Music Trade Review

Issue: 1915 Vol. 61 N. 7

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
BIG CROP PROSPECTS HELPING ALL LINES OF BUSINESS.
in a few favored localities throughout the country.
Gains in Steel Business.
U. S. Chamber of Commerce Finds the Country Generally Hopeful of Trade Future—War Alarm
"There is but little business in naval stores be-
Is Passing—Wheat and Corn Yield Estimated at 10 Per Cent, in Excess of Last Year.
cause of lack of demand. Phosphate mines of
(Special to The Review.)
peanut crop in Virginia, North Carolina and Ala- Florida still remain closed because of the European
war. Unfavorable reports come alike from the
WASHINGTON, D. C, August 9.—The committee bama is doing well.
on statistics of the Chamber of Commerce of the
The Chamber of Commerce's summary of busi- fisheries of Oregon, Washington, the Gulf and
along the Atlantic coast.
United States, after a detailed investigation over ness conditions says:
the whole country, has reported that the feeling of
"Manufacturing varies much, according to the
"Lumber interests are everywhere very quiet. A
apprehension for the country's prosperity because general dearth of building outside of the large articles made, though in general it is very quiet.
of possible international complications is giving way cities is having a very depressing effect on the sale The steel and iron business shows distinct improve-
to a more hopeful view. This report, which is of all building material.
ment, with increasing orders.
supplemented by statements of conditions in the
"Business of cotton and woolen mills is only fair.
"The conditions of mining vary sharply as to the
important businesses of the country, is in substan- thing mined. Copper mines are running full time Those manufacturers in different sections who have
tial agreement with the summary of conditions in and new ones are opening up. Zinc and lead mines orders for war contracts are exceedingly busy.
the twelve Federal reserve districts, issued last are busy, and the mining of iron ore is improving. Furniture business in Michigan, northern Indiana
week by the Federal Reserve Board, and will prove Coal mining is everywhere dull, largely because of
and Chicago is alike dull. Paper mills are
of interest to piano manufacturers and dealers slack demand from the railroads and the slow
running only three-quarters time. Cement fac-
throughout the country desirous of keeping in touch business in most manufacturing. Slate mining in
tories and those making bricks and tile report only
with developments that will enable them to get in
fair business. The oil industry, as a whole, is ex-
Pennsylvania is at low stage because of lack of
touch with fall and winter business prospects.
ceedingly dull. There is very little demand for
demand. Silver mining suffers because of low prices
The report does not say that fear of foreign of silver, and gold mining is not much better save railroad ties."
complications has passed. But the prevalence of
good crops all over the country, combined with a
LARGER STORE IN INDIANAPOLIS.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST MAIL ORDERS.
slow but healthy improvement in many industries, The Remodeled Building of the Baldwin Piano How One Canadian House Appeals to Business
seems to give ground for the general belief that
Sense of Customers in Bid for Home Trade
Co. Will Have More Floor Space Devoted to
the business of the country is now in a position to
and Has Won Success in Its Efforts.
the Sale of Pianos and Players Than Any
survive any strain that may be put upon it. Never-
Other House in That City—Adopt Catchy
theless, according to the report of the committee,
(Special to The Review.)
Slogan—Big Sale at Pearson Store.
of which A. W. Douglas is chairman, there is gen-
ST. JOHN, N. B., August 7.—A New Bxunswick
eral conservatism in buying, and indications are
firm, with the idea of exercising a counteracting
(Special to The Review.)
that this will prolong the present dulness at least
influence to that emanating from the mail order
INDIANAPOLIS, IND V August 7.
