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THE; MUSIC TRADE REVIEW/
Planning for a Lively 1911 Business—Sum-
mary of the General and Trade Situation—
Items
of
Personal
Nature—Prominent
Houses
Adopt
One-Price-No-Commission
Policy—Him Piano Co. Change Name—
Other News of the Week Worth Mention.
(Special to The Review.)
St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 3, 1911.
The last week in the month of December closed
quiet in the trade, with plans being made for the
campaign of 1911. There are some few reports of
an excellent business for the month, but as a gen-
eral proposition trade was not up to expectations.
The feeling as to prospects for 1911 is generally
favorable, though no great activity is looked for
at the present time. Conditions through this terri-
tory are good and should contribute toward an im-
provement.
The general trade of this city for 1910 approxi-
mates $1,362,500,000, according to reports and esti-
mates compiled for submission to the Merchants'
Exchange and the Business Men's League.
The commerce of the city really is far in excess
of this amount, as this merely includes the items of
large plants and companies, which report to their
trade organizations. The gain over 1909 is esti-
mated at about 10 per cent.
The final estimate of the yield and value of Mis-
souri farm crops for 1910, issued recently by the
State Board of Agriculture, places the total value
at $199,546,661.
A new St. Louis boosters' organization is to be
formed at some time in the near future by several
prominent St. Louisans. Their object will be to
advertise this city in some undetermined way, and
a fund of $100,000 will be raised for this purpose.
The bank clearing figures for this city for 1910
"Piano Saving
and How to
Accomplish It"
(Copyright.)
Sounds Good, Does it Not ?
Every subscriber to The Review will
be furnished with A COPY FREE upon
application.
It is a work which is destined to ob-
tain wide circulation.
It will create new business for the
dealers, and will, therefore, at once
command their attention and support.
They will be interested in distributing
the book because it will be a business
builder for them.
It will create trade where none has
existed before.
It will be helpful in every way.
Every piano dealer in the United State*
will be supplied with a copy free for the
asking.
1 0 , 0 0 0 Copies are now ready
EDWARD LYMAN BILL
Publisher
1 Madison Ave.
NEW YORK
are expected to reach $3,776,000,000, a gain of
$330,000,000 over 1909.
W. H. Alfring, manager of the Aeolian Co., re-
turned Sunday night from a week's trip to In-
dianapolis and Fort Wayne, Ind.
Xaver Scharwenka, the distinguished Polish
composer and pianist, appeared here at the Odeon
Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and gave
two very superb entertainments to lovers of piano
music. He was given a very enthusiastic recep-
tion, and the newspapers all commented very high-
ly on his work. He used a Baldwin concert grand.
W. A. Lippman, manager of the Jesse French
Piano & Organ Co., returned Thursday from a
trip to his old home at Maryville, Mo., where he
spent Christmas with his mother and two days
visiting the company's branch at Sedalia, Mo.,
which he found doing a nice business.
The Jesse French Piano & Organ Co. report that
their Texas branches had a good December busi-
ress and that the outlook in that territory is ex-
cellent.
C. L. Staffelbach, formerly manager of the piano
department of May, Stern & Co., has left that
concern and is succeeded by A. L. Owen, formerly
with the O. K. Houck Piano Co. at Memphis,
Tenn., as announced recently in The Review.
Chas. H. Wagener, representative of the Mel-
ville Clark Piano Co. in London, England, spent
Thursday and part of Friday here as the guest of
E. A. Kieselhorst, president of the Kieselhorst
Piano Co. He left Friday noon direct for New
York.
I am informed that one of our prominent piano
houses here went strictly on the one-price and
no commission basis on January 1. This change
was made after careful investigation of the suc-
cess of other one-price piano houses, which made
such a favorable impression the change was de-
cided upon. The policy of this house in future
will be quality instead of quantity in its efforts to
secure business.
The J. H. Buettner Furniture Co. gave each
one of their employes a basket filled with a com-
plete Christmas dinner.
The Him Piano Co., Springfield, 111., has cer-
tified to a change of the name from the Him
Piano Co. to the Zimmerman-O'Brien Piano Co.
ORDERS EXPRESS_RATES REDUCED.
Canadian Railways Commission Hands Down
Sweeping Judgment Against Express Com-
panies.
Following complaints against the rates charged by
Canadian express companies and their relations
with the transcontinental railroads, the Canadian
Railways Commission, in one of the most sweeping
judgments ever handed down by that body, has
ordered the express companies in Canada to file
reduced tariff tolls within three months, declaring
that the rates are too high. A reduction of at leasi
10 per cent, in through express traffic rates is or-
dered, local rates to be correspondingly cut.
A LIVE NEVADA DEALER.
J. D. Mariner Builds Up Large Business in Six
Years in Reno.
When one hears of Reno, Nev., nowadays, there
is brought to the mind that it is the main exil
from the matrimonial state, or the city in which
the dark cloud passed before the white one some
months ago. To J. D. Mariner, who handles the
Mehlin. Henry F. Miller, Lauter, Shoninger and
other pianos and player-pianos, small goods and
talking machines, in that city, Reno represents a
successful field of operation for the live piano
dealer.
Mr. Mariner came to Reno about six years ago,
after having conducted a very successful piano
business in Wabash, Ind., for the nine years pre-
vious, and began to get results at once. He's been
getting them ever since.
The Cheek-Houston Piano Co., Greensboro,
N. C, have opened a store in Winston-Salem,
N. C, with the Kimball, Hallet & Davis and other
lines.
Talking Points
on
Piano Actions
The closer the range at which
the piano action is examined the
more the respect engendered for this
particular creation, which has so
much to do with the production of
quality in tone.
It's surprising sometimes, when
we come to consider it, what a
large proportion of men still exist
in the music trade, who have not
given
this
important
functional
?art of the piano a minute investi-
gation.
A visit to a modern piano action
factory, like that of Strauch Bros.,
New York, will prove educational,
and no one can leave that factory
without acquiring a greater respect
for the piano action industry.
The scrupulous care, which is ob-
served in all details of manufacture
is sure to impress the visitor, who
will depart having absorbed a fund
of valuable information.
As an interesting feature in con-
nection
with
piano
actions
it
might be stated that Strauch Bros,
have recently put forth an attrac-
tive wall hanger on which the ac-
tion is splendidly illustrated and
all
parts
being
numbered and
named in detail.
This hanger will acquaint every-
one with all of the action parts, and
it will be useful not only for dealers
but tuners and salesmen, and after
a study of the subject in the illus-
tration they will comprehend the
delicate
adjustment
necessary in
every part in order to produce a per-
fect and satisfactory creation.
Strauch Bros, believe in every
legitimate means of stimulating ac-
tion
interest
and will
send
hanger free for the asking.
Better write for it.
this