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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
FRAUDULENT ADVERTISING
CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY.
Destroying the Very Foundation of the In-
dustry, Says Oliver G. Fosdick—The Use of
Honorable Names to Fool the Public Most
Regrettable—The Need of a Law Somewhat
on the Lines of the Pure Food Law to Com-
pel the People to Be Honest.
H. Shuman Jones' "Score of Years" Service
with
the Starr Piano Co. Celebrated in
Los Angeles—Henry Gennett in Attendance.
and Thomas H. Towell, president and treasurer
of the Eclipse Musical Co., of Cleveland, visited
Detroit this week.
CORPORATIONS MUST PAY.
During the sojourn of Henry Gennett, president About 1,000 Concerns to Be Cited for Tax
Delinquency.
of the Starr Piano Co., at Los Angeles, Cal.,
where he has been taking the sun baths, he was
(Special to The Review.)
the participant in a very enjoyable dinner at the
The subject of fraudulent advertising is one of
Washington, D. C, March 19, 1912.
Alexandria Hotel, to commemorate the twentieth
the live issues of the day, and judging from the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue Cabell de-
anniversary of the entrance of H. Shuman Jones
majority of opinions expressed on this subject
clares that about 1,000 corporations have been or
to the Starr Piano Co., of Richmond, Ind.
in The Review last week it is clear that the
It was on the suggestion of the late Benjamin will be haled into court as delinquents in the pay-
members of the trade consider it a menace to the
ment of the corporation tax last year.
Starr
that Mr. Jones left Philadelphia to become
future of piano selling. Discussing this subject
There was a total of 30,000 delinquent corpora-
further Oliver G. Fosdick, of Worcester, Mass.,
tions at the close of the last fiscal year. Of these
puts the matter very interestingly in the follow-
29,000 have proposed compromises. The govern-
ing statement to The Review:
ment has accepted 27,000 of the offers for settle-
"Confidence is the basis of all trade, and a
ment. The remaining 2,000 have been rejected,
piano man who advertises fraudulently is destroy-
but there are good prospects, it is said, of agree-
ing the very foundation of the industry. Why
ments without court procedure.
this is so is self-evident and requires no explana-
tion. Not only does the factor of morals enter
HONORS FOR AEOLIAN CO. MANAGER.
but it is legally a misdemeanor; fraudulent piano
advertising is a malfeasance of the worst kind.
W. G. Sired, Head of Paris House, Decorated
"As to the various kinds of fraudulent piano ad-
with Order of the Legion of Honor and Pre-
vertising, I would consider the desecration of dis-
sented with Diamond Cross.
tinguished and long established names by a some-
what similar name, as, for instance, Steinweigh for
W. G. Sired, manager of the Paris house of the
Ste'nway, Chickerling for Chickering, Webber for
Aeolian Co., was recently presented with the
Weber, and so on, or a similar desecration by a
Cross of the Legion of Honor by the French
ridiculous price, i. e., "Steinway—$-50," "Weber—
government, and in appreciation of the event the
$71," and so forth, as especially offensive.
staff of the house has presented him with a minia-
"A rank fraud which, being advertised, is adver-
ture cross set with diamonds, which makes a most
tising fraudulently is the so-termed "certificate"
handsome decoration. Professor Sired was for-
plan of purchase, whereby one gets a hundred or
merly a member of the faculty of the University
two hundred dollars—"in pork"—for the wonder-
School of Music, Madison, Wis., and an organist
ful solving of the problem that 2 and 2 equals 4,
and choirmaster of note before going abroad,
or that "tac" spells "cat." It must be that the
where he resided in London and Madrid for some
"suckers born every minute" are now only com-
time previous to going to Paris.
ing at the rate of "one every ten minutes," as I
H. SHUMAN JONES.
understand that this fraudulent plan is diminish-
Arthur H. Gallup, of Niles, Mich., in addition
ing in use and results, not only through dealers a general traveler for the Starr Piano Co. That to being a competent piano man, is also a clever
awakening to the bad feature of it, but that the he has made good is evident from the fact that
organist, and recently took charge of the magnifi-
government is making broad hints about its in- he is now vice-president and general manager of
cent three-manual Hope-Jones organ at the First
validity. Anyone with a grain of sense should
Presbyterian Church.
the Pacific division of the Starr Piano Co.'s busi-
know that the knocking off of a couple of hun- ness and enjoys the confidence of every member
dred dollars on the price of a piano for a certifi- of the company. Besides Messrs. Gennett and
cate without a one-cent cash value, is out of all Jones, M. L. Nolder, secretary and treasurer of
reason unless the $200 were previously added.
the Pacific division, and a couple of others were
"A fraudulent piano advertiser should be all present. The occasion was a most enjoyable
shunned by everyone, but at present there seems one, and Messrs. Gennett and Jones swapped
to be no 'pure advertising law,' and it is up to many reminiscences of their early days in the piano
the dealers themselves to show by their advertis- business.
ing whether they are frauds or clean piano
HAMMER
houses." "
CHAS. D. ALLEN JVITH FARRAND CO.
P. PAUL GRAEFF THE NEW MANAGER.
Booming
the "Boosters"
Movement—How
Simon Features the Apollo—Visitors of the
Week Include Many Piano Men.
P. Paul Graeff, formerly with the C. C. Mellor
Co., Pittsburgh, and afterward manager of the
(Special to The Review.)
retail department of Otto Wissner, Brooklyn,
N. Y., has been appointed manager of the piano
Detroit, Mich., March 19, 1912.
department of Bloomingdale Bros., the New York
Manager E. P. Andrew, of the Farrand retail
department store, to succeed Samuel Mayers, who stores, is taking an active part in the Detroit
resigned recently after having managed the de- Board of Commerce "boosters'" movement. He
partment from its establishment.
is also interested in a movement to organize "The
Allied Boards of Trade of Michigan," the object
being to solicit immigration and thus build up the
smaller cities and make more business for De-
troit merchants to go after.
The Farrand Co. has a new traveler in the
person of Charles D. Allen, recently of the
Schaeffer Piano Co. He will be a special repre-
sentative of the Cecilian and his territory will
not be restricted.
Col. W. B. Brinkerhoff, of the Knight-Brinker-
hoff Piano Co., of Brazil, Ind., piano manufac-
Every Packard owner is a
turers, called upon Grinnell Bros, this week.
Packard booster — that's the
Grinnells handle the Knight-Brinkerhoff line.
reason every Packard dealer de-
Walter C. Simon, of the Melville Clark sales
lights to sell Packard Pianos. We are
corps, who also is a song writer, has an Apollo
making plans to make the Packard the
in his apartments at the Plaza with which he
best known piano as well as the best
does a good deal of artistic demonstrating to
piano in America. A few new dealers
musicians
interested in his line of work. H. E.
in new territory—are going to help reap
Woodward, of New Orleans, and George Gros-
the harvest. Write The Packard Com-
venor, of Grosvenor & Lapham, Chicago, were
pany, Fort Wayne, Ind.—to-day.
guests of Mr. Simon this week.
W. R. Gullett, of Ludwig & Co., New York,
WITH A GROWING
REPUTATION
Demand it. The only one that
meets all player requirements.
The best hammer for all pianos.
SUPERIOR
GERMAN FELT
401-424 E. 163d St., New York
Chicago Office: Republic Bldg.