When the Bald-
until the value of the crops is known beyond win Piano Co. has completed remodeling the build- houses, asks these pertinent questions of their
question.
ing occupied by it at 18-20 North Pennsylvania townsfolk. The firm in mind is not in the piano
The weather is reported as the keynote of con- street, it will have more floor space devoted ex- business, but the questions are adapted to pianos
ditions for the last six weeks. While there has been clusively to the sale and exhibition of pianos and for the dealers who feel mail order competition:
"Does the mail order house haul the piano from
too much rainfall, yet the advantages are estimated player-pianos than any other piano house in In-
as far exceeding the damage inflicted. Particular dianapolis, according to Edward G. Hereth, man- the station, sign for the piano in good condition,
unpack it, see that it is free from all defects lie-
stress is laid upon the promise for unusual produc- ager of the local branch.
tion of food supplies this year. In the South there
lixtciisive alterations are being made in the build- fore it is delivered to your home?
"Does a mail order house send a tuner to go
is a great increase in the raising of live stock, while ing, which is now entirely leased by the Baldwin
larger plantings of corn seem to have offset re- company. An elevator is being installed. Three over your instrument after it has become cHmatized
duced protection of cotton. The oats crop is esti- floors will be devoted to pianos and player-pianos. in your home ?
mated at 1,400,000,000 bushels, rivaling last year's The demand for Baldwin pianos, principally the
"What do you do when you want repairs for a
record crop. Small grains remain normal, and the Baldwin Manualo player-piano, made necessary the mail order piano?
potato yield is expected to equal last year's.
increased size in floor space. Mr. Hereth expects
"Who takes your organ or old piano in exchange
Biggest of All Wheat Crops.
to have everything in readiness for a big week dur- for the new one?
"Does the mail order house help to build up your
The wheat acreage is reported far in excess of ing State fair week early in September. Business
any previous year—12% per cent, larger in winter in July with the Baldwin company here was good community ?
"Does the mail order house contribute to the
wheat and 10 per cent, in spring wheat than last and the prospects for fall are exceptionally good,
local schools, churches and public institutions?
year. While floods have done great damage to said Mr. Hereth.
"Does the mail order house employ any of your
A catchy slogan that is being used by Mr.
lowland fields, the crop is estimated at 948,500,000
bushels—something less than 10 per cent, greater Hereth in his advertising campaigns is "Remember, townsfolk and thus enable them to support their
than last year's yield. The large cotton crop has It's Safe to Buy It at Baldwin's." A few days ago families ?
"Does the mail order house buy anything from
been affected in somewhat the same way, but while a man known to be a skeptical buyer finally decided
floods have injured the lowland plantings it is esti- to buy at Baldwin's, declaring, "Well, I believe it's the other merchants of the town?
mated that advantages in the hills will more than safe to buy a piano here."
"Have you ever taken steps to bring these and
offset the loss. Cool weather is thought to have
The Pearson Piano Co., 128-130 North Pennsyl- other similar arguments in your favor to the atten-
damaged irreparably the corn crop in Minnesota, vania street, has conducted an advertising cam- tion of the mail order buyers in your town?"
Wisconsin, the Dakotas, northern Nebraska and the paign on a large scale, offering the bankrupt stock
peninsula of Michigan, but the estimate for ihe of the Louismann-Capen Piano Manufacturing Co.
WM. M. PLAISTED RECOVERED.
country's crop is 10 per cent, above last year's, or Two hundred pianos and player-pianos were ob-
about 2,935,000,000 bushels.
tained from this stock by Pearson's. The sale has Popular Traveler Back at Desk After Injury
Received by Stepping on a Rusty Nail.
The committee's estimate of cotton, like that of been quite a success.
Frank Carlin, of the Carlin Music Co., 33 North
the Federal Reserve Board, shows a reduction this
William M. Plaisted, general sales representative
year of 5,000,000 ba'es from last year's record crop Pennsylvania street, reports that the house had a
of 17,000,000 bales. This is explained as the result good trade in July and that business is much bet- of Kohler & Campbell, Inc., New York, while super-
of a reduction of 16 per cent, in acreage and 40 per ter than he expected it to be. Will Carlin recently vising some of the finishing of the handsome new
home he is erecting at Larchmont, stepped on a
cent, in fertilizers. As a whole the crop is reported returned from a trip to the Great Lakes.
rusty nail, which injury necessitated his confine-
in good condition.
