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48
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
VICTOR CO. ANNOUNCEMENT EXPLAINS WAR CONDITIONS
Comprehensive Statement From General Manager Geissler Tells What the Victor Talking Machine
Co. Is Doing to Help the Government—Reasons for Reduction in Output
The Victor Talking Machine Co. under date
of September 13 has issued over the signature
of Louis F. Geissler, general manager of the
company, the following comprehensive state-
ment regarding the present status of the com-
pany's affairs in the matter of production, and
what is being done at the Victor plant in the
line of Government work. The statement di-
rect from the company will no doubt be greatly
appreciated by all those who are interested in
the handling of Victor goods. It reads:
"Since war was declared in April, 1917, the
management of this company has, without hesi-
tancy because of the unavoidable loss to itself,
devoted its full energies towards the fulfilment
of two purposes, i. e., to assist the Government
in every practicable way and to provide for the
needs of the trade as fully as the circumstances
would permit. We have several times had it
in mind to address the trade on this subject, but
conditions have changed so rapidly and there
were so many elements of uncertainty involved
that it has not heretofore seemed wise to hazard
an opinion. Even now it is only possible to
review developments to date, to state present
conditions and indicate the probabilities for the
future as we see them.
"Upon the entry of our country into the
great war investigation was made to ascertain
whether the facilities of the Victor plant would
be required for the production of war materials.
It appeared that our facilities would not be so
needed and we accordingly prepared to continue
and increase our own manufacturing program,
with the result that during the first six months
of 1917 our shipments totaled a substantial in-
crease over 1916.
"Towards the end of 1917 we were requested
to assist two branches of the country's light-
ing forces, in an emergency, by manufacturing
small quantities of very intricate and important
devices, which we are unable to specify be-
cause of the fact that the Government has not
published anything concerning its efforts and
results obtained along this line. The quality
of the work produced by the Victor plant in
these few cases evidently attracted attention,
and at the beginning of 1918 we were asked to
undertake larger manufacturing orders for ar-
ticles of most vital importance in the prosecu-
tion of the war. We were glad to do this, not
only because of the opportunity to serve the
Government in a very direct and real manner,
but also because many of our skilled workmen
felt it to be their patriotic duty to become en-
gaged in war work. It was obvious that the
interests of the Government, of the trade and of
this company would be best served by our giv-
ing these men an opportunity to do here, rather
than somewjiere else, the kind of work they
preferred.
"A great deal of attention has been paid to the
utilization of female labor to replace that of the
more than one thousand of our men who have
actually entered the army and navy and the still
greater number who inevitably were attracted to
new industries resulting from our country's par-
ticipation in the war.
"We have known of the insidious rumors cir-
culated, by competitors to the effect that the
Victor Co.'s supply of materials was the cause
of our reduced output, but have made no an-
swer for the reason that we felt the trade would
do us full justice in forming their opinion as
to whether or not the Victor management had
been far-sighted in the matter of providing for
its ordinary requirements. However, we have
at all times paid strict heed to the rules and
the needs of the Government and have not taken
advantage of any opportunity to surreptitiously
acquire materials which the Government had
announced should be devoted to other purposes.
Short periods of embarrassment because of the
fuel situation, railroad embargoes, etc., have
been overcome; our situation with regard to
materials is at present good and we have no
doubt that we shall be able to continue the
manufacture of instruments and records in fully
as large a proportion to our last year's business
as any other manufacturer can hope to do. In
this connection it will be interesting to you to
know that responsible administrative officers of
the Government have expressed themselves as
regarding our products as 'prime necessities of
peace times and very important to the welfare
of the country in war times.' We are confident
that the talking machine industry will not be
unnecessarily discriminated against by the Gov-
ernment, but that its activities will be encour-
aged to the limit that can be done without in-
terference with the production of ships, aero-
planes, rifles, ammunitions and the other prime
necessities of warfare.
"We shall continue to cheerfully assume the
sacrifices we are required by duty to make and
we have no doubt as to the willingness of our
trade to respond in fully as whole-hearted a
NEW COLUMBIA CATALOGS
One Devoted to Records and the Other to Graf-
onolas Just Issued—Both Are Attractively
Compiled and Printed
The advertising department of the Columbia
Graphophone Co., New York, has just issued
two new catalogs, one catalog presenting a com-
plete list of Columbia records and the other the
full line of Columbia Grafonolas. Both of these
catalogs are attractively compiled and will make
welcome additions to the library of Columbia
literature.
