Music Trade Review

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8
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Piano Men Well Satisfied With Present Business Conditions—Decorating for Founders' Week—
Factories Busy—Rearranging Departments at Heppe's—Popularity of Estey Pipe Organs
—Among the Visitors—Piano House to Back Magazine—Blasius & Sons Hunt New Location
—Fine Line at Herzberg's—Musical Echo Co. Feature Chaminade—Other Trade News
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 29, 1908.
The piano men of Philadelphia are more satis-
fled with business conditions since my last let-
ter than at any time during the present year, and
enter this week, the last quarter of the year, in
a most encouraged spirit. Business has certainly
improved as September has advanced and has
brought things to a normal state. This is true all
around, not only with one but with all lines of
the trade.
New pianos are constantly arriving in the ware-
rooms and the piano stores have never looked bet-
ter than at present, particularly with the fine
displays in the way of decorations in honor of
the Founders' Week celebration which will be
continued in Philadelphia all next week, be-
ginning Sunday. No other business houses along
Chestnut street have outdone the piano men in
their patriotism, and while holidays are not
usually very profitable, piano merchants feel that
some business is going to be done with all the
old Philadelphians getting back home again,
many of whom have not been here for years.
The manufacturers, too, have been feeling the
return of prosperity, and the various Philadelphia
factories have resumed business again to their
capacity, feeling that there will be need for all
their goods from this on.
Extensive alterations are under way at the
Heppe building, and they are being hurried
through for Founders' Week. They are moving
their entire department of small goods, retail, to
the first floor of number 1117, and will give that
entire floor to the display of these goods, not
however changing their front office. The whole-
sale small goods department, however, will re-
main where it is. Florence J. Heppe says that
if the business conditions continue to brighten
within the next few weeks as they have been
cloing recently, work will be resumed upon the
Heppe grands, which have been promised for so
long a time, and that by spring at least he hopes
to have on the market as fine a grand piano as is
the Heppe upright.
This improvement in business has also spurred
PROTECTION AGAINST SWINDLERS.
Important Ruling of the Supreme Court of
Mexico Relative to Sales of Pianos, Sewing
Machines, Billiard Tables, Typewriters, Etc.
It has been the custom, for many years, for
commercial houses selling furniture, etc., on the
instalment plan, to simulate rental contracts in
sales of this character, in order that the pur-
chaser should not acquire proprietary rights to
the article until they had paid for it in full.
This custom has given rise to innumerable
cases of litigation, with varied results; in the
majority of cases it having been decided that
the rental contract was merely a simulation and
that in reality the contract was one of sale, and
consequently the article in question became the
property of the purchaser from the moment of
signing the contract, even though the purchase
price were not paid in full.
Recently the commercial houses have departed
from this custom of simulating rental contracts,
and have made contracts with the purchasers
by which the title or proprietary interest is ac-
quired by the purchaser only when the total pur-
chase price is paid; that the seller retains the
The Matchless
CUNNINGHAM
on the Wanamaker house to push the work on the
Schomacker player-piano, and they hope to have
the first of these instruments on the floor by the
first of January. While authorities have not
announced the fact, it is the general opinion in
the trade that the Wanamaker firm are shaping
themselves more and more every day to make
themselves independent of the outside manufac-
turer and no one would be surprised to see them
very shortly go into the manufacturing business
more extensively than at present.
The Estey Co. would seem to have reached the
limit of their output for church pipe organs,
judging from the number they have supplied
in this section the past few years, yet they have
just taken contracts for the building of fine pipe
organs in the First Baptist Church of Bruns-
wick, Md., and in St. Luke's Reformed Church,
North Wales, Pa. They have received notifica-
tions of several out of town denominations send-
ing representatives here during Founders' Week,
and they expect to make several sales as a con-
sequence. In anticipation of this the Estey have
arranged fine half-hourly concerts daily during
the week.
Henry F. Miller and Burton R. Miller of Boston
have been in Philadelphia, and express themselves
as well satisfied with the work that has been done
by George Dunbar Shewell, who is in charge.
They are also very much pleased with the newly
decorated warerooms, and there undoubtedly is
nothing finer in piano row.
It is reported upon authority that one of the
houses in piano row is going to branch out very
shortly in the publication of a magazine. A maga-
zine just like any other magazine, but not dealing
with the trade, this firm merely financing the
scheme, and with one of the brightest piano men
in the Philadelphia trade in charge.
