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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
supplied to such resident members of the Asso-
ciation as desire to forward them direct to their
In General Business Conditions Is Predicted by
Retail Trade Rather Quiet but Wholesale Busi-
customers.
Melville Clark of Chicago.
ness With the Knabe House Is Excellent—
The rate announcement will be accompanied
Ernest J. Knabe West—Stieff Pianos for San
by a little leaflet, entitled "Going to Market?"
(Special to The Review.)
Carlos Opera Co.—Other Items.
which, after giving a strong argument for retail
Chicago, 111., Jan. 6, 1908.
merchants regularly to visit a trade center,
In a chat with Melville Clark, president of the clearly points out the advantages offered by and
(Special to The Review.)
Melville Clark Piano Co., regarding business con- the superiority of the New York market. A
Baltimore, Md., Jan. 6, 190S.
From existing trade conditions it is apparent ditions and prospects, he said:
reasonable number of these leaflets will also be
that the shoppers have not fully recovered from
"My view of the situation is this. It will take gratuitously furnished to the resident members
the holiday spirit, for they have been conspicu- time to accomplish the necessary readjustments desiring them. No effort will be spared by the
ous to some extent by their absence in the dis- in business affairs. The agitation has been too Association to bring to New York during the
tricts usually frequented by them. It was the deep and too widespread for us to expect to re- coming buying period as many, if not more, mer-
belief of the dealers that business would pick up gain normal conditions immediately.
chants as have visited the metropolis in any
somewhat over that of last week, but in this they
"The improvement will be slow, but it will be former spring season.
were disappointeS. This was especially the case sure. The reaction is certain to come, with very
in the retail line, in which, according to reports, little delay. The buoyancy and resiliency of the
PIANOS SOLD IN PITTSBURG.
very little has been doing. The wholesale trade, country is too great to allow this reaction to be
however, has kept up in good style, and there has too long deferred.
Some Figures in This Connection That Merit
been some little improvement in some of the fac-
"Meanwhile we should all look carefully after
Attention.
tories.
our business and personal expenses. We should
Charles Keidel, Jr., local manager for William see that nothing is wanted; that all our expendi-
A story was recently published in the Pitts-
Knabe & Co., reports that the wholesale business tures are based on necessary grounds.
burg (Pa.) Dispatch regarding the number of
"If the business men of the nation will care-
of the firm has been excellent, and that the pros-
pianos sold by the dealers of that city during
pects for a continuance of the good results are fully follow this plan it will not be long before 1907. Even allowing for the inaccuracies that
encouraging. The retail trade, however, has Richard is himself again."
are evident whenever trade matters are dis-
been off, but then hopes are held out for a better-
cussed by the daily, the article which follows
ment of conditions, now that the holidays are a
makes interesting reading:
thing of the past.
"It is estimated that during 1907 there were
Desiring to Visit New York During Certain
Ernest J. Knabe, Jr., is on a western trip for
.sold through Pittsburg piano dealers between
Periods from February to March 4th Over
the firm, but is expected home soon. He is visit-
5,0(10 and 6,000 pianos. The value of these in-
the Central Passenger Territory—Merchants
ing Chicago and will stop over in other large
struments is placed conservatively at $2,000,000.
Association in New York Again Display Their
cities of the Middle West for business purposes
Then when one adds the number of piano players,
Customary Enterprise in This Connection.
before returning to Baltimore.
pianolas, etc., which have been added to the gen-
Mr. McHenry, head salesman for the firm, has
On Feb. 8 to 12, inclusive, and again on Feb. eral stock of the trade the enormous amount of
just returned from a trip North. Part of the
29 to March 4, inclusive, merchants' reduced rates money that Pittsburg annually spends for mu-
time was spent on a vacation at his home in
to New York will be in effect from central pas- sical instruments of the costliest type can be
Pennsylvania.
senger territory, as arranged by The Merchants' imagined. Each year this piano trade has been
The Knabe people have been again disappointed
Association of New York. The rate, as hereto- expanding. Each year, in the past, it has been
by not being able to get into their new building,
fore, is authorized on the certificate plan, the based upon the mere ability of the Pittsburg
as was expected, during the week between Christ-
return limit, including the date of the sale of buyer to purchase a piano. But during 1907 a
mas and New Year. At the last moment they
greater change has taken place than at any time
the transportation, to be thirty days.
were informed by the renovators that they could
in the past history of this exceptionally inter-
The
special
fare
will
be
the
same
as
applied
not have the building ready for occupancy until
esting
branch of commercial business.
last season. Railroad agents in the territory in
the latter part of the week.
