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THE
10
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
PLENTY OF BUSINESS IN INDIANAPOLIS, SAY DEALERS
Sales Ahead of Similar Period Last Year—Paul Furnas Now Doing War Work—E. L. Lennox
Optimistic F. E. Edgar Warns of Coming Shortage of Instruments—Pearson Anniversary Sale
INDIATMAPOLIS, IND., November 17.—Local piano men's teams which were raising money for the
dealers generally are declining to make any fund.
Frank Edgar, of the Wilcox & White Co.,
prophecy as to what the outcome of the pre-
holiday business will be. Most of the dealers visited Mr. Lennox Friday. Mr. Edgar said
say it is hard to get an exact line on how busi- that the big difficulty the dealers would soon
ness is going, as in the last few weeks business be experiencing would be getting the pianos,
has been "jumpy." One fact which is encourag- and he said his advice to all dealers was to stock
ing to the dealers, however, is that they are for up while there was a chance of getting pianos.
the most part running slightly ahead of their Freight shipments, labor and increased prices
of materials, which are getting harder to get to
monthly sales averages of last year.
The campaigns for the second Liberty Loan the factories, were the factors which Mr. Edgar
and the Y. M. C. A. war fund undoubtedly had said would be felt before long in the way of
their effect in slowing up business in all lines, piano shortages.
Edgar A. Daab, manager of Steinway & Sons,
but it is believed business should pick up stead-
says that he has found business fair, but that
ily from now on to the holidays.
Serge L. Halman, manager of the Aeolian it was not steady.
store, says "there is no question that there is
plenty of business to be gotten in Indianapolis,"
PRAISE FOR THE McPHAIL PIANO
and he and his men are going after it. Mr. Watkin Co. House Organ Publishes an Appre-
Halman, who came here recently from the St.
ciation of This Line
Louis Aeolian store, where he was retail sales
DALLAS, TEX., November 26.—The Will A. Wat-
manager, worked in the Indianapolis store ten
years ago, and says he can readily notice how kin Co., piano dealers of this city, issue a
monthly house organ called the Watkin Bulle-
the city has grown.
Paul Furnas, whom Mr. Halman succeeded as tin, the December issue of which contains the
manager, is hard at work as field secretary in following appreciation of the McPhail piano,
charge of organizing the Friends Churches of under the title "McPhail pianos have stood the
America in their reconstruction work for test of time":
"For seventy years, made on honor, sold on
France. Furnas resigned to devote his time to
merit. The second oldest piano manufacturing
this work during the war.
J. L. Peter, of the Fuller-Wagner Music Co., house in the United States. Established in 1837.
reports that the Victrola business is exception- McPhail pianos have been made and sold dur-
ally good. The sheet music and small goods ing more than half the life of our nation. Three
departments are keeping up with their records generations of experience are embodied in their
of last year, but are not doing the business Mr. manufacture.
"McPhail pianos, therefore, have stood the
Peter expected for this time of the year. The
company is now running a light delivery truck test of time. The past fifteen years have seen
for immediate delivery of records and music to four factory changes attributable to expanding
their patrons, and Mr. Peter says the truck is business—a wonderfully healthy growth, the re-
bringing a bigger business than was antici- sult of enduring quality of the instruments."
pated.
AMERICAN AIR ONJKAISER'S PIANO
E. L. Lennox, of the E. L. Lennox Piano Co.,
says that business is keeping up with last fall.
TERRE HAUTE, IND., November 26.—Miss Nellie
"We all ought to be more than satisfied if
Birch, a nurse of this city, who recently went
we can keep going even at an even break," said across to France on one of the big Hamburg-
Mr. Lennox. "We are in the war and that's American liners, which was transformed into a
the main thing these days and should come first, transport, recently wrote her mother comment-
and if we can all pull through and show an even ing on her trip. In speaking of the musical
break at the end of the war we should be equipment on board the transport she said:
thankful."
