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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
June So Far Has Made a Splendid Business Showing—Lester Piano Co. Increase Power—
Many New Estey Pipe Organ Contracts Placed—Doddridge's Splendid Baldwin Trade—Ref-
eree Driver's Statement to Creditors of the Schomacker Piano Co.—Discusses Holahan Bid
—Woodford & Crouse's Attractive Window—Steck Themodist Piano Much Admired at
Strawbridge & Clothier's—The News of the Week in Detail.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., June 12, 1907.
The piano business in Philadelphia the first
ten days of the month has been all that the deal-
ers could desire. There is every evidence that
the month is going to make up in sales some-
what for the losses sustained during the two
previous months. The dealers do not feel in any
way discouraged, for they feel sure that when
June is over and they get down to figuring out
the business of the first six months of the year,
they will find that, in spite of a considerable
period of dulness, the business has been better
than they had expected, and as good, at least, as
last year.
Philadelphia manufacturers have no complaint
whatever to make, as far as business is con-
cerned, their only complaint coming from the
lack of facilities to get out their instruments fast
enough. This is particularly true of the Lester
Piano Co. During the past week this firm have
installed a big 200-h.p. boiler, into which they
expect to put fire this week, and which will ma-
terially increase the power of the institution.
Work at the factory is being conducted full time
and full handed, and there is not the slightest in-
dication of a let up; in fact, at present there are
several of their most popular styles of which
they have not one finished. One of their best
sellers at present is a handsome Circassian wal-
nut, style 34, which the buyers of pianos for
country homes seem to particularly appreciate.
The light and summery appearance of the case
work attracts them.
George Miller is arranging to take his family
to Spring Lake for the summer, as soon as the
weather warms up a little, and H. C. Pressey is
waiting for the same kind of weather to take
his family to his cosy cottage at Longport, N. J.
H. G. Day, who handles Lester pianos exten-
sively at Williamstown, Pa., was a visitor in
Philadelphia this week.
The Estey Co. are continuing to add to their
long list of pipe organ contracts. They have
just completed a fine Estey in the First M. E.
Church, of Cape May Court House, N. J., and
still another in the Grace P. E. Church, of
Trenton.
Charles E. Doddridge reports that his Baldwin
business has been very good since the first of the
month. He has added to his selling force Irvin
C. Brown, who has been a salesman at the Gim-
bel house for some time, and when Mr. Doddridge
was connected with the Heppe house, Mr. Brown
was one of the quartet of $130,000 beauties, so-
called for the amount of business the four of
them done in one year. Mr. Doddridge had a
pleasant visit at the end of last week from
Arnold Somlyo, manager of the eastern division
of the Baldwin house. Mr. Doddridge is showing
several of the latest style Baldwin pianos, and
they sell at sight. It is doubtful if a piano has
ever made such a rapid advancement in this city
as has the Baldwin, which was practically unrep-
resented here two years ago, and with little ad-
vertisement, Mr. Doddridge has placed it into
many of the most cultured home3 of the city, for
only a person of culture can thoroughly appre-
ciate so fine an instrument as the Baldwin. The
beauty about the Baldwin business is the many
that are sold for cash, and if on time the pay-
ments cover a very short period.
The most of the Philadelphia dealers who will
go to the convention in Chicago will leave this
POOLE
11
"A meeting of creditors will be held at Room
336, United States Post Office Building, Ninth
and Chestnut streets, Philadelphia, on Friday,
the 14th day of June, a t 2 o'clock in the after-
noon, at which said petition for private sale of
said real estate and said personal property the
said real and personal property to be sold as a
whole will be heard and said sale allowed, unless
a higher and better bid be made, or cause to the
contrary be shown, and such other business will
be transacted as may properly come before said
meeting."
Into almost every piano store I went this
week I was asked the question, "Is Lyman Bill
in town?" The question was obvious, as signs
are being displayed all over the city containing
the words, "Hello, Bill!" They refer to the early
coming to this city of the Elks to hold a conven-
tion.
The window of Woodford & Crouse looks very
attractive with its new gilt lettering. The new
firm are in excellent shape, and have been doing
considerable business. They have good, live
Western ideas, which they'will introduce from
time to time, and with so splendid a piano as the
Steger to work on their success is assured. They
have an entire new force of office assistants, as
well as salesmen, having gotten rid entirely of
the dead wood of the old firm.
The Strawbridge & Clothier firm report splen-
did progress all spring. In May their business
ran 44 per cent, above the May of last year, and
they are increasing at a corresponding rate this
month. They have just received their first ship-
ment of the Steck with the interior player con-
taining the Themodist attachment, which accents
the theme, and the instrument has been very
much admired. This device is a great improve-
ment, and is going to make the Steck an even
more popular seller than before.
city on Sunday. D. E. Woolley will go by way
of the Lehigh Valley, in order that his daughter,
who spent last summer in Switzerland, may have
a chance of seeing the "Switzerland of America."
