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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
WANT RIVER TRANSPORTATION FOR KANSAS CITY.
PIANO SUPPLY MEN IN CLOVER.
Continuance of Water Freight Service, with Its Big Saving, Depends Upon Government Report
— W h y Some Piano Dealers Complain of Business—Trade News.
Quartet of Trade Members Enjoy Outing in
Illinois with Chicken Dinner and Trim-
mings as Guests of Edwin C. Johnson.
(Special to The Review.)
KANSAS
CITY,
MO.,
August
16.—The
piano
business in Kansas City seems to have been
slightly better for the week than it has been
for some time. Perhaps, this is because a number
of the stores are now conducting sales in a big
effort to clean up their large stock of pianos that
have been on hand for the last four months. Many
slightly used ones are included in this number and
the public seems to be eager to take hold of the
idea of buying these pianos. The advertising space
that the music companies have been using in the
daily papers has been very large and, according to
most of the houses, has been bringing excellent
results. The sudden declines of wheat on the
Kansas City market has not yet seemed to hurt
the business, perhaps it has not yet had time, al-
though one dealer says that it is sure to make it
fall off another 5 per cent.
The people of Kansas City are lighting hard to
influence the Government representative to Kansas
City to turn in a good report on the navigation of
the Missouri River. The piano houses in Kansas
City have been using the river as a means of ship-
ping for the past three years and a great saving in
freight rates is made. The boats are on the river
and have been doing a big business all season. The
piano dealers are all lined up for the continuing
of the boats.
George E. Nowlin, of the Nowlin Music Co., has
been cleaning up his music roll department. He is
now waiting for the shipments of the new ones due
in September. The business has been fairly well in
the roll music, he says, although this is a rather
dull month and the conditions have not been what
they should be, the business seems to have held its
own against all of these old-time "soap-box"
arguments.
W. E. Rupe has instituted a new feature at his
store, the Starr Piano Co., Kansas City branch,
which he has been advertising strongly for the
past week. It is the idea of renting new pianos out
or $."? a week for the use of children.
The following conversation was overheard be-
tween the owners of two of the largest piano
houses in Kansas City recen'ly. The first manager,
in speaking of the trade, said : "Well, how has the
business been with you this week,
?" "Very
rotten, to be sure," was the quick reply; "it has
been the dulles^iAugust that 1. have ever seeijrtn
A MESSAGE BY CARRIER RIGEON
To Be Carried from the A. B. Chase Co. Plant in
Norwalk, O., to the Bartlett Music Co., Los
Angeles, Cal.—Pigeon Exhibited in Window.
many years at the piano business and, although a
naturally dull month, it has been much worse than
the most* pessimistic of us could expect. Really, I
have never seen anything like it; there is no busi-
ness at all." "That is just the way I find it," an-
swered the other manager. Now that conversation
was taken verbatim from two big dealers in Kan-
sas City, and on investigation it was found that
one of the men had succeeded in selling more than
ten slightly used pianos on time and that the other
one had sold three new ones on good payments
during the week.
Dr. Elmer Jones, of Kansas City, recently pur-
chased a small talking machine from the Nowlin
Music Co. to take to St. John's, Canada, with him.
Dr. Jones' home is there and he is willing to pay
the duty on the machine and records and place it
in the bow of his canoe and paddle down the river
to his home.
Miss Frances Mooney, of the Mooney Music Co.,
says that the business has been very satisfactory
at her store, although not a great many sales have
been made. The collections at the store have been
very good and prompt. This is particularly satis-
fying, as it shows that it is not for any lack of
money that the people are not buying more pianos,
but, simply, that they are putting it off.
W. B. Roberts, Jr., manager of the W. W. Kim-
ball Piano Co. at Kansas City, says that the busi-
ness has been holding up well during the past week,
and he believes that next month should almost set
a record in the business if the conditions in Kansas
City can be safely banked upon.
