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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
DECEMBER 28,
1918
FEATURE THE PATHE "ACTUELLE"
LEASES NEW BUILDING
SOUND BOX THIEF ABROAD
Abraham & Straus Phonograph Department
Carried Advertisement in Sunday Papers Fea-
turing the Latest Pathe Freres Product
Diamond Music Co., of New Orleans, Moving
to New and Larger Headquarters
Slick Worker Makes Good Haul in New York
Stores During Holiday Season
The Victrola sound box thief is again abroad
in the metropolitan district of New York, and
has been very successful in making raids dur-
ing the holiday season. Only recently he got
away with eight sound boxes from one store. In
working his game the thief comes into the store
and inquires if a woman and child are waiting
for him to make a final selection of a Victrola.
On being advised that such is not the case he
asks if he may be permitted to wait a few mo-
ments until they arrive. Permission being
granted he wanders about the store and in the
booths, looking at the various machines, re-
moves as many sound boxes as possible, then
walks out. The, following description is given
of the thief: About five feet five inches high,
dark hair, pale yellow face, of Jewish type,
wears a dark overcoat and soft fedora hat. He
looks very slippery, according to one dealer.
EDISON DEALERS CONVENE
F. S. Hemenway, president of the Diamond
Music Co., New Orleans, Edison jobbers, writes
to Thos. A. Edison, Inc., as follows:
"Owing to the early expiration of our lease
of 151 Baronne,street, and the fact that the build-
ing does not answer our purposes, we have
leased a three-story building at 341 Baronne
street, which is large enough to accommodate
both our wholesale and retail departments. We
are renovating and improving this new location
and will move into same during the coming
week. The new building is twenty-five feet
wide by one hundred and eight feet long, ground
floor, and when we get settled into this we will
be in much better position to serve our cus-
tomers satisfactorily.
"It was always a handicap to run the two de-
partments separately, requiring two separate or-
ganizations as they were three blocks apart, but
now we will have it under one roof where the
writer and our Mr. Donnelly can look after
every detail of both departments. Our whole-
sale offices will be on the second floor, and the
ground floor will be devoted to the retail depart-
ment and the re-creations. We are fitting up
the whole front of the building into a large re-
ception room with ivory fibre furniture and
Wilton rugs, cretonne hangings and furniture
covers. We are adding another booth to what
we had in the old place, making a total of four
booths and the large reception and recital room.
The fixtures will be refinished in ivory, and we
think the appearance will be a great improve-
ment over the old place."
Pennsylvania Dealers Hold Interesting Meeting
in Scrantdn, Pa.
MAXWELL'S BOOK FOR SOLDIERS
Announcement is made by Frank E. Bolway
& Son, Inc., exclusive jobbers of the New Edison
at Syracuse, N. Y., of the election of Charles F.
Freeling, formerly of the Treasury Department,
Washington, D. C, to the office of the assistant
treasurer of this corporation. The announce-
ment concludes: "It is the desire of our cor-
poration to render constantly improving, ef-
ficient service to our patrons, and we sincerely
trust and expect Mr. Freeling's association with
us will aid in the accomplishment of our de-
Latest Volume on Salesmanship to Be Sent to
Soldiers in France
A REAL "JAZZ" EDISON DEALER
The phonograph department of the Abraham
& Straus department store, Brooklyn, N. Y.,
presented in last Sunday's newspapers the first
public announcement of the new Pathe "Actu-
elle," the latest product of the Pathe Freres
Phonograph Co. This advertisement showed an
illustration of this phonograph, which is differ-
ent from any type of instrument yet presented
to the public, and the text called attention to
some of the unusual features of this phonograph.
This text reads in part as follows:
"Lift the top of the handsome cabinet in which
the Actuelle is concealed, and you meet with a
surprise.
"Gone are the familiar tone arm, sound box
and horn, which you are used to seeing in all
other talking machines.
"Instead, you see a cone-shaped parchment
diaphragm, which amplifies the sound waves
just as the body of a violin amplifies the tone
of the strings, and which transmits the vibra-
tion of the record so faithfully that the result
is the actual reproduction of the original voice
or instrument, without change of character and
without appreciable loss of volume.
"The, sound issues directly into the open air,
without being confined or muffled in a sound
chamber or horn and can be heard in all direc-
tions, instead of being thrown in a single direc-
tion."
