming nearer home we find a letter from B.
A. Fenstermacher, of Scranton, Pa., dated May 9,
in which he orders a style B, mahogany, adding:
"I have given your piano a thorough test, and
I am glad that I can say that it is the best piano
for the money I have come in contact with. I
have now decided that I will take it .in with my
line."
Plenty of evidence here that Ben Janssen's trip
was a big success. And, mark you, these are only
a sample of many similar letters that he has re-
ceived.
TO INCORPORATE IN LOUISIANA.
The Chas. W. Stumpf Piano Co., Ltd., of New
Orleans, have applied for a certificate of incor-
poration to the authorities of Louisiana, for the
purpose of conducting a piano business, with a
capital of $35,000. The following persons have
been chosen as the first board of directors, to
serve until their successors shall have been
elected and qualified, to-wit: Joseph T. Schaef-
fer, president; Bmile J. Lacoste, vice-president,
and Charles W. Stumpf, secretary-treasurer; Paul
Freund and Dr. Adrian Hava.
vSpecial to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, May 21, 1906.
The foreign commerce of the United States in
April, 1906, was larger than that of the corre-
sponding month of any earlier year, consisting of
107 million dollars imports and 144 millions ex-
ports; total, 251 millions, or more than a quarter
of a billion dollars in a single month. In only
one previous April in the history of our export
trade has the total of imports and exports
reached as much as 200 millions. For the ten
months ending with April the record is equally
striking, being: Imports, 1,021 millions; exports,
1,488 millions, or a total of 2,509 millions. No
similar period of any earlier year ever touched
the one billion dollar line in imports or reached
the 1,300 million line in exports. The total com-
merce of the United States for the ten months
ending with April is thus over 2*/2 billions of dol-
lars, and should the monthly average for May
and June be as great as that for the ten months
for which the record is made, the total of the
first year, 1906, will exceed 3 billion dollars.
The fiscal year, 1906, seems likely to make a
new record in the foreign trade in several par-
ticulars. The total imports and total exports are
in each case likely to be greater than those of
any earlier year, and several monthly records
have been already broken. For example, imports
never exceeded 100 million dollars a month prior
to 1905, except in a single instance in which large
quantities of merchandise were being rushed into
the country to avoid pending tariff changes; but
seven out of the ten months ending with April
of the present year have shown each an im-
portation of more than 100 millions, and the
month of March showed the highest import rec-
ord ever made, $113,597,277.
On the export side the high-water mark of
earlier years has also been passed, the total for
the ten months ending with April being 200 mil-
lions in excess of the total for the corresponding
total of any earlier year, and the total for the
single month of December, $199,738,520, being 25
million dollars greater than in any preceding
month in the history of our export trade.
ADVERTISINGJTHE BALDWIN.
Some Splendid Ads. in the May Magazines
Which Reach 6,595,000 Readers.
Magazine advertising, particularly that bearing
on musical instruments, has never been as ef-
fectively gotten up, both from literary and typo-
graphical viewpoints, as to-day. For example, the
Baldwin publicity in the May magazines is most
artistic. Better still, it tells a story of Baldwin
accomplishments in the realm of the piano
maker's art, that at once interests and instructs.
Through this medium some 6,595,000 people are
reached, made acquainted with the Baldwin name,
and what it stands for. and much missionary
work of the right kind is done toward helping
the Baldwin dealers in each town and city to
gell the products of this house, This has meant
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
$8.00 PER YEAR.
an outlay of hundreds of thousands of dollars,
and it behooves the dealers not to hide the Bald-
win light under a bushel. They must do their
share to keep the public advised that they are
selling the Baldwin products, and thus supple-
ment successfully the good work of the Baldwin
institution.
KENTUCKY'S TAX_ON PIANO AGENTS
Passes the Legislature in Spite of Much Oppo-
sition—Opinions Vary- as to the Interpre-
tation of the Law.
Considerable interest is evinced by piano deal-
ers in Kentucky and, in fact, all through the
Bast regarding the bill recently passed by the
Kentucky Legislature levying a license tax on
piano dealers and their agencies as mentioned
previously in The Review. A difference of opjn-
ion exists regarding the interpretation of the
bill, some holding that the tax may be applied to
traveling men who do business in various coun-
ties, while others contend that they are exempt.
Very likely the full meaning of the bill will
have to be interpreted by the courts before ac-
tion can be taken. In any event, it will mean
considerable hardship on the smaller dealers.
The provision of the bill, which relates to the
piano dealers, and which is considered unjust, is
as follows: "On each agency for sale of pianos
and organs for each county, $5; and where the
pianos and organs, one or both, are stored for
sale, the privilege shall be paid, though the said
property be assessed ad valorem for taxes; and
the person having charge of the same shall be
deemed the agent and liable for the taxes."
CAPITAL NOW IS $1,200,000.
Foster-Armstrong Co. Increase from $1,000,000
to Above Amount—Making 1,500 Pianos a
Month—Business Prospects of the Brightest.
(Special to The Review.)
Rochester, N. Y., May 21, 1906.
A certificate of increase in the paid in capital
stock of the Foster-Armstrong Co. from $1,000,-
000 to $1,200,000, has been filed with the Secre-
tary of State at Albany. This move was con-
summated at a special meeting held Wednesday
at the offices of the company. Business with the
Foster-Armstrong Co. is very brisk, and the com-
bined plants at Despatch, N. Y., are now turning
out about 1,500 pianos a month—almost the num-
ber planned when the building of this great en-
terprise was under consideration. This magnifi-
cent plant at Despatch is now absolutely the
property of the Foster-Armstrong Co., the final
payment of the purchase price having been made.
FLINT MUSIC CO. SUFFER LOSS.
Fire in a new business block at Flint, Mich.,
late last week resulted in the store of the Flint
Music Co. being badly, if not totally, wrecked,
with a loss probably of $10,000. The fire started
in the furnace room underneath the piano store.
The Ann Arbor Organ Co. have had plans
drawn for a new five story building, 75x45, as an
addition to their present plant.'