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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
9
NEWLY ELECTED OFFICERS OF BOSTON ASSOCIATION.
CERTIFICATES HAVE RUINED TRADE
Annual Meeting Held Saturday Results in John T. Bowers Becoming President—Other Officers
Selected—Enjoyable Dinner at the Lombardy Inn Closed the Proceedings.
In Rochester, IN. Y., Is the Claim of C W. Oster,
a Well-known Piano Dealer of That City—
Many Pianos Sold to Undesirable Customers.
(Special to The Review.)
Boston, Mass., Jan. .13, 1913.
There was a goodly number of members present
ar the annual meeting of the Boston Music Trade
from Piano Row, and which has been the scene
of previous annual meetings of this organization.
Burton R. Miller, of the Henry F. Miller & Sons
Piano Co., who has served the organization faith-
fully for the past year, presided at the dinner,
which was up to the usual high standard of Lom-
bardy Inn. Following the repast, which was served
in one of the private dining rooms on the third
floor of the inn, there was a short business session,
when these officers were elected for the ensuing
year:
President, John T. Bowers, of the Mason &
Hamlin Co.; first vice-president, A. L. Jewett.
vice-president and general manager of the Na-
tional Piano Co.; second vice-president, George
F. Blake, president of the A. M. McPhail Piano
Co.; secretary and treasurer, E. C. Cressey, of the
C C. Harvey Co. Executive committee—Edward
S. Payson, president of the Emerson Piano Co.;
Winthrop A. Harvey, treasurer of the C. C. Har-
vey Co.; K. H. Gibson, of the Ivers & Pond
Piano Co., and Charles R. Putnam, Boston man-
ager of the Estey Organ 'Co.
Mr. Cressey, who accepts the double post of
secretary-treasurer, has been the honored secre-
tary of the organization for several years. Mark
P. Campbell, who was elected treasurer of the
association a year ago, subsequently removed to
New York, so by a change in the constitution the
two offices were merged and accepted by Mr.
Cressey.
(Special to The Review.)
Rochester, N. Y., Jan. 13, 1913.
According to C. W. Oster, who handles the
Everett, Behr Bros. & Co., Vose & Sons, Merrill,
James & Holmstrom and several other makes of
pianos and player-pianos at 364 Main street, East,
this city, the trade in this city is in a deplorable
condition from a retail standpoint as a result of
the "gold bond certificate" schemes that have
been worked here during the past five years.
"For a brief time," said Mr. Oster, "dealers
were dumping car load after car load of pianos
into Rochester and vicinity, with the result that
it is almost impossible, now, to find a prospect.
I felt the thing coming two years ago. We were
getting no results from advertising, and I wanted
to know the reason for this decided change, so
I started out. I put four men to work to canvass
the city, and the largest towns in western New
York. It took a year to make the canvass, and a
careful analysis showed that there were only
about 5 per cent, of the homes that did not have
pianos, and a large percentage of these, were the
undesirables. Within the last year, several of
my competitors sold goods to these same un-
desirable customers, who were tried out and in
many cases rejected by us.
President John T. Bowers.
"The big things in the piano business, so far
Association, which was held last Saturday at Lom-
as Rochester is concerned, are done. There are
bardy Inn, which is practically around the corner
24 dealers in Rochester, and four could do all the
business. It will take a number of years to create
a healthy demand for new goods, because all of
Tonawanda,
N.
Y.,
where
they
have
important
NEW AGENCY AT OSHKOSH.
business to transact. It is also understood that the goods were sold in such a brief space of time,
E. S. Wilson to Handle the Steinway and Gram- Mr. Richtsteig, while in the east, will look for besides the demoralizing effect it had on the pub-
Richtsteig Pianos as Sub-Agent of the Ed- a superintendent for the Gram-Richtsteig factory. lic. Let every dealer in the country benefit by the
mund Gram Music Co in Oshkosh.
The business of the company has grown so rapidly experience of Rochester, and keep away from the
of late that it has been thought advisable to se- certificate plan of selling."
(Special to The Review.)
cure a superintendent for the factory while Mr.
Richtsteig will serve in the capacity of general
Milwaukee, Wis., Jan. 14, 1913.
OUARTERS REMODELED.
The Edmund Gram Music House, repre- manager.
The Daynes-Beebe Music Co., Salt Lake City,
sentative of the Steinway, Steck, Everett, Weber,
Gram-Richtsteig and other lines, has established STEINWAYS FOR_MONTREAL HOTEL. Utah, has just completed the remodeling of its
quarters in that city, the changes including the
a new branch agency at Oshkosh, Wis. E. S.
Steinway pianos and Estey organs will consti- erection of new demonstrating rooms for Vic-
Wilson, a well-known dealer in the Wisconsin
sash and door city, will now carry the Steinway tute the musical equipment of the new Ritz-Carl- trolas and player-pianos, more space for the main
ton Hotel in Montreal, the instruments being piano wareroom and larger offices.
and Gram-Richtsteig lines, acting as a sub-agent
of the Milwaukee house.
The Gram house has supplied by C. W. Lindsay, Ltd.
had a sub-agency at La Crosse, Wis., for several
NEW BUILDING FOR_EILERS BRANCH.
RECOVERS FORJVATER DAMAGE.
years.
Eilers Piano House has arranged for the erec-
As a result of damage resulting from_ water
Edmund Gram is in New York City, where
he will attend the meeting of the State com- dripping from a closet on an upper floor, the tion of a new four-story building in Boise, Idaho.
missioners and the members of the executive Reed-French Piano Co., Portland, Ore., secured The new building, wlhich will be located at the
committee of the N. A. P. M. at the Hotel Astor, a judgment for $900 from the owner of the build- corner of Ninth and Babcock streets, will be mod-
ern in arrangement and include sound-proof
Jan. 13 and 14. Ernest Urchs, manager of the ing in which the piano store is located.
demonstration booths and a recital hall.
wholesale department of Steinway & Sons, was
NEW PLANT FORJ)RGAN MAKERS.
in Milwaukee last week and accompanied Mr.
A new music store has been opened in Way-
Bates & Culley, manufacturers of organs in
Gram on the trip to the East.
land, N. Y., by C. F. Snydert.
Max Richtsteig, secretary of the Gram-Richt- Philadelphia, have moved their business to a new
steig Piano Co., and superintendent of the com- factory at 1827 South Eleventh street, that city,
L. I. Sage is a new piano dealer in Inglewood,
pany's factory here, will meet Mr. Gram at where they have 15,000 square feet of floor space. Cal.
HHONE regulating is the last important
^ move in piano production. Generally the
tone regulator is an expert, but no factories
have Alladin's lamp.
So you cannot expect the best results from the tone regu-
lator unless the hammer is the Schmidt. Experiments have proved
this statement to others; may we prove it to you ?
Remember that the hammer can make or break a good
scale, and that the Schmidt hammer is constructive.
DAVID
H. SCHMIDT CO., Poughkeepsie, N. Y.