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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
THE WEGMAN PIANO CO. PETITIONED IN BANKRUPTCY.
LAFFARGUE co. INCREASES CAPITAL.
James M. Knapp Appointed Receiver for the Old-Time Piano Manufacturing House of Auburn,
N. Y.—Lack of Sufficient Capital Brought Trouble to a Head.
Announces Raise from $50,000 to $125.000—
Company Has Enjoyed Steady Expansion
Since Inception—A Brief History.
(.Special t( The Ucvicw. )
Ai'itruN, N. Y., January !'.—A petition for the
adjudication in bankruptcy of the Wegman Piano
Co., of this city, was filed on Wednesday evening
in the United States District Court in Utica by
(jeorge C. Pearson, John L. Alnult and Irving
S. Colwell, all of Auburn, whose claims aggregate
$O,K'M. It is claimed in the petition that the com-
pany admitted insolvency of January (>.
Following the filing of the petition, Judge Ray
appointed James M. Knapp, of Auburn, receiver
for the company, under bond of $^0,000 and with
authority to administer the affairs of the company
and continue the business. Mr. Knapp filed his
bond on Thursday morning and immediately took
charge of the affairs of the Wegman Co., being
empowered to issue receiver's certificates to the
amount of $:i0,000. The receiver stated that it was
his object to conduct the receivership in a manner
that would enable all creditors to be paid in full
and permit the business to be continued as that of
a prosperous concern after the end of the receiver-
ship.
Following the appointment of the receiver P. C.
Sherman, manager of the Wegman Co., issued the
following statement:
"The business of the company has much more
than doubled within the last six months, and new
business continues to come in at an increasing
rate, so that the company finds itself at present
with a very large volume of unfilled orders on
hand. Owing to the very serious disturbances to
the company's affairs, due to the tire last Mav and
to the general depressed business conditions, the
company has found it impossible to properly
finance its extraordinary growth, and in order to
protect the business and to work out proper plans
for its perpetuation, in co-operation with some of
its creditors, it was deemed advisable to ask for
the appointment of a receiver to protect the inter-
ests of all."
The officers of the company are: J. Wegman
Page, president; Henry Wegman, vice-president,
and George F. Adams, treasurer.
According to a man in close touch with the sit-
uation, the troubles of the Wegman Co. have
grown out of the fact that the company was under-
capitalized, and, therefore, unable to properly take
care of the extensive business that had been built
up under the management of Mr. Sherman. It is
the general belief that under Receiver Knapp cap-
ital will be forthcoming, not only to continue the
business along its present lines, but also to ex-
pand it.
Attorney R. J. Burritt, representing the Wegman
Piano Co., had this to say:
"The recent fire and the stringent condition of
the money market are responsible for the present
situation. The extensive credit sales tie up a
great deal of money, and while the business is
understood to have been prosperous, the company
has been unable, owing to shortage of capital, to
finance its long-time sales. It is understood that
the largest creditor is the Cayuga County National
Hank, which has a claim of about $<>.">,000, secured
•by mortgages and collateral.'
DETROIT NEWS^BRIEFLETS.
FIRST TRAVELER IN MILWAUKEE
C. W. Cross on Road to Recovery—Frank J.
Bayley Gives Private Musicale—Piano Trav-
elers Scarce—Smith's Big Apollo Trade.
For New Year Is George W. Slawson, Repre-
senting the Cable Company Who Captures
Substantial Order for His Line.
(.special to The Review.)
DKTKOIT, MICH., January 12.—C. W. Cross, man-
ager of the Detroit branch of the Bush & Lane
Piano Co., was taken ill just before Christmas and
for two weeks was confined to his bed. His con-
dition was regarded for a time as serious, but at
the end of a week he began to improve, and it is
Imped that by the middle of January he will he
able to return to his desk.
Frank J. Bayley gave a musicale at his residence
on the evening of January 7 in honor of the birth-
day of Mrs. Bayley. Signor Giuseppi Bartalotti,
the tenor, was in charge of the program. Others
taking part were Gustin Wright, of Paris; J. An-
ton Daly, the composer, and Mrs. Earl F. Chase, a
prominent Detroit contralto. Among the guests
were C. A. Grinnell, head of Grinnell Bros.
Piano travelers have not commenced to show up
since the holidays. J. N. Dvorak, selling the small
goods of Lyon &. Healy, being the only knight of
the grip to call on the trade this week.
E. Hugh Smith, of the J. L. Hudson Co., sold so
many Apollos during 1014 that he drew a letter
of personal commendation from Sales Manager
Tom Pletcher, of the Melville Clark Piano Co.,
and a consignment of specially embossed and en-
graved cards bearing the Apollo trade-mark and his
own name. His personal business in Apollos for
the year exceeded $^0,000.
