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THE
MARCH 8, 1919
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
BENEFIT ASSOCIATION FLOURISHING
NEED PIANO STOCKS IN PORTLAND
LOCAL PIANO MERCHANTS TO MEET
Employes of Jesse French & Sons Piano Co.
Have Organized Very Successful Sick and Ac-
cident Benefit Organization in New Castle
Demand for Instruments Serves to Deplete
Wareroom Stocks—General Trade News
Will Hold Business Session and Dinner at
Boulevard Restaurant on Evening of March
11—British Piano Man to Speak
PORTLAND, ORE., February 28.—-It is surprising
to go into the piano department of Lipman,
Wolfe & Co. and see the big empty floor space
—a space that was covered with a fine line of
instruments a few months ago. F. A. Taylor
,sold the last Knabe grand this week—not an-
other one on the floor. H. H. Princehouse, a
splendid salesman, who has been with the house
for a long time, says conditions are without a
parallel. A phenomenal demand for pianos—
and none to sell. "We are selling them any-
way," said Mr. Princehouse, "customers are
waiting for their arrival, an arrival for which
we are devoutly praying. Prospects of the
very best kind, ready and anxious to buy—will-
ing to pay cash, or big first payments, and noth-
ing here to deliver." Mr. Princehouse voices
the sentiments of nearly every piano salesman •
in town.
Two more salesmen have been added to the
present force of the Bush & Lane Piano Co.
Business continues fine, with 35 per cent, of the
sales thus far in February being for cash. Two
or three carloads of pianos are on their way
now and more rooms have been provided for
them as the present stockrooms are well filled.
W. J. Carkeek, who has been ill for several
months, has sold his home and furniture and
gone to Los Angeles, hoping that the change
of climate may have a beneficial effect upon his
health. His family accompanied him.
The country trade in the vicinity of Portland
attracts many piano salesmen. Chisholm &
Moffett have both gone to the country for
a while, leaving the store in charge of Mrs. D..
Kuhlman during their absence. They have made
some very good sales in the rural districts and
have a nice little stock on hand ready for the
city trade.
"If we had more pianos we could sell more
goods," said E. E. Gabriel, of the Wiley B. Allen
Co. "While a number of people buy the Mason
& Hamlin grands, which we carry, there are
many people in moderate circumstances who
call for moderate priced pianos, and these are
slow in arriving, though we expect shipments in
a short time."
The Circuit Judge of Multnomah County
handed down two decrees this week in favor
of the Reed-French Piano Co. against the Coun-
ty of Multnomah. The County Assessor had
MELVILLE CLARK VISITS CANADA
placed excessive assessment against the com-
Syracuse Piano Man Has Some Interesting Ex- pany for the years. 1917 and 1918 and the suits
were the result. The assessor had assessed their
periences as Guest of Sir John Eaton
personal property for the year 1917 as of $43 300,
SYRACUSE, N. Y., March 3.—That Canada's while the contention of the company was that
'efforts for her sick and wounded soldiers may the amount should have been but $1,580, as the
be taken as an example by the United States assessor had included a number of piano con-
is the opinion of Melville A. Clark, who has tract sales that had been sold to brokers in
just returned from a week's stay as the guest various parts of the United States. For the
of Sir John and Lady Eaton at Toronto, Ont. year 1918 the assessor's figures were $20,220,
The Government is giving monthly dinners to while the company's figures were $13,304.65.
all soldiers and sailors in and out of uniform, The court upheld the contention of the piano
brass bands play and everything is done to keep company.
the men cheerful.
Sir John Eaton's guest attended the opening
RECEIVES D. S. C. FOR HEROISM
of Parliament by King George's brother, the
Duke of Devonshire, and it was more spec- Sergeant Chas. H. Hickok, Jr., Receives Medal
tacular than usual, General Pau and the mem-
for Act of Bravery Under Heavy Fire
bers of the French mission being guests.
Sergeant Charles H. Hickok, Jr., whose father
Mr. Clark, with Sir John Eaton, also attended
is head of the Hickok Music Co., Inc., of Pough-
the funeral of Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
keepsie, N. Y., has been awarded the distin-
guished service cross for conspicuous heroism.
ASKS FOR CHANGE OF NAME
He succeeded in laying a telephone line through
The C. G. Schulze Music Co., of Kenosha, a heavy enemy barrage, thereby opening up
Wis., has applied to the Secretary of State for communication between infantry and artillery.
permission to change the name of the concern While so doing he was severely wounded, as a
to the A. J. Schneider Music Co. The officers result of which his right leg was amputated. He
ot the concern are A. J. Schneider, president and is at present in the Government Hospital at Fox
treasurer; N. Schneider, vice-president, and F. Hills, S. I., recovering from the effect of his
operation.
Schneider, secretary.
