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FEBRUARY 16, 1918
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
FAVOR USE OF CANALS FOR COAL
CONDITIONS IN THE BRITISH TRADE
At Meeting in New York Last Week Eastern
Business Men Form Committee for Aiding in
Move to Have the Canals of the State Utilized
for Relieving Coal Shortage in the Future
General Situation Well Set Forth in Letter
Recently Received by Employe of Autopiano
Co.—Stock Very Scarce and Prices High
Conditions as they exist at present in the
At a meeting held at the Engineers' Society's piano trade in Great Britain are admirably set
Building, this city, on Friday of last week, the forth in a letter received recently by a mem-
Anthracite Canals Committee was organized to ber of the office staff of the Autopiano Co. from
aid in a campaign now being carried on to have a friend in England, who said in part:
the canals in the State utilized to their maximum
"The piano trade here is at a standstill for
capacity for the transportation of coal in order the want of material. Covered strings are un-
lo supplement the efforts of the railroads and to obtainable. Some makers are using a heavy
relieve congestion. The committee is made up iron wire which they agree to replace 'after the
01 city officials and members of commercial or- war.' The shortage of new pianos has forced
ganizations from a number of cities in the vicin- the price of second-hand instruments up to un-
ity of New York and in New England. Among heard-of figures. I think the public would now
those who attended the conference and assisted buy wheelbarrows with strings on.
in the general organization of the committee
"Workmen in the piano factories not taken by
were Max J. deRochemont, representing the the military are being enticed into aeroplane fac-
Xew York Piano Manufacturers' Association, tories by the offer of higher wages. So you
and J. W. Stevens, president of the New York can imagine the condition of the piano trade.
Piano Club. Other members of the local trade
"There will be an enormous demand for in-
were also in attendance at the meeting.
struments from the dealers as soon as the war
Those present pledged themselves to. carry is finished. This should offer a golden oppor-
on an active propaganda to interest their repre- tunity.
sentatives in Congress and in the Senate on the "I called at some of the local showrooms last
subject of revivifying the canals, and the move- week. Most of them have nothing whatever
ment ma j' now be said to be under good head- to sell, being unable to procure instruments.
way.
What goods they have are held for high prices
The Chamber of Commerce of the State of and spot cash.
"You will be interested to know that 1 am
Xew York has gone on record as officially in-
dorsing the proposed survey of the Delaware now working in London, having left Birming-
and Hudson and other canals extending from ham three weeks, ago. I am now producing va-
the anthracite fields of Pennsylvania to tide- r'ous parts of aeroplanes, and am certainly work-
water. The committee on internal trades and ing at a greater pressure than at my last place."
improvements of the chamber first gave the
plan its indorsement and then the chamber.
TO FIX LIMIT ON FOREIGN TRADE
Those on the committee on internal trade and
improvements are: Samuel W. Fairchild, James President Wilson to Issue Proclamation Putting
O. Bloss, Charles A. Sherman and Charles E.
Entire Foreign Trade Under License System
Peck. The Merchants' Association is expected
—Will Give Impetus to Ship Building
tn pass a similar resolution through its com-
mittee (in inland waterways.
WASHINGTON, D. C., February 11.—President
The anthracite canals committee will also Wilson's proclamation, to be issued next Mon-
make an effort to enlist the sympathy and the day, putting the country's entire foreign trade
aid of the Council of National Defense and under license, is expected to be followed imme-
Director General of Railroads McAdoo. There diately by institution of a system of control
will be a working organization throughout New without delay in setting up an organization.
England and the Middle Atlantic States, with The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com-
merce, the Shipping Board and W r ar Trade
headquarters in this city.
Board will co-operate in the work. Dr. Julius
MEHLIN GRAND FOR NEW THEATRE Klein will be the bureau's representative in the
division of planning recently created by the Ship-
Instrument of That Make Installed in Green- ping Board under direction of Dean Gay, of
wich Village Theatre
Harvard.
While control of imports will cut down some
It was announced at the wareroonis of Paul G. business, it is said authoritatively that there is
Mehlin & Sons that a Mehlin grand piano had no intention of needlessly harming foreign trade.
been installed in the new Greenwich Yillage Where curtailment of imports would affect any
Theatre, opened in the Washington Square sec- industry disastrously representatives of the
tion recently.
trade will be given a hearing.
