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MAY
THE MUSIC TRADE
22, 1920
REVIEW
ST. LOUIS PIANO TRADE MAINTAINS AN EVEN VOLUME
Local Dealers Doing Fair Business, but Believe High Prices Are Causing Customers to Hold
Back on Purchases—Smith Piano Co. Taken Over by New Corporation—Other News
ST. LOUIS, MO., May 17.—The best that can
be said about business the past week is that
it was no worse than the week before. The best
that is hoped for next week is that it will not
be any worse than this week. There has been
considerable divergence of opinion in the past
months as to what was the matter with business,
but agreement has been reached on the point
that, whatever it is, it is not transient. Nobody
expects any great improvement until the prices
come down. Stocks are lower than ever. Some
of the houses have been out of certain styles
for weeks. The railroad strike has about flat-
tened out locally, but there is no improvement in
the general congestion and little prospect of
improvement. St. Louis piano men have more
pianos on sidetracks right now than they ever
had before. For the most part they lack defi-
nite knowledge as to the particular sidetracks.
It would not help much if they knew. W. P.
Chrisler, manager of the Aeolian Co., for in-
stance, has four carloads strewn along the right
of way somewhere between here and Buffalo.
Some of them started as far back as March 25.
He has no idea when they will get here. He will
be glad to see them whenever they come. Other
dealers can match hard luck stories with him.
There was comfort of a sort to be derived
from the address of William McC. Martin, chair-
man of the Eighth Federal Reserve Board, be-
fore the Southern Wholesale Grocers' Conven-
tion at the Statler. High prices must come
down, Martin said, but there is danger of dis-
aster if they come down too fast. If there is
complete co-operation between business men
and bankers, he said, there need be no fear for
the future. "We can be very thankful," he said,
"that our condition is not nearly so bad as that
of the other countries. Prices are high and we
are in that condition when it is necessary that
everyone be not alarmed but on his guard. We
have gone up and up and we must come down,
but- not too suddenly, for a sudden fall means
breaking the neck of business."
The American Music and Home Appliance
Corp. has been organized and has taken over the
business of the Smith Piano Co. at 4353 Olive
street, formerly conducted by