J. L. Peter, manager of the Fuller-Wagner
A large yield of rice is promised and a slightly Music Co., 27 East Ohio street, is encouraged over ment to the house for about ten days.
Mr. Plaisted's many friends in the trade will be
increased yield of tobacco. Hay also in most sec- the business prospects for the fall. The Fuller-
tions is in good condition, although the rains seri- Wagner Co. is building up a substantial business very glad to learn that he has entirely recovered
from the effects of the accident and that he is
ously reduced the first cuttings of alfalfa. The in small musical instruments and in sheet music.
ready to resume his activities in behalf of the big
fields of hops in New York are above the average, The musical instrument department has grown
piano manufacturing concern he represents.
but lack of demand has made prices dull. The rapidly in the last few months.
WRIGHT
Sal** Office* at
437 5th Ave., New York
Cearie I . Beverly. Muufer •! Sales
METAL PLAYER ACTION
Easily 100% in advance of any action ever offered. Simple—
Responsive—Durable—Beautiful. Contains the Wright "Ideal"
bellows.
Being made of metal (the logical material for player actions)
cannot be affected by dampness or any climatic conditions. Its
exclusive features save many dollars in repair work and
make many sales in competition. Write us.
M. S. Wright Company
Worcester, Mass.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
10
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
NO SLUMP IN KANSAS CITY TRADE.
Piano Men Passing Through Trials of Summer
Very Successfully—Outlook Good in Rural
Districts—Player-Pianos Have the Call—
Jenkins House Holds Sale—Other News.
(Special to The Review.)
KANSAS CITY, MO., August 9.—The piano houses
in Kansas City are still patting themselves on the
backs because, so far, they have been able to
withstand the poorest season that the business has
ever had in Kansas City. The managers are all
taking the optimistic view of the situation and de-
clare that the business will certainly increase with
the advent of fall, which they have dated for the
1st of September. All of this, however, falls a
great deal short of bringing in the business which
they need so very much. The houses are nearly
all having their midsummer sales. Some are sell-
ing a few pianos a week and others are doing
practically nothing. The fact that the business is
poor in Kansas City is not due to any lack of pros-
pects. The houses all have plenty of prospects,
and mighty good ones at that, as they are all steer-
ing char of the poorer ones. In two blocks on
one street in Kansas City there are thirty-one
houses, and there are exactly thirty-three pianos
and players in those homes. But on other streets
there are as many houses without pianos. A great
many Kansas Citians are spending their summer
at various vacation resorts, and this has hurt the
business to a large extent.
The J. W. Jenkins' Sons Co. has been holding
its midsummer sale. It is occupying large adver-
tising space in the daily newspapers, giving the
numbers of the pianos that it is offering for sale,
with a description of each, the terms and so forth,
both used and new pianos. The sale has been
very successful so far, and the company reports
that it is selling the pianos very fast. One family
bought three pianos in one day from the company.
A. A. Lamar, factory representative for the
Baldwin Piano Co., was at his home in Kansas
City this week, and says that the business for the
month of July which he just closed at the house
in St. Louis was the best that he had had for any
month this year. Mr. Lamar says that the busi-
If you would like to ask a
dozen dealers in nearby States
to yours what they think of the
LAUTER-HUMANA, we en-
courage you to do so, and will
furnish you a list of dealers on
request.
The superb quality of the
LAUTER-HUMANA makes it
a great favorite among those who
are competent to judge of piano
worth and piano value. The
LAUTER-HUMANA is pre-
eminently a quick seller.
May we tell you more?
CAUTION — The word humana means
human—human-like control. This name is
our trade-mark. The artistic supremacy of
the LAUTER-HUMANA has broueht forth
imitations with claims of "human-like control,"
"human touch," etc. There is but one Humana
— the LAUTER-HUMANA, manufactured
wholly in our own Newark plant.
LAUTER CO.'