"The development of the player-piano or that
question will sell one-way tickets to New York
Local business has been rather dull at Stieff's
at the current fare, the return ticket being issued instrument which contains a mechanical player
during the week. Last week in the wholesale
for a sum sufficient to make the total amount that can be operated without demanding a knowl-
trade, however, was one of the best experienced
paid by the passenger for the round trip equal to edge of music, has shown that thousands of
by the firm for a long while. A shipment of six-
a fare and one-third on the basis of rates in effect people were merely waiting for some such con-
teen Stieff pianos was sent to the firm's Norfolk
trivance before placing such instruments in their
for meetings of The Merchants' Association of
store last week. This store transacted over $9,000
New York previous to the lower schedule of fares homes. At first the dealers declined to handle
worth of business during the one week.
made compulsory by the two-cent-a-mile legisla- these newcomers, except most gingerly. But so
The Stieff people have furnished the San Carlos tion in a number of the Central Western States. rapid have become the developments among the
Opera Co. with pianos for their concerts in this To illustrate, the reduced round trip rate to New people that to-day the most conservative houses
city during the present week. Arrangements are York from Chicago, Peoria, St. Louis and have been forced to adopt them as the leading
being made to equip the company with the neces- other points in central passenger jurisdiction will part of their stocks. Most of this transpired dur-
sary number of pianos for the remainder of their during the coming buying season be exactly the ing the closing year of 1907. The self-playing
trip.
same in dollars and cents as it was in the spring piano has caused, too, a strange confusion, inas-
Similar reports as those above are made by the of 1907.
much as it has filled dealers' houses with pianos
other firms throughout the city.
Central Passenger Association railroads tra- of the older form, with no attachments, and yet
of the best type made. These have been taken
verse territory, roughly described, as follows:
STIEFF EMPLOYES ENTERTAINED.
Points west of (but not including) Buffalo, in exchange. The mechanical attachments have
Niagara Falls, Suspension Bridge and Salamanca, even reached the grand pianos and are now on
(Special to The Review.)
N. Y.; Pittsburg and Allegheny, Pa.; Bellaire and every form of Instrument made.
Norfolk, Va., Jan. 6, 1908.
"Piano men believe there has come a new era
Manager L. C. Steele, of the Stieff house, on Marietta, O.; Wheeling, Charleston and Hunting-
New Year's afternoon entertained the lady em- ton, W. Va., and points on the north of the Ohio in their business in Pittsburg. Mechanical at-
ployes of his establishment at a box party at the River and east of the Mississippi River and south tachments to pianos have become standardized
Colonial Theater. This was preceded by a de- of a line from Keokuk, la., to Chicago, 111., in- almost from freak ideas within a single year. So
lightful dinner at Mr. Steele's residence, the cluding Cincinnati, Louisville, all towns in Ken- rapid have come changes that they fear to make
whole affair being greatly enjoyed by the guests. tucky on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, St. any predictions for 1908."
The men employed at the Stieff warerooms Louis, Keokuk, Chicago, Southern Peninsula of
D. L. Marsh & Son have recently opened beau-
were banquetted at the Hotel Fairfax the pre- Michigan, and Canadian towns on the Michigan
tiful quarters in New London, Conn., where up-
vious evening as the guests of Manager Steele. Central Railroad and Wabash Railroad.
A handsome prize was awarded to T. Foy The circular giving full particulars as to the rates to-date musical goods will be carried. Their
building is two stories high, well lighted and
Simmons, of the Norfolk office, for the greatest is now being printed, it being the intention of
amount of cash business made since last Sep- The Merchants' Association of New York to mail contains all the modern improvements.
tember, when the prizes were offered, and one to it in two to three weeks to all the merchants in
G. G. Fineman, of Greenville, N. C, for the larg- the section from which the special fares apply.
J. C. Winter and M. Moore have opened a
On application a quantity of the circulars will be music store in Cordell, Okla.
est number of sales.
TRADE NOTES j^ROM BALTIMORE.
IMPROVEMENT SLOW BUT SURE
REDUCED RATES FOR DEALERS.
THE
ERNEST A.
TONK
PIANO
E XTRAORDINARY
DURABILITY
A R T I S T I D C E S I G N
T
OUCH LIGHT AND
RESPONSIVE
Correspondence with active
dealers solicited.
William Tonk&Bro.
INCORPORATED
452-456 Ttnth Avt., Ntw Ytrk