The public of Kansas City has almost gone band
wild, if such a thing can be said. The free munic-
ipal concerts at the various parks by Deveny's
band attracts large crowds each evening. Don
Philipini, at Electric Park, is now drawing his
share of the people of the city to hear his musi-
cians. It is noticed that more people congregate, of
the music-loving class, to hear the free city band
because it mixes good American marches and
American compositions in well with a very slight
bit of the heavy foreign classical music and very
little ragtime, while most all of the Philipini's se-
lections are the classical type. The average music
lover of Kansas City can stand just about three
renditions of this and falls to sleep. The artists
say that the public of Kansas City has not been
educated to good music.
on exhibitioa here for a few days, will be shipped
by express to Norwalk, and there released with a
message for the Bartlett Music Co. The distance
to be covered in the flight is 2,200 miles.
PETERS BROS. CO/M REMODEL STORE
(Special to T!ie Review.)
Los ANGELES, CAL., August 14.—The Bartlett
Music Co. is exhibiting in its store window this
week a carrier pigeon which is later to be tried
out as the bearer of a message from the factory of
the A. B. Chase Co., Norwalk, O., to the Chase
dealer in this city. The pigeon, after being kept
THE LEADING LINE
WEAVER PIANOS
Grands, Uprights
and Playtn
YORK PIANOS
Lanark, III., Music Dealers Make Elaborate
Plans for Rearrangement of Both the Inte-
rior and Exterior of Their Warerooms.
(Special to The Keview.)
LANARK, I I I . , August Hi.—The Peters Bros.
Music Co., with headquarters in this city and branch
stores in Savanna, Mt. Carroll, Forreston, Stockton
and Miliedgeville, has just completed plans for
the entire remodeling of its main store here. The
plans call for a pressed steel front in imitation of
cut stone, the rearrangement of the main floor,
larger show windows, and the entire redecoration
of the main building. It is expected that the alter-
ations will take several months, and when they are
completed Peters Bros, will have one of the hand-
somest stores in northwestern Illinois.
Uprights and Players
JOINS LAUTER SALES STAFF.
LIVINGSTON PIANOS
I Jprights and Player Pianos
If your competitor doe* not already have this
line, go after it at once.
Weaver Organ & Piano Go.
MANUFACTURERS
YORK, PA.
Albert McCrea, formerly connected with the floor
staff of the New York warerooms of William
Knabe & Co., 437 Fifth avenue, has joined the sales
force of the Lauter Co., 591 Broad street, Newark,
N. J. Mr. McCrea, who is well known in the local
trade, had previously been associated with the Lau-
ter floor staff, and is familiar with this company's
clientele and products.
(Special to The Review.)
CHICAGO, I I I . , August 14.—That even the busiest
piano men enjoy getting back to nature occasion-
ally was evidenced on Sunday last when Fred
Supply Men in Clover Field.
Kurtz, the well-known piano action man, Harry
Berlin, and Harry 1). Griffith, of the Simplex
Player Action Co., were the guests of Edwin
C. Johnson, of the John A. Schaff String Co. on
a trip in the latter's motor car. Mr. Johnson took
the party to his brother's farm, near Lake Geneva,
where they all enjoyed a fine chicken dinner and
spent the afternoon in a frolic. The accompany-
ing photograph shows the piano simply men
actually in clover, which as one of them remarked,
is not a normal condition in the trade these days.
And the Ford Rambled Right Along.
Shown in the picture from, left to right, are:
E. C. Johnson, Harry Berlin, Bob Johnson, stock
farmer, and Fred Kurtz.
The second photograph shows a breakdown on
the way home witn Fred Kurtz bossing the re-
pairs and Harry Berlin kneeling down inspecting
the engine. The trouble came when the party
turned out to pass a Ford. Their car was deeply
mired, but "The Little Ford Rambled Right
Along."
BUYS OUT DULUTH CONCERN.
W. C. Allen, of the Smith & Allen Music Co.,
Duluth, Minn., has taken over the interest in this
concern of E. N. Smith and will become president
and general manager. This step is the result of
the recent reorganization of the Smith & Allen
Music Co. and presages a general expansion of
the business.
RUDOLF
PIANOS
are conscientiously made,
good instruments; in other
words, the sweetest things out.
RUDOLF PIANO CO.
71 Bait lWth St.
NEW YOKK