The record catalog is practically similar to the
previous edition except that it contains the re-
cordings of many new artists who have joined
the Columbia library within the past year. The
growth of the Columbia record library is well
evidenced by the increased size of this new cata-
log, which contains 560 pages as compared with
480 pages in the previous edition. The records
are listed and indexed conveniently, so that the
dealer and the music-lover may find a particular
record under several classifications. These clas-
sifications permit of the immediate location of
a record where only the artist's name is known
or where the class of music is the only guide
for selection. The new catalog is typograph-
ically artistic and there is the usual tinted sec-
tion giving a partial list of grand opera and
concert selections recorded by famous operatic
and concert artists who are numbered among
the Columbia Graphophone Co.'s recording
staff.
The new machine catalog features all of the
standard Grafonola models, including the fol-
lowing: Type L-2; Type K-2; H-2; G-2; F-2;
E-2; D-2; C, B and A. This group comprises
the new models that were recently introduced
by the Columbia Co. and which are meeting with
phenomenal success.
Several pages in this catalog are devoted to
the presentation of some of the period design
Grafonolas, which are meeting with a ready sale
in Columbia establishments throughout the
country. Among the art models that are fea-
tured in the catalog are the Queen Anne, Charles
II, William and Mary and the Adam Grafonola
period designs. The photographs of these mod-
SEPTEMBER 21,
1918
manner. We feel that our trade is entitled to
know that, in spite of all that we could, con-
sistent with our duty, do to maintain the vol-
ume of production, our output of instruments
has been reduced to less than 50 per cent, of
our maximum capacity. We are very hopeful
that a period of a few months will suffice to
provide for the needs of the War and Navy
Departments in labor and material, and that
after regular production of war materials in
sufficient volume has been accomplished an im-
provement in conditions affecting industries
such as ours will be witnessed. Certainly, the
next few months will be the most trying period
of the war.
"Our output of records has been reduced a
little more than 30 per cent., but, as the manu-
facture of records can be carried on by women
and men who are not available for war work,
we believe that we may look for some increase
in the output of records.
"This plain statement of our position may or
may not be wise, when viewed from the stand-
point of our own interests, but we believe that
the issuance of such a statement to our trade
is the right thing to do and we, therefore, com-
mend it to your thoughtful consideration.
"Looking forward to victory and the cessation
of hostilities, we desire to assure you that we
will reach this point with fully matured plans to
lead the way in the development of our industry
and to greater prosperity than the trade has
ever known before."
els are accompanied by excellent descriptions
of their distinctive characteristics and the artis-
tic appearance of these instruments accounts for
their signal success.
The text of the new Grafonola catalog gives
briefly some of the most important instructive
features of the Columbia Grafonola, this text
calling particular attention to the tone qualities
of Columbia records and the Grafonola, and
mentioning briefly the needle-arm diaphragm,
the non-set automatic stop, the individual record
ejector, the "leaves" system of tone control, the
new Columbia motor unit, the hinge motor plate,
the improved motor frame and the new spring
barrel. This new Columbia Grafonola catalog
gives the story of the Grafonola in a concise
and interesting form, and the text as a whole is
well worth the close attention of Columbia rep-
resentatives.
PITTSBURGH OFFICERS ELECTED
C. L. Hamilton Heads Pittsburgh Talking Ma-
chine Dealers' Association
PITTSBURGH, PA., September 16.—At the Sep-
tember meeting of the Talking Machine Deal-
ers' Association of Pittsburgh, the following of-
ficers were elected: President, C. L. Hamilton;
vice-president, H. H. Meyers; treasurer, Jacob
Schoenberger; secretary, A. R. Meyer. ' The re-
tiring president is Otto Half, of Homestead.
The association is a live body of active talking
machine dealers and meetings are held monthly
at the Hotel Chatham, the business sessions be-
ing preceded by an informal dinner.
EDISON LINE AT STATE FAIR
A very attractive display of the Edison Dia-
mond Disc phonograph and the Edison Am-
berola was housed in a special booth in the
Exposition Building at the State Fair recently
held in Wheeling; W. Va. Demonstrations of
both types of machines were given at frequent
intervals, the display being in charge of J. C.
Dilts.
If everybody said "I'd like to buy some bonds,
but
" who would win the war?