The Pennsylvania dealers of the Phonograph
Corp. of Manhattan were in meeting at Scranton
recently. The meeting was an animated and
interesting affair, participation in discussion of
the various subjects being general, as is usually
the case in these district conventions, where
dealers feel less embarrassment and restraint
and, in consequence, tackle things spontaneously.
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., was represented at
the meeting by T. J. Leonard, general sales
manager. In speaking of the business benefits
to be derived from conventions such as this, Mr.
Leonard said, "My personal opinion is that these
small conferences accomplish more real good
than the larger zone conventions. Dealers get
better acquainted—among one another and with
their jobber—and there is more of a 'family
spirit' to thesx meetings if you get what I
mean."
W. A. INGALLS^A VISITOR
W. A. Ingalls, a member of the sales staff of
the Portland, Me., branch of the Columbia
Graphophone Co., was a visitor this week to
the company's executive offices.
Mr. Ingalls
spoke enthusiastically of business conditions in
Maine, and expressed the belief that the Port-
land, Me., branch will enjoy during 1919 the
greatest year in its history, even exceeding 1918
sales totals, which from all indications will
break all records.
NEW STORE FOR CLARKSBURG, W. VA.
Henry Friedburg, who recently retired from
the People's Furniture Co., Clarksburg, W. Va.,
of which he was secretary and treasurer, has
organized the Columbia Music Co. in that city
for the handling of Columbia Grafonolas and
records, and will open a store in the new Clif-
ford Building.
With the coming of peace comes the era of
the salesman. The throttle of the great engine
of American industry is open wide; the orders
are full speed ahead. With increased produc-
tion in every plant throughout the land, the
salesman's part in the life of business becomes
vital. As Mr. Edison said recently, "The sales-
man had to take a back seat during the war,
but his time has now come. He can do more
than anyone else, now, to keep the wheels of
industry turning at full speed."
The Young Men's Christian Association in its
work with the soldiers abroad recognizes this
importance of salesmen to American industry.
It has decided to make available for the boys
"over there" waiting to return the study of
salesmanship so that when they get back such
of them as desire may enter the ranks of Ameri-
can business as salesmen.
To further this plan the Y. M. C. A. has pur-
chased 2,200 copies of William Maxwell's book
entitled "Salesmanship" to send to the Yanks
overseas who intend to enter the selling game
when they come back.
ALBERT A. BUEHN IN TOWN
Albert A. Buehn, treasurer of the Buehn Pho-
nograph Co., Edison jobber at Pittsburgh, was
in New York recently after visiting the Edison
laboratory at West Orange, N. J. Mr. Buehn
reports that they are selling everything that
they can get in Pittsburgh. He also reported
that he had been invited to attend a meeting of
the Pittsburgh Literary Society, at which Mary
Roberts Rinehart is to be the guest of honor.
Mr. Buehn was also requested to furnish for the
meeting an Edison instrument, with a girl to
play it, as his contribution to the program.
NEW ASSISTANT TREASURER
C. F. Freeling Elected to That Office With F. E.
Bolway & Son, Inc.
Newly Established Edison Dealer Meets With
Amazing Success
Frank E. Bolway & Son, Inc., Edison jobbers
at Syracuse, N. Y., report the establishment of
a new Edison dealer who obtained truly amaz-
ing results. This dealer is located in a small
town named Attica, N. Y. He was rather a
hard man to convince, but finally placed air'Tn-
itial order for one each of the various models
and a complete assortment of^r-e-ereations. The
order was placed about the first of last Novem-
ber, and was received by him about the 8th.
On November 18 he telephoned the jobber—long
distance—and asked him to have their repre-
sentative call immediately as he had sold out
his complete stock of instruments. Every one
sold for cash, and two of them never were taken
out of the crate. This is what J. G. Brown, gen-
eral sales manager of Frank E. Bolway & Son,
Inc., calls a "real 'jazz' dealer."
HOLIDAY REMINDERS APPRECIATED
The New York Talking Machine Co., New
York, Victor wholesaler, has just forwarded to
its friends in the trade an artistic Christmas
gift in the form of a combination paper cutter
and a pen knife. As this gift embodies attrac-
tiveness and practicability, it will undoubtedly
receive a hearty welcome from the trade, and
the New York Talking Machine Co. has already
received many letters of appreciation from the
recipients of this Christmas token. It may be
mentioned incidentally that this company also
forwarded to its dealers handsome 1919 calen-
dars, presenting oil painting reproductions of
General John J. Pershing, Marshal Foch and
Marshal Joffre.