Incidentally manager Clark reported that the
One important result of the licensing system
January business at the wareroonis had been is expected to be an impetus to the building up
very satisfactory, and had shown an increase of ships, especially by neutrals.
over the business for the same month last vear.
PIANO SALESMEN TO ORGANIZE
SELLS OLD=ESTABUSHED BUSINESS
WHEELING, \V. VA., February 11.—Preliminary
steps' were taken in this city last week for the
formation of an association of piano salesmen,
to be known as the Wheeling Piano Salesmen's
Association. It is stated that practically every
salesman in the city has agreed to join.
W. Huntington, who has been in the piano
and music business for many years in Val-
paraiso, Ind., has sold his business to J. Lowen-
stine & Sons, Inc., who will continue it as a
section of their department store, with Mr.
Huntington as manager.
NOW HANDLING PIANOS
J. J. READY APPOINTED MANAGER
The Santa Rosa Furniture Co., Santa Rosa,
Cal., has recently installed a carload of Haincs
Bros, and Marshall & Wendell pianos and
player-pianos and Ampico reproducing pianos, as
well as some Brewster players.
BIG PURCHASE IN GUTHRIE, OKLA.
Chestnut Bros. Music Co. Buys Out Entire Stock
of Knauss Music Store
GUTHRIE, OKLA., February 11.—Chestnut Bros.
Music Co., of this city, have bought out the
stock of the Knauss Music Store for over $30,000
cash, and now have altogether a stock of musi-
cal goods valued at over $75,000. The Chestnut
Bros. Music Co. consists of three brothers, G.
C, O. G. and E. W. Chestnut, and their business
has been established in Guthrie for about six
years, paying particular attention to the whole-
saling of "pianos and talking machines. E. H.
Knauss, head of the Knauss Music Store, has
retired from business.
MARK P. CAMPBELL TO COAST
President of Brambach Piano Co. Making Ex-
tensive Trip—Good Business So Far
Mark P. Campbell, president of the Brambach
Piano Co., 639 West Forty-ninth street, New
York, is at present making a trip across the
country, headed for the Pacific Coast, in the
interest of the Brambach baby grand. Recent
letters received from him state that business in
the Middle West is in a very prosperous condi-
tion, especially where small grands are con-
cerned, and that, although he has not gotten
very far as yet, in many instances he has sold
more pianos to individual dealers for immediate
shipment than they ordered during the whole of
last year.
EXCELLENT BUSINESS IN AUSTRALIA
American Manufacturers Should Keep Wares
Before Public, Says Consul-General
In a review of the excellent business condi-
tions in Australia during the past year, U. S.
Consul-General J. I. Brittain, of Sydney, makes
special comment on the fact that the sale of
American pia-nos and other musical instruments
has been very satisfactory during the year, and
closes with the remark:
"Some of the American importers have re-
turned to the United States, owing to the diffi-
culty in obtaining merchandise, but it would
be advisable for them to keep their wares be-
fore the public, if only in limited quantities;
by so doing interest in American products
would not die out."
TO QUIT BUSINESS IN SANTA ROSA
L. Zoberbier & Son, 433 Humboldt street,
Santa Rosa, Cal., said to be the oldest music
house in that city, announced their retirement
from business and arc now holding a special
sale to dispose of the stock.
ROBERT N. WATKIN ON COMMITTEE
Robert N. Watkin. secretary of the Will A.
Watkin Co., of Dallas, Tex., has been appointed
a member of the Citizens' campaign committee
to raise a local fund of $30,000 for the work of
the Salvation Army for the United States sol-
diers.
THE CANTOR _MFG. CO. MOVES
The Cantor Mfg. Co., manufacturers and im-
porters of piano scarfs and covers, formerly lo-
cated at No. 9 West Eighteenth street, recently
moved to 37 Union .Square, West.
John J. Ready has been appointed manager
of the store of Otto Wissner, Inc., in Ansonia,
J. C. Fulton has arranged to carry a line of
Inc.. succeeding. J.eonard P. Cornet, who re- phonographs and records in the sewing ma-
signed to go with the Duo-Tone Co.. in that chine store at 231 South Broad street, Middle-
citv.
town, Pa.
WINTER & CO.
RUDOLF
PIANOS AND PLAYER-PIANOS
PIANOS AND PLAYER-PIANOS
22O SOUTHERN BOULEVARD, NEW YORK