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
Build Your Pianos with
Strauch Bros. Piano Actions
then watch your business grow
In lightness and freedom of touch, power and
repetition the Strauch Action excels while the
superior workmanship and material entering
into their construction make them strong and
durable.
The Strauch Bros. Piano Actions
are additional guarantee of the quality
of pianos containing them
n e s is not half as bad in the territory as the peo-
ple picture it. The business in the city, he de-
clares, has not been up to the standard that it.
should have been, but he is positive that it will in-
crease during the next few weeks. Mr. Lamar
says that the crops have aided the business in the
territory immensely, and the activity of the rural
music teachers has also done its share to push
things along nicely. The moral to be had from
Mr. Lamar's report is to own both a store in the
city and one in the country also.
Harry Wunderlich, of the Wunderlich Piano
Co., who is now in Minnesota with his wife on a
vacation, will returne to the city in about a month.
J. A. Lux is managing the business in Mr. Wun-
derlich's absence, and he says that the business
has been very satisfactory.
C. C. Thomas, manager of the Field-Lippman
Piano Co., says that the business has been in-
creasing nicely during the past week and that the
people seem to be showing a great deal more in-
terest in the player-pianos. Mr. Thomas says that
the collections have been very good at his store,
and it is his belief that when the collections are
good the times are not as hard as one often thinks
when the stock is not moving as rapidly as he be-
lieves it should be. The Behning pianos have been
selling well, he says, and that he recently closed a
few sales in them that brightened up the business
considerably.
Miss Frances Mooney, of the Mooney Piano
Co., says that the business at her store has been
very good and that the Lakeside pianos have been
selling a little better than she expected them to at
this time of the year.
L. E. Scott, manager of the piano department
at the Carl Hoffman Music Co., reports that the
business in the Chickering pianos has picked up
until it now is almost normal. For the past two
weeks Mr. Scott says that the business has been
much better and that the number of sales that he
has closed has been greater than those of pre-
vious weeks.
Carl Hoffman, of the Carl Hoffmen Music Co.,
says that the business demands too much of his
attention for him to take a vacation this summer.
He says that his office is as much of a summer re-
sort that he cares to attend this season.
George E. Nowlin, of the Nowlin Music Co., has
been very busy the past week arranging his sales-
room. He recently received a new shipment of
Baldwin pianos and he has been very busy in
placing them to the best advantage. He has been
selling a great many Baldwin pianos and Howard
players during his midsummer sale. He says:
"While the business has not been booming, the
summer sale has been as good as could be expected,
and certainly shows that the prospects for the fu-
ture are very bright."
William Jenkins, an organist from St. Louis,
recently came to Kansas City to give a recital on
August 12 at the Amourdale Baptist Church. The
new pipe organ, which cost $1,700, will then be
ready for playing.
BECOMES ADVERTISING MANAGER.
F. H. Trestrail lias been appointed advertising
manager of the W'illiams Piano Co., Oshawa, On-
tario, and will carry on a widespread campaign for
that company in the interests of the four makes
of pianos it manufactures. Mr. Trestrail has had
long experience in the advertising field in New
York and vicinity and is a brother of E. Trestrail,
advertising manager of R. S. Williams & Co., To-
ronto.
"
. .
NEW HOME FOR JANSEN & JOOSTEN.
Jansen & Joosten, well-known
Pontiac, 111., have purchased the
Mill stree:, that city, and after
tions have been made will move
the new location.
piano dealers of
Tate building on
extensive altera-
their business to
ORGANIZE PANKRATZ PIANO CO.
Joseph Pankratz has organized the Pankratz
Piano Co. in Green Bay, Wis., and will act as
representative in that city for Woodford & Bill, the
piano dealers of Menominee, Mich.
Arno Maigatter has purchased an interest in the
Menkee Music House, Oconto, Wis.
Oalyoae
piano is
made in
this large
factoryand
that is the
LINDEMAN
originated
in i82l by
W?Linden\aj\
Lindcman 6 Sons Piano G>.
45 T -? St. & 11 T T H Ave.
New York.

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