The Blasius firm, who expect to move when
their year is up at their present warerooms, have
not yet found a new home. Undoubtedly the rent
they are now forced to pay is prohibitive, so far
as the piano business in Philadelphia is concerned
and it is said they have set a rental of $10,000
as the limit—their rental at present being three
title to the article until such payment is made
and can therefore repossess it from the hands of
its holder.
The swindler endeavors to secure possession
of a piano or a machine, signing a contract for
instalment payments and giving a small cash
payment. He then either pawns the article or
sells it to a third party, causing much trouble
and loss to the seller. The decision handed
down by the Supreme Court affords protection
to the seller, as it provides that the transfer of
title to the article shall be suspended until the
full purchase price shall nave been paid. Third
parties should in every purchase from private
parties demand from the seller a bill of sale
(factura) showing him to be the actual pro-
prietor of the article. Pawnbrokers are prohib-
ited by the laws of the federal district from ac-
cepting articles in pawn with which the "fac-
tura" is not presented.
The fundamental judicial question involved is
as to whether the suspension of transfer of title,
stipulated in these contracts, is valid under the
laws of this country. The Supreme Court
of Justice has decided in favor of its validity,
and that the suspension of transfer of title
is sustained, thus giving the seller the right
"The piano that
has hewn its way
to the front through
a solid wall of in-
telligent conserva-
tism."
Players
Grands
Uprights
If you want to join
the forward march
of our "pushful"
army of dealers,
write for prices, ter-
ritory and proposi-
tions.
times that much. It is hard for so prominent
a firm to find a home in the heart of Philadelphia
pianodom, and it has been reported that they
would go west of Broad, but this the firm deny,
hoping that long before they are ready to move
they will find a new home in the proper location.
Daily concerts, unusually attractive in thir pro-
grammes and the artists who have been engaged,
are announced for the Wanamker piano depart-
ment all through Founders' Week. They expect
their fine department will be visited by all the
strangers coming here, and they undoubtedly
have a right to expect such things, as it is one
of the finest show places in the city.
Strawbridge & Clothier and Gimbel Brothers,
also expect to feature in their subway windows
during the celebration musical instruments of the
various kinds they handle so that no incoming
or outgoing passengers will miss knowing that
they are in the business.
Gustave Herzberg, since his return from Europe
has replenished his warerooms with the finest
line of Kranich & Bach, and Mehlin pianos that
has ever been seen in this city, and have been
doing exceptionally well lately. They had been
almost entirely sold out on grands when Mr.
Herzherg got back from Europe about four weeks
ago, but since then they have received some very
beautiful designs in both these makes, and are
very proud of them.
The Musical Echo Co. have been stirring up
things in Philadelphia arranging for the appear-
ance in this city of Chaminade, when that well
known artist will play the Everett piano.
They expect to have a matinee musical, during
one of these visits, at the new Philadelphia Opera
House, and expect to make it one of the greatest
affairs of its kind ever given here. No doubt
this will give the Everett special prominence and
Thomas Stoll expects to make all the capital
possible out of Chaminade's visit.
H. A. Weymann & Sons have been making a
special effort lately on the Baldwin and the other
pianos made by that firm, and with very good
results. They have sold more Baldwin pianos
during the month of September than have ever
before been sold here in any one month, and
Albert Weymann, who is in charge of the piano
end of the business, is most encouraged as to the
winter's outlook for that fine instrument. The
Weymann's have a big following in this city in
their other lines of goods, and to this following
they have addressed some interesting Baldwin
literature of late, and with splendid results.
of repossession of the objects sold and not fully
paid.—Mexico Musical.
LEMUEL KLINE RESIGNS.
Lemuel Kline has resigned his position as
traveler for the Anderson Piano Co., of Van
Wert, O., the same taking effect on Oct. 1. Mr.
Kline has not yet decided on his future plans,
but we understand he has several propositions
under consideration.
EMERSONS FOR MILUKEN UNIVERSITY.
Charles H. Kesler, manager of the Schiller
Piano Co., branch in Docatur, 111., recently sold
seven Emerson pianos and one Schiller piano to
the James Milliken University in that city.
Owing to thieves stealing a large driving belt
from the factory of the Carl Barckhoff Co., pipe
organ builders, Pomeroy, O., the entire plant
had to be shut down until a new belt could
be obtained. It is claimed by officers of the com-
pany that the theft was purely spitework as the
intrinsic value of the belting was insignificant
and hardly worth the trouble of removing it.
The Cunningham Piano Co.
OFFICE AND WAREROOMS. Cheslnut and Eleventh Streets
FACTORIES, Fiftieth Street. Parkside Avenue and Viola Street
Philadelphia, Pa.