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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
STRIKE AT COLUMBIA CO. FACTORY. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF JOBBERS' ASSOCIATION MEETS.
1,600 Employes Leave Work on Friday of Last
Week and Demand 20% Increase in Wages
—Company Had Already Made Liberal Con-
cessions in Hours and Other Details—Ar-
rangements Made to Supply the Trade.
Holds Session in Philadelphia for Discussion of Stevens Bill and Means for Securing Its Passage
—Excellent Attendance of Association Officers and Members.
(Special to The Review.)
PHILADELPHIA, PA., September 13.—The execu-
tive committee of the National Association of
Talking Machine Jobbers held a most successful
Employes of the Columbia Graphophone Co.'s meeting at the Hotel Bellevue-Stratford Friday
factory at Bridgeport, Conn., to the number of
morning, those present being Vice-President Harry
l,(iOO left their work Friday, September 10, and went
Miller, Secretary E. C. Rauth, Treasurer W. H.
on strike until their demands for a "JO per cent, Reynalds, J. N. Blackmail, J. C. Roush and George
horizontal increase in wages are accepted by the E. Mickel, all of the executive committee, except
company. It is understood that none of the fore- President Andrew G. McCarthy, who could not at-
nun, heads of departments or any employe hold- tend through pressure of business.
ing a responsible position in the factory joined the
Besides the executive committee the following
strikers, all remaining at their respective posts.
members of the association were also present: G.
In order to adequately present its side of the E. Stewart, Indianapolis; Louis Biuhn, Philadel-
labor question at us plant the Columbia Co. pub- phia; Louis J. Gerson, New York; A. A. Trostler,
lished a half-page advertisement in the Bridgeport Kansas City; French Xestor, Altoona, and Perry
newspapers, in which it called the public's altention B. Whitsit, Columbus.
to the fact that before the men at the plant walked
After the regular routine business the question
out the following notice had been posted in the of actively supporting the Stevens bill for price
works:
maintenance was discussed from every angle, and
"Effective September 10, forty-eight hours will it was the sense of the meeting that the committee
constitute a week's work in this factory, the work- be increased to sixteen and that an assessment of
ing hours to be as follows: Monday, Tuesday, $100 per member be made, payable $50 at once and
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 7 a. m. to 12 m., 1 $50 upon demand, to defray the legitimate expense
p. ni. to 4 :'M p. m.; Saturday, 7 a. m. to li!:30 p. m. of said committee in bringing the bill to the atten-
Day work rates will be revised to cover the same tion of the various Congressmen and Senators
amount for forty-eight hours as now paid for fifty through the co-operation of the other jobbers and
hours. Piece work rates will be increased in the dealers in the various sections.
same proportion as day rates. Time and a half will
After the executive meeting a special meeting
be paid for overtime and Sunday work. Double was held by the special legislative committee, and
time will be paid for holiday work. Fifty per cent.
increase will be paid on piece work prices done on
VICTROLA REPLACES HAND ORGAN.
overtime. This company will pay as high wages
as commonly paid for similar operations in Bridge- Mendicant In Milwaukee Reaps Big Reward for
Progressiveness—New Wisconsin Traveler
port factories, and will as soon as possible make
for Victor Co.—J. H. Becker, Jr., Changes.
such adjustments as may be necessary to carry this
out. The management will, as heretofore, receive
(Special to The Review.)
and consider at any time grievances submitted by
MILWAUKEE, WIS., September 14.—The time-
individual employes. G. L. Funnell, manager. Ap-
honored, wheezy hand organ will henceforth be out
proved, P. T. Dodge, president."
of date among the blind mendicants of Milwaukee,
At the bottom of this advertisement the follow-
ing appeared over President Dodge's signature: the talking" machine having been adopted in one in-
"From the foregoing it will be seen that the com- stance at least as an aid to get in the nickels and
pany had granted eight hours with fifty hours' pay; dimes of passers-by. The innovation was first tried
also half a day on Saturday; also extra pay for out last week by an enterprising young blind
overtime; also the recognition of the right of men woman, who is now sitting on one of the downtown
to submit grievances; also an assurance that wages streets 'holding a Baby Victrola in her lap while the
would be adjusted where required to bring all to machine offers everything from ragtime to grand
opera.
the highest market level."