"You don't know how much good it did me to
Mr. Lennox assisted in the Y. M. C. A. war play 'The Star Spangled Banner' on the Kaiser's
fund campaign, being on one of the business baby grand."
Many of the Nation's foremost
dealers handle the Ludwig Line
Some of them have sold the Ludwig for over 30
years. Especially does the Ludwig appeal to those dealers
who are also musicians.
You will find it worth while to investigate the Ludwig.
Write for our proposition.
LUDWIG & CO.
Willow Ave. and 136th St.
N E W YORK
E. W. Stockdale, manager of the Pearson
Piano Co., reports that the anniversary sale the
store is now conducting is tending to stimulate
business. The branch stores are doing nicely,
the Elwood, Ind., store doing exceptionally
well. The Shelbyville store is getting a good
country trade. The branches at Anderson and
Kokomo are featuring the Edison tone test dem-
onstrations.
E. G. Hereth, manager of the Baldwin Piano
Co., says that he expects to see the sales records
finish ahead of last fall. The business in players
and grands is coming along nicely.
Frank Carlin, of the Carlin Music Co., says
that business on the average has been good and
is picking up steadily.
George Lennox, of Rapp & Lennox, says it
is hard to estimate what the holiday trade will
be.
Business is running along with the rec-
ords of last fall, he said.
GOOD TRADEJNJCANSAS CITY
Dealers Satisfied With Present Conditions—
Jenkins Co. Urging Pianos for Christmas
Gifts—Visitors and Items of Interest
KANSAS CITY, MO., November 26.—Business has
been good the past week, every dealer saying
that he had nothing to complain of, though trade
was not extraordinarily brisk. Almost all are
advertising heavily in the local papers. The J.
W. Jenkins' Sons Music Co., in its advertising,
is urging conservation in that members of a
family, instead of giving individual presents,
should join together and buy a piano.
The W. W. Kimball Co. has been attracting
attention to its window by means of an exhibi-
tion of drawings and paintings done at the front
by French soldiers while off duty. Incidentally,
these pictures are exhibited through the courtesy
of the Pathe Freres Phonograph Co., and the
window also holds some Pathe machines.
Geo. H. Hodges and Russell Comer, who were
recently in Slater, Mo., with a stock of Starr
pianos, have returned to Kansas City after a
most successful sojourn.
Crosby Hopps, manager of the player depart-
ment at the J. W. Jenkins' Sons Music Co., has
returned from a visit to Oklahoma.
C. E.
Harper, collection department, has gone to Chi-
cago. Miss B. E. Little, Victrola department,
was home recently owing to a slight operation.
Miss Bethine Plank, who has been in the record
department for many years, has resigned. J. W.
Jenkins and Stanley Brown have returned from
another duck hunt.
Charles McConville, of the Emerson Piano
Co., was a visitor to the trade recently.
Dave Snoderly, Maryville, Mo., who has been
on a farm for the past year, has decided to re-
enter the music business again.
R. W. Ryder, of the Ryder Music Co., Paw-
huska, Okla., has been laid up with blood poison
in his right leg.
Dave Laider, formerly of San Francisco, is
now connected with the piano department of
the Jones Store Co. President Werner, of the
Werner Industries, was a visitor last week.
Lewis Wood, Jr., the youngest of the Wood
family, all of whom are connected with the talk-
ing machine business in Kansas City, each at
different stores, has accepted a position with
Sherman, Clay & Co., Los Angeles.
He is
only sixteen years old and his new position is
an important advance for him. He was em-
ployed in the wholesale department of the
Schmelzer Arms Co.
M. B. Armstrong, of Hutchinson, Kan., has
been delayed in the opening of his new store,
owing to the building being unfinished.
HEARING ON DECEMBER FIRST
The hearing for the re-examination of the
claim of the trustee of the National Piano Co.
against the Clark & McMaster Piano Co., bank-
rupt, which was originally scheduled for No-
vember 19, has been continued until December
1, at which time the hearing will take place in
the office of Thomas H. Browne, referee, Rut-
land, Vt.