His daughter will accompany him to Kalamazoo,
Mich., where she is going to make a visit among
some friends. There will only be about a half-
dozen Philadelphians going to the convention.
James C. Miller expects to be absent from the
convention for the first time, on account of his
health.
The following statement has been sent to the
creditors of the Schomacker Pianoforte Co. by Al-
fred Driver, the referee in bankruptcy, in refer-
ence to the coming meeting of the creditors,
when it will be decided whether the recent bids
will be accepted or rejected:
"To the Creditors of said Bankrupt—Take no-
tice that an offer has been made to the trustee
by Hubert Allen Holahan to purchase at private
sale for $1,000 cash, subject to all liens, encum-
brances and charges, the following real estate of
the bankrupt, namely:
"All that lot of ground with the five-story
brick factory and other buildings thereon erected,
situated at northeast corner of 11th street and
Catherine street, in the Third Ward of Philadel-
phia, containing in front on said 11th street 100
feet, and extending of that width in depth west-
ward along said Catherine street 88 feet, to a
twenty-foot wide street called Jessup street.
"And also all those three contiguous lots of
WHY GERMANY SELLS CHEAPER
ground with the messuage or tenement erected
Than the United States Is Because of Superior
on the rear ends thereof, that is to say, one of
Facilities for Turning Out Raw Material.
said lots of ground situated on north side of
Catherine street at a distance of 108 feet west-
In a recent bulletin of the American Shippers'
ward from west side of 11th street, in the city
of Philadelphia, front on said Catherine street, Association the ability of the German manufac-
18 feet, and in width northward of same width turers to turn out products cheaper than the
57 feet. One other of said lots is situate on the American and thereby be in a position to under-
sell the latter was ascribed to the superior fa-
north side of Catherine street at a distance of
144 feet westward from west side of 11th street, cilities for transporting raw materials in that
front on Catherine street 18 feet, and in depth country by means of the waterways. The bul-
letin says further:
northward of that width 57 feet.
"The inability of the railroads to take care of
"And the said Hubert Allen Holahan has also the growing traffic of the country has awakened
offered to purchase at private sale for $34,000 new interest in the improvement-of rivers and
cash personal property of the bankrupt as fol- other waterways of the United States. A very
lows: About 120 pianos, 4 organs, 15 pianos un- large part of the traffic in coal, lumber, grain and
der rental contracts, 2 pianos in possession of
other bulk products could be carried by water
others not under rental contracts, and 4 pianos in cheaper than by rail, and the diversion of this
possession of S. Glasgow on consignment, and bulk traffic from the overburdened railroads
about 45 unfinished pianos, and also a large would enable them to take better care of higher
quantity of new and partly worked materials, class commodities and merchandise. It is as-
and new parts of pianos, and also the machinery, tonishing that the river system of the Mississippi •
too's and appliances of the piano factory of the Valley has been neglected so long. In Germany
bankrupt at 11th and Catherine streets (some of
all the available rivers have been improved and
the pieces of machinery which are fastened to connected by canals, and a large portion of the
foundations may be subject to the lien of the materials used by German industries is assem-
mortgage of $50,000, which is secured upon the bled by water. The economy in assembling ma-
above real estate), and also for delivery wagons, terial is enabling German manufacturers to cap-
hoisting apparatus, harness, piano covers, stools, ture world markets for their products."
benches, boxes, office furniture, and also medals,
awards, testimonials, patents or interests in or
According to the tax assessors' list, John D.
claims to any patents pending of reasonable ac-
Rockefeller has two pianos in his home valued at
cess in the meantime, and also the good will of
$150 each. What make are they? With the
the said Schomacker Pianoforte Co., the
richest man in the world possessing $150 pianos,
bankrupt, and 562 shares of the capital stock of
we can now bang our $185 stencil with actual
said piano company now in the treasury of the
pride instead of the previous embarrassment!
company.
"The trustee believes that the price offered is
a better price than can be obtained for said as-
sets a t public sale, and prays that the trustee
may be authorized to sell such assets, real and
personal, at private sale for said sum of $34,000.
A very successful musical festival was held in
Keene, N. H., recently, a prominent part being
taken by H. E. Lake, the piano dealer of that
town, he 'being president of the musical society.
The Mason & Hamlin piano was used.
Appeal to cultivated tastes. They are
marvels of beauty and form at once a
valuable accessory t.o any piano store
5 and 7 APPLETON STREET, BOSTON, MASS,
PIANOS