C. A. Grinnell is making plans for a mansion on
the lake front in Grosse Pointe, in which elite
suburb he owns sixteen acres of choice Jefferson
avenue and Lake St. Clair frontage. He probably
v.'ill have one of the finest places in the district.
The land alone is worth a quarter of a million
dollars.
J. J. Barry & Co., piano dealers of Ayer, Mass.,
have moved into a ground floor location in, that
town.
(Special to The Review.)
MILWAUKEE, WIS., January 12.—The first piano
traveler to visit Milwaukee after the close of th~
holiday period was George W. Slawson. well known
representative of the Cable Company of Chicago,
who counts his friends by the score in Milwaukee
and surrounding sections of the Northwest. Mr.
Slawson called on the J. B. Bradford Piano Co.,
which handles the Cable. Mason & Hamlin, Sohrner,
Shoninger, Melville Clark and Price & Teeple
lines in this city, and he carried away a substantial
order for Cable goods.
Besides being the first Cable traveler to go out
on the road after the holidays, Mr. Slawson had
the distinction of just entering upon the twenty-
sixth year with The Cable Company in various
capacities.
It was announced this week that the capital stock
of the Laffargue Co., 1,14th street and Cypress ave-
nue, New York, has been increased from $50,000
to $125,000. This will not affect in any way the
organization of the company, but is evidence of
the steady expansion which it has made since its
inception. When seen at the office, Max De Roche-
mont, vice-president of the company, stated that
there was nothing special to say in connection with
the increase in capital.
The Laffargue Co., which manufactures upright
pianos and player-pianos, has an enviable reputa-
tion from coast to coast.
Joseph Oktavec, president of the company, is
well known as an expert on piano construction and
has for years supervised the manufacture of all
Laffargue instruments. He is thoroughly conver-
sant with the manufacturing business from the
bottom up, having been at it practically all his life.
After working at the bench for a number of years
he entered the business in 18!)(i with J. George
Laffargue. He was associated with him until 190G,
when the latter was killed in an automobile acci-
dent. In the next year the late L. M. Jde became
vice-president and remained in that capacity until
his retirement in the fall of 191H, when Mr. Okta-
vec bought out his interest. In December of the
same year Max Dc Rocliemont became vice-presi-
dent of the company and at the present time is
active in the administration of the business.
STARR PIANOS FOR EXPOSITION.
Beautiful Grand and Upright Pianos Made by
the Richmond Manufacturers, Designed for
the Indiana State Building at the Panama-
Pacific Exposition on Display at the Indian-
apolis Starr Store and Attracts Much Notice.
(Special to The Keview.)
INDIANAPOLIS, INO.] January 12.—A concert grand
piano, a parlor grand and a player piano, all of
which were especially designed fur use in the
Indiana State building at the Panama-Pacific Ex-
position, San Francisco, are on exhibition in the
window of the Indianapolis store of the Starr Piano
Co. at 13H-140 North Pennsylvania street.
The case of the concert grand, which is of Shera-
ton design, is of fumed mahogany, with white
mahogany inlaid. The case of th. 1 parlor grand,
which is of Jacobean design, is of Flemish oak.
The player piano, octo style, is of San Domingo
mahogany.
The pianos will be sent West from this city prob-
ably next week. In addition to these there will be
a fourth piano, made especially by the company
DUERK GRAND PIANO CO. FORMED.
for the Indiana State building. That already has
Among the incorporations filed with the Secre- been sent West. The Starr Piano Co. also will b '
tary of State at Albany, N. Y., early this week was represented in the Liberal Arts building by a special
that of the Duerk Grand Piano Co., with a capital exhibit.
stock of $10,000. The incorporators are C, R. J.
and F. L. Duerk, 347 East Twenty-eighth street,
PETITIONED INTO BANKRUPTCY.
New York.
A petition in bankruptcy was filed last week
against the Strickland Piano Co., a prominent
1 he suggestion of the Cincinnati Advertisers' piano house of Dothan, A.la.. by the Autopiano
Club that the prominence of the city would be em- Co., Enterprise Music Supply Co. and National
phasized by dropping the "O.," for Ohio, on all Music Co., all of New York.
stationery and printing referring to Cincinnati, re-
ceived a setback a few days ago, when the postal NEW QUARTERS IN CORPUS CHRISTI.
authorities, to whom it was referred, pointed out
that there are four or five other Cincinnatis, in
The Galloway Piano Co., Corpus Christi, Tex.,
other States, and that confusion might grow out will shortly move into handsome new quarters
of the omission of the State initial. Notwith-
in the Amusu Theater building, that city. A. J.
standing this, however, many business men are Galloway is president and general manager of the
following the idea, on the ground that the best company, which was organized about a year ago
known Cincinnati is the Ohio city.
and has been verv successful.
CITY GREATERJTHAN STATE?
WINTER & CO.
220 SOUTHERN BOULEVARD. N E W YORK
Manufacturers of
Superior Pianos
and Player Pianos