Milwaukeeans could hardly believe their eyes
Regarding the company's manufacturing facilities
when
they heard the familiar sounds of a talking
at the present time James P. Bradt, sales manager,
machine and saw the woman with her new Victrola.
said: "We have made plans to ship to a number of
our cabinet manufacturers many units which will en- People stopped amazed and the police had to clear
able us to make shipments of machines for some the blockaded streets several times. It is said that
weeks to come. We have also made arrangements to the enterprising young woman reaped a goo'd har-
send them our matrices and have the records pressed vest of nickels and dimes during the first week.
Etiore Barile, a young talking machine man from
at their plants. Shipments of machines are being
New
York, has arrived in Milwaukee to cover Wis-
made to our trade with practically no delay, while
record shipments under the new arrangements will consin and portions of Minnesota and Iowa as
traveling representative of the Victor Talking Ma-
starl to go out the end of the week."
chine Co., succeeding 1 farry R. Fitzpatrick, popular
representative, who resigned recently to join the
DEY BROS. MOVE DEPARTMENT.
Victor city sales force in New York City. Mr.
Dey Bros., Syracuse, N. Y., have moved their Fitzpatrick came to Milwaukee from Philadelphia
talking machine department from the third floor a few years ago as manager of the Wisconsin Talk-
to larger quarters on the sixth floor of their build- ing Machine Co., formerly the Victor jobber here.
The Badger Talking Machine Co., new jobber in
ing. This concern handles the Victor and Edison
Wisconsin for the Victor goods, has appointed R.
lines.
H. Zinke, a well-known Milwaukee business man,
William Smith has opened a new talking machine as manager of its retail Victor store at 312 Grand
avenue.
store in Dixon, 111.
J. H. Becker, Jr., has severed his long connection
with the Hoeffler Piano Manufacturing Co. as man-
ager of its Victrola department and has assumed a
similar position at the Twelfth and Vliet streets de-
partment store of Edward Schuster & Co. Mr.
Becker is one of the pioneer talking machine men
of Milwaukee. He has been succeeded at the
I loeffler store by Gustave Spankus, connected with
LINDSTROM MOTORS
"The Motor of Quality"
the following were present: George E. Mickel,
chairman; Messrs. Blackmail, Buehn, Nestor,
Roush, Whitsit, Stewart, Reynalds, Rauth and
Trostler, all members of the committee, and also
E. A. Whittier, secretary American Fair Trade
League; L. F. Geissler, general manager Victor
Talking Machine Co., and George D. Ornstien,
manager traveling sales department, Victor Talk-
ing Machine Co.
After a very interesting discussion showing what
progress had been made in giving the Stevens bill
.publicity, etc., and upon retirement of Messrs.
Whittier, Geissler and Ornstien, the following par-
ties, in addition to those mentioned above, were
added to comprise the special legislative committee:
Messrs. Whitsit, Parnunter, A. M. Stewart, J. F.
Bowers, E. F. O'Neill, George Mairs, G. W. Walz,
Lester Burchfield, and, of course, President An-
drew G. McCarthy.
The country is to be divided into districts, and
each of the above committeemen will call together
the jobbers and dealers in his territory. Every
Congressman and Senator will be visited person-
ally, and the protection of the smaller dealers
throughout the United States be placed fairly and
squarely before them, and they will be asked for
their support strictly on the merits of the bill-
The funds raised by subscription arc to be used
only for traveling expenses, postage, printing, etc.;
no salaries or any other expense to be contracted.
the Hoeffler Victrola department for the past two
years.
C. D. Robinson, formerly with the talking ma-
chine department of Kranich & Bach in New York,
and at one time connected with the European inter-
ests of the Columbia Graphophone Co., has joined
the sales force of A. G. Kunde, 516 Grand avenue,
local joblnr and retailer for the Columbia line.
VICTOR PROFIT INSURANCE.
The New York Talking Machine Co., 119 West
Fortieth street, New York, Victor distributer, sent
out to its dealers this week a unique machine
order blank in the form of an application for profit
insurance. This blank calls the attention of the
Victor dealer to the importance of placing ade-
quate machine orders well in advance for the fall
trade, and to impress this convincingly a table is
presented giving the trivial carrying or interest
charges on the various types of Victrolas. These
slight charges range from 4 cents per month for
a Victrola 4 to G5 cents per month for a Victrola
16. The company points out that this slight insur-
ance cost will prevent a loss of trade and eliminate
all costly annoyance, inconvenience and loss of
time which is occasioned when machines are out
of stock in the busy season.
For Best Service, write to
LYON & HEALY
Largest
Distributors
CHICAGO