Music Trade Review

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14
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
NOVEMBER 23,
1918
13 BEHNINQS IN DENTON COLLEGE
TRADE NEWS FROM THE TWIN CITIES
Large Educational Institution in Texas Pur-
chased Instruments Through Dallas Branch
of Field-Lippman Co.—An Excellent Sale
Business Is Good, But Dealers Complain of
Shortage of Stock—Dyer & Bro. Enjoying Ex-
cellent Trade—Personals and Other News
In the accompanying illustration is shown the
Denton College of Industrial Arts, Denton, Tex.
In the various buildings of this institution are
found thirteen Behning upright pianos manufac-
tured by the Behning Piano Co., 133d street and
Alexander avenue, New York, and sold to the
college by the Dallas branch of the Field-Lipp-
man Co., of which J. C. Phelps is manager.
The college is one of the largest in the South,
and has a seventy-five-acre campus. It is com-
prised of twenty modern buildings, including six
residential buildings for students.
The Behning pianos and player-pianos are
found in various institutions of learning
throughout the country, and have played no
small part in the teaching of music.
One of the chief requisites of a piano or play-
er-piano for use in institutions of this kind, aside
from the fact that it must be of exceptional tone
quality, is durability. For both of these the
Behning pianos and player-pianos have, since
their inception, held an enviable reputation.
They have always been manufactured by A.
Behning, and the most careful supervision has
been maintained throughout the many years of
progress which has been made by this house,
which has given absolute assurance of a superior
quality of tone, long lasting durability of con-
struction and the highest artistic excellence in
design and finish.
MINNEAPOLIS and
IN USE AFTER THIRTY YEARS
Weser Piano, Thirty Years Old, Is Still in Good
Condition and Giving Satisfaction
Weser Bros., Inc., of 520 West Forty-third
street, New York, recently received the follow-
ing letter from George Harmon, proprietor of
the Harmon Piano Co., of Bar Harbor, Me.,
which they consider is striking testimony to the
lasting qualities of their line. The letter reads:
"We are forwardiing you by parcel post to-
day a bass string. Will you kindly duplicate
this and forward by return parcel post, as we
are sending the piano out to-day to a customer
and the tuner is to put the string on day after
to-morrow.
"Perhaps you might be interested to know that
this is one of your first make of pianos, No.
11174. The tone is still full and sweet, and I
have just rented it for the summer at $25. I
have been renting it for the past three summers
at $25 per summer season. A nephew of the
Governor General of the Hawaiian Islands used
this piano two summers ago in practice work and
pronounced it an exceptionally wonderful piano
considering its age. Cordially yours, Harmon
Piano Co."
The records of the Weser firm show that this
piano was shipped from the factory in Novem-
ber, 1888, and after thirty years it is still in ex-
cellent condition, proof positive that the Weser
line of instruments is built to last.
i
W. A. WATKIN CO. MEN IN SERVICE
DALLAS, TEX., November 18.—The Will A. Wat-
kin Co., of this city, have several of their of-
fice and sales force in the country's service.
James G. Jenkins is at the Love Field Aviation
Camp, Dallas. J. N. Cunningham is at Vander-
bilt University preparing for the Medical Of-
ficers' Reserve Corps. Robert N. Watkin, sec-
retary and treasurer, is "Somewhere in France"
in charge of a canteen for the Y. M. C. A.
Mr. Watkin in his letters tell of German air-
planes overhead being bombarded by aerial
guns. Mr. Watkin has met a number of Texas
men, some of his university classmates and
other friends of his from different sections of
Texas. He told of the camp bulletin announc-
ing Germany's request for an armistice and
said whatever the outcome of it he expected to
stay by his work as long as he was needed.
*325
ST. PAUL, MINN., November
19.—Scarcity of salable pianos is hampering the
piano dealers of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and
in a lesser degree their confreres in the prov-
inces. Almost any dealer in any of the larger
cities of the Northwest will complain, on very
slight provocation, that while pianos are not ex-
actly scarce it is exceedingly difficult to obtain
the instruments that are wanted. Many ware-
rooms, which ordinarily would be well stocked
at this season of the year, now show bare and
deserted. With the prospects of an excellent
fall and holiday trade the difficulty in assem-
bling anything like a complete line is not reas-
suring to the men, who had expected the close
of 1918 to reimburse them for the thin years
of the past.
Elmer A. Brooks, head of the Brooks Piano
Co., left Saturday night for a round of visits,
including Chicago, Rockford, Muskegon and
Cincinnati, in the hope of attaching a number
of desirable pianos. His place of business is
being rapidly restored after the fire, and when
completely renovated will be more attractive
than before the fire visitation. The week's sales
included the passage of two fine Ampico instru-
ments and another as good as booked.
W. J. Dyer & Bro. are thriving like the pro-
verbial bay tree. "We find business eminently
satisfactory," said the dean of the house. "We
hear that various things such as the influenza,
and various drives for the war chest and similar
objects are interfering with business, but we
can't say that we are affected when the sales
both in number and quality are far ahead of last
year's results. It is not yet determined whether
the dawn of peace will influence trade or in what
direction, but we survey the future with an easy
mind." The Dyers are now installing a pipe
organ at International Falls, Minn., for which
they expect to receive $5,600.
Just like the floor of a 10-cent store is the
third floor of Foster & Waldo's music store,
where they dispense talking machines of four dif-
ferent makes and a hundred different styles.
The piano department also is holding its own
with a special run on players. This house is
not only looking for a big trade, but is fairly
well prepared with a sizable stock of instru-
ments, including many of the best lines in the
country.
Hopes are being held out to Raudenbush &
Sons that tuning pins soon will be available.
S. W. R. believes that will be in about three
months and will be satisfied if his mill room is
running on full time in six months. Trade is
reported in a good healthy condition, all sales
being on terms wholly to the advantage of the
house. There is little disposition to ask for
easy terms.
"Business has improved materially, but I can't
help feeling that St. Paul is not obtaining its
just share of the prosperity which is deluging
the country," declared R. W. Bonyea, head of
the piano company which bears his name. "I
believe that this is due to the failure of the city
to obtain a large number of war contracts. St.
Paul primarily is a jobbing town, and, as the
jobbers are not interested in St. Paul, for they
sell nothing here, the commercial interests did
not go after the war contracts with the vigor
and concentrated effort that the value of the
objects demanded. The big business men failed
to grasp the opportunities, and now it is too
late. But business is picking up, and if we
get more pianos we will get more business."
Hello girls in Minneapolis and St. Paul are
on a strike, and while they are causing much in-
convenience to business men and some suffering
to the influenza victims, who still are numbered
by the hundreds, business has not suffered any
noticeable harm as yet. Unless the walkout
should become epidemic it is believed that the
girls will become mollified in a few days.