March 3.—The Jesse French
Employes' Benefit Association, organized some
time ago by the members of the factory of Jesse
French & Sons Piano Co., this city, has worked
out very successfully. The association was
founded for the purpose of providing health in-
surance for the workmen. Each man pays the
very slight amount of 10 cents a week to a cen-
tral fund which is handled by the officers of the
Benefit Association.
As soon as any man becomes ill or laid up
b}' reason of accident, providing his disability
lasts for at least two weeks, he is paid a week-
ly indemnity by the Benefit Association. In
periods where illness or accidents are not fre-
quent the treasury of the Benefit Association
becomes enriched. At any time a saving fund
ot $1,000 is reached a dividend is declared for
the benefit of all the men in the association.
In this way each man in the Jesse French fac-
tory has not only a guard against ill health
and accidents, but he is also an owner in the
Benefit Association, so that he is absolutely
sure of getting his insurance at cost. The per-
centage of illness has been so small since the
Benefit Association was first inaugurated that
dividends have been quite frequent and the aver-
age weekly cost to the men for the insurance
is therefore considerably less than 10 cents per
week.
C. J. Winterbotham, factory superintendent,
in a chat with The Review said that the fact
that each man was a part owner in the Benefit
Association, as well as a policy holder, resulted
in a condition whereby the case of each man
on the indemnity list was watched carefully by
his fellowmen so that no "stalling" or other un-
fair collection of indemnity could be possible.
He said that in cases where men simply bought
policies and had no interest in the association
this spirit of fair play would not be so pro-
nounced.
The success which has accrued to the Jesse
French Employes' Benefit Association is an-
other evidence of how progressive and consid-
erate policies as regards the factory workmen
result in the commercial success of a manufac-
turing institution.
NEW CASTLE, IND.,
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PIANOS
A regular meeting of the New York Piano
Merchants' Association, of which E. Paul Hamil-
ton is president, will be held at the Boulevard
Restaurant, Forty-first street and Broadway, on
Tuesday evening, March 11. The meeting will
be preceded by a dinner to be served at 6.30
o'clock.
The chief speaker of the evening will be E.
Hanford Aird, of London, England, a promi-
nent member of the piano industry of Great
Britain, who will review the existing trade con-
ditions in that country. A number of matters
of importance to members of the association will
also come up for discussion, and members are
urged to bring their salesmen with them, the
latter now being eligible for membership in the
association.
DEATH OF DEWITT C. GIBBONS
Prominent Piano Merchant of Rochester, N. Y.,
Passes Away Suddenly
ROCHESTER, N. Y., March 1.-DeWitt C. Gib-
bons, of the firm of Gibbons & Stone, one of the
best-known men in the musical instrument busi-
ness, this week died suddenly at his home, 229
Dartmouth street.
Mr. Gibbons, who was sixty-nine years old,
was born in Rochester and had been a lifelong
resident of the city. He was educated in the
schools here and graduated from the University
of Rochester in the class of 1871.
In 1874 on the death of his father he entered
the firm of Gibbons & Stone, the oldest piano
and musical instrument store in this section.
Since that time he had been actively engaged
in the business.
He was a member of Valley Lodge, 109, F.
and A. M. He leaves his widow, Martha C.
Evans Gibbons, two daughters, Ruby A. Gib-
bons and Mrs. J. Wade Becker, and one brother,
Arthur A. Gibbons.
A. A. MAHAN TO TAKE A BRIDE
Sales Manager of Packard Piano Co. to Marry
Miss Olive Gauntt on March 11
On March 11 A. A. Mahan, the popular sales
manager of the Packard Piano Co., Fort
Wayne, Ind., will bid farewell to bachelorhood
and will take up the life of a benedict. The
bride's name is Miss Olive Gauntt. She is a
Fort Wayne resident whom the Fort Wayne
Journal-Gazette speaks of in its society column
as follows: "Miss Gauntt is a charming young
woman, a graduate of Smith College, and has
been interested in local charity work. She is a
member of the younger society set." The wed-
ding will be a quiet home affair.
The home of the Mr. and Mrs. Mahan-to-be
has already been selected, and according to in-
vestigations recently conducted by The Review
Mr. Mahan spent considerable time during the
last week testing out the fireplaces and furnace
apparatus in the new home, from which it may
be deduced that Mr. Mahan is a firm believer in
preparedness.
THE CANADIAN ACE
Members of the music industry who have been
reading about Colonel Bishop, the great Cana-
dian aviator, whose official record includes the
downing of fifty-two enemy planes, will be
interested to know that Colonel Bishop is a
cousin of C. J. Winterbotham, factory superin-
tendent of the Jesse French & Sons Piano Co.,
New Castle, Ind. Both men were born in the
same town located on Hudson Bay.
ORGANS
E5TEY PIANO COMPANY NEW YORK CITY
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