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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
NOVEMBER 1, 1919
MANY ACTIVITIES INTERESTING ST. LOUIS PIANO TRADE
General Run of Business Satisfactory—Strike of Repairmen Petering Out—E. A. Kieselhorst
Has Fine Vacation in the East—Ampico Attracts Attention at Exposition
ST. LOUIS, MO., October 27.—Business last
week was good, bad and indifferent, according to
wlio was telling it. There was that much varia-
tion in the summing up, as made by different deal-
ers. One candid soul said it was real dull. The
others were divided between fair and good. The
weather could not be blamed for any uneveness
in the run of trade. It was all that anyone could
wish. There was nothing to keep purchasers in-
doors, and there is still plenty of money in cir-
culation. So, striking an average from the dif-
ferent reports of the dealers, it is pretty safe to
%ay that business was fairly good.
The strike of tuners, polishers and repairmen
seems to be going badly. Practically all of the
houses report that part of their men are back;
chat they are getting along all right, and are dis-
covering that they had too many employes be-
fore. The union is still in existence, but it has not
been recognized. There has been no concession
in the matter of hours or other working condi-
tions. To most of the men who have returned
to work—probably to all—advanced wages have
been paid, but it is asserted that the wage ad-
vances would have been paid just the same if the
men had not struck.
E. A. Kieselhorst, just back from New York,
Boston and Lake Placid, says he and Mrs. Kiesel-
horst that the time of their young lives visiting
around with the piano folks. They were guests for
"five days at Camp Kaytona, Lake Placid, the home
of A. H. Kayton, and also visited at the homes
of A. M. Wright, president and general mana-
ger of the Mason & Hamlin Piano Co., Boston,
and Sales Manager D. D. Luxton and Fred C.
Harlow, of Vose & Sons, Boston. Mr. Kieselhorst
admits, though, that he did not get as many pianos
as he hoped to get when he went East.
William M. Jenkins has gone from the Aeolian
Co. to the Scruggs, Vandervoort & Barney Co.,
to take charge of that firm's music roll depart-
ment, succeeding Mrs. Colleen A. Garard, who re-
signed recently to take a position with Frederick
Loeser & Co., in Brooklyn.
Manager R. W. Hlam, of the Scruggs, Vander-
voort & Barney piano department, is, oh! so proud
over the arrival of a daughter at his home.
Things are going well at the Ampico show of
the Conroy Piano Co., at the St. Louis Exposi-
tion of Industrial Arts and Crafts at the old
Southern Hotel building. The display is win-
ning admiring comments and good prospects are
being listed. An event scheduled for tonight is
a recital by E. R. Kroeger. He will play the
Rachmaninoff prelude and the Liszt rhapsody
No. 6, which will be reproduced on the Ampico,
as played by Rachmaninoff and Levitski. Miss
Rose Levering will sing, accompanied by the
Ampico.
Mrs. I. Clucas, tuning clerk of the Baldwin
Piano Co., is taking a vacation and a good rest
in Oklahoma.
P. E. Conroy, chairman of the music stores
committee for music week—the first week in
FOTOPLAYER
for the finest
Motion Picture
Theatres
AMERICAN PHOTO
PLAYER CO.
San Francisco
Chicago
New York
November—has arranged tor six Olive street
stores to have "open house" on the six days of
that week, one on each day. The stores are
the Baldwin Piano Co., the Field-Lippman Piano
Co., the Smith-Reis Piano Co., the Lehman Piano
Co., the Aeolian Co. and the Conroy Piano Co.
The days have not been designated. Each house
will give recitals. The Saturday preceding music
week, Mr. Conroy will speak at the City Club on
"Music." Plans for the forming of a civic music
organization are progressing.
Robert T. Conroy, Sr., vice-president of the
Conroy Piano Co., will return in a few days from
his Eastern vacation trip.
A Knabe grand, provided by the Conroy Piano
Co., was used Friday night by Madame Alva, at
the Odeon.
DEALERS INSPECT PREMIER PLANT
Out-of-Town Piano Men Take Opportunity to
Visit New Factory of Premier Grand Piano
Corp.—W. C. Hepperla Pleased With Work
That the announcement of the Premier Grand
Piano Corp., which appeared in The Review re-
cently, made a distinct impression upon the
trade, has been manifested in the many out-of-
town visitors at the extensive factory of the
company at 510-532 West Twenty-third street
during the last week. Many dealers who have
been in New York have taken the opportunity
to visit this plant and according to President
Walter C. Hepperla have manifested the desire
to inspect the new Premier grand as soon as the
first one has been produced.
To a representative of The Review this week
he said:
"The outlook is exceedingly bright and promis-
ing and all elements point towards rapid progress
in every direction. We are, naturally, greatly
pleased by the many expressions of esteem and
good wishes received from the trade and aiv
also very glad that there has been so great a re-
sponse to our invitation to see us and so ali'oi
us the opportunity of showing our friends the
Premier institution and its unusual facilities ane.
equipment for producing Premier baby grand
pianos.
"We are placing the agency for our small grand
in important centers everywhere. There is ex-
traordinary interest manifested in our product
and in the significant fact that here is a very
large source of supply in a field of manufacture
of prime importance to the trade and the music-
loving public."
INCREASED SERVICE TO CUBA
More Frequent Sailings to West Indies After
November 4 Announced
Announcement was made last week by the
Munson Steamship Lines that they would increase
the number of sailings from the United State
to the various ports in Cuba. Effective November
4, the Munson interests will send two ships week-
ly to Havana, instead of one as is called for by
the present schedule. Instead of maintaining
fortnightly service to the port of Matanzas, the
company, which has long been identified \.
the Cuban shipping trades, will have one ship
every week. For the other Cuban ports, the
Munson lines will dispatch a steamer every three
weeks, instead of monthly as is the present cus-
tom.
In order to maintain so many sailings, it will
be necessary for the Munson lines to materially
increase the size of the fleet. No announcement
has been made in regard to this matter, but it
understood that the company will use a larger
number of Shipping Board vessels and will also
employ chartered ships as well.
Christman
PIANOS
PLAYERS
GRANDS
Minimize competi-
tion and stimulate
business. They make
the work of both you
and your salesmen
easy.
You can sell your
good customers a
Christman
with a feeling of pride
knowing that they
will make lasting
friends for you.
Their p h e n o m e n a l
tone is the work of
painstaking effort in
adhering to and fol-
lowing out the strict
laws of acoustics.
Christman cases are
made of rich woods
that are suberbly
matched and beau-
tifully finished.
If your territory is not taken
write us for prices.
"The first touch telU"
Christman Piano Co.
597 E. 137th Street, New York