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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
AMERICAN GUILD OF PIANO TUNERS
endorsement of another, so that the growth of the
Guild has been harmonious, even and of a high
Will Hold Its First Convention in New York standard of excellence.
on August 10 to 12—Important Subjects to
The Guild is governed, and will be until the
Be Discussed—What the Guild Aims to Ac- convention, by an executive council of three active
complish.
and eleven advisory members, chosen by ballot
from the membership. The active members are
On the 10th day of August there will meet in in New York, and consist of a chairman, a secre-
New York the last piano trade convention of the tary and a general organizer. The headquarters of
year. Little, comparatively speaking, has been the Guild are at 126 West 100th street, New York,
said about it, and perhaps some members of the and J. Elliott Diez is chairman of the executive
trade do not even know that such an affair is council.
scheduled to take place. Yet the future historian
The Guild has organized, for the benefit of its
of the piano business will not fail to give due members, bureaus of employment, technical in-
and proper attention to it, for he will realize that formation and grievances. The service of these is
it marks the beginning of a new epoch in trade free to all members.
relations.
The National Piano Manufacturers' Association,
The American Guild of Piano Tuners, which at its recent Richmond convention, passed a reso-
holds its first annual convention at the Hotel Flan- lution approving the purposes of the Guild.
ders on August 10, 11 and 12, was brought into
At the coming convention of the Guild the prin-
existence at the beginning of the present year; to cipal subjects for discussion will be these:
be exact, on January 9. Its rapid rise and healthy
1. Adoption of a definite, formal constitution.
growth illustrate strikingly the carrying power of
2. Incorporation of the Guild.
an idea. For it was no more in the beginning than
3. Appointment of a commission to enunciate a
this. One man had the courage—or the foolhardi- standard statement of the equal temperament.
ness, as you will—to translate a dream into the
4. Appointment of a commission on uniform
nucleus of an organized body. And the result has pitch.
been unbelievably favorable.
Applicants for membership should write for
The idea at the bottom of the Amwican Guild full information to the general organizer, Ameri-
of Piano Tuners is best expressed as that of self- can Guild of Piano Tuners, 126 West 100th street,
reliance. The American piano tuner has been New York.
for years facing an evil system. Fraudulent prac-
tice by incompetent pretenders, price-cutting by
PIANO SALESiJNOMAHA, NEB.
employed tuners working after hours, bad employ-
ment conditions; all these and many others have Report of County Assessor Shows Increase of
1,629 Pianos for the Past Year—Proves
conspired to rob the competent artist of his dues
That Nebraskans Are Buying Pianos as Well
and make life a burden to him.
as* Autos.
The piano trade, in a vague and unsystematic
sort of way, has done its best to assist the tuner
The condition of the piano business in Omaha,
in combating these evils. Intelligent dealers have
tried to fight the fake tuner to the best of their Neb., and adjoining territory may be estimated
ability, but have been unable so to do, principally from the official statistics filed by County Assessor
because the good tuners could only be dealt with Shriver with the State Board of Equalization. Ac-
as individuals, and there was no means of bringing cording to Mr. Shriver the citizens of the county
any organized sentiment to bear. On the other hand, covering Omaha own more pianos than watches,
the unintelligent dealer has winked at and coun- carriages, wagons or sewing machines.
tenanced, covertly at least, all sorts of exceedingly
The assessment returns show 8,110 pianos as-
unprofessional and even dishonest practices by sessed at $683,315, in a population of less than
unscrupulous tuners, simply in order to benefit by two hundred thousand. Last year only 5,457 pianos
the small commission received on orders.
were reported, assessed at $591,470. This shows
In short, the piano trade, even when honest, has an increase of 1,629 pianos during the past year,
of itself been unable to do much for the tuner, all of which were undoubtedly purchased from
and when not sincere has not wished to do any- piano dealers in Omaha. There has been a falling
off in organs, which number 812, assessed at $32,-
thing.
The tuner, then, must forget his timidity, his 820, as compared with 905 organs, assessed at $34,-
traditional attitude of leaning on another, and 075, in 1909.
undertake his own salvation in his own way. He
must organize, call all other honest men his
brethren and drop, once for all, that stupid, ig-
norant feeling of hostility and jealousy to his col-
leagues which has for so long been a blot on the
face of the profession.
This, then, is the idea which lies at the bottom
of the American Guild of Piano Tuners. Organ-
ization for mutual benefit, for the better propaga-
tion of professional knowledge, the general im-
provement of the standard of professional attain-
ment, and the stamping out of the faker, the in-
competent and the fraud; these are the specific
objects of the Guild. So intrinsically worthy are
these objects that it would seem as if failure, un-
less due to gross mismanagement, would be im-
possible.
The progress of the Guild has been remarkable.
Starting last January with one member, it has
now reached the century mark. Twenty-six States
already have members, and in some instances prac-
tically the entire number-of good tuners within a
State are already Guild men. Particularly is this
so in the State of Virginia, where the Guild has
attained remarkable strength. Other well repre-
sented States are Ohio, New York and Pennsyl-
vania.
The basic notion on which the membership has
been recruited is that of professional excellence.
A candidate for membership not only must furnish
a minute account of his professional career, but
must also submit to examination at the hands of
the pearest member, or of headquarters, this de-
pending upon his distance from New York. Al-
most every member has thus been introduced by
11
It is worthy of note that the assessor last year
listed pianos at an average value of $108.50, while
this year he reduced the assessed value to $84.00
each, because of the increase in the value of other
personal property.
This certainly is an excellent showing as far
as the piano business is concerned, and demon-
strates that not only were a goodly lot of pianos
sold in Omaha last year, but the people had suffi-
cient spare cash to satisfy their desires.
GREAT ELECTRIC SIGN
To
Be Erected for the Montenegro-Reihm
Music Co. in Louisville, Ky.—Chickering
Piano to Be Featured.
An enormous electric sign is to be erected near
the Customs House in Louisville, Ky., for the
Montenegro-Reihm Music Co. It will be 30 by 20
feet, and the central figure will be a woman seated
at a Chickering piano discoursing delightful music.
Thousands of colored electric lights will be used,
and the sign, which will be one of the largest in
the city, will catch the eye of thousands of people
daily, as it is located in the most central part of
the city.
JOHN WANAMAKEITS 72D BIRTHDAY.
The Famous Merchant Prince Keenly Inter-
ested in Development of Piano Department.
John Wanamaker, the famous merchant, whose
piano departments in New York and Philadelphia
are among the show places of these cities, cele-
brated his seventy-second birthday on July 12 by
attending to business as usual at his Philadelphia
store. Mr. Wanamaker is enjoying very excellent
health, and is as enthusiastic about the develop-
ment of his business as he was in years agone, and
perhaps no department of his vast business interests
him more than that devoted to pianos. Its devel-
opment has been amazing in many respects, and
there has been no backward step.
G. W. Cooley, who is engaged in the furniture
business at 87-89 South Forsyth street, Atlanta.
Ga., has purchased the stock of pianos formerly
owned by Caldwell & Moore. G. W. Moore, of
the latter concern, is associated with Mr. Cooley,
and the Capen piano is being featured promi-
nently.
The Staples Piano Co., Portland, Me., has leased
a store at Skowhegan, Me.
TF you knew that by putting \ \ Z 1 T H 46 patterns ranging
6 or 12 Cabinets for Piano
in price from $6.75 to
Player Rolls on your floor that $35.00, every customer can be
they would move, and at a taken care of. And then the
good profit, there would be no
hesitancy on your part in giving designs we offer; why, we
us an order. Now, lots of had our designer working for
dealers thought they wouldn't months matching the Lead-
go, but those who have tried ing Player Pianos and Pianos
it out have been convinced to in the field.
the contrary, and why should a
In fact, if you do not
Player Sale be made without
bringing up the question of a write for our Sales Helping
cabinet in which to keep the Catalog you are letting one
rolls from being lost, getting of the "Best Bets" get away.
dusty and littering up the top
Write us.
of the Piano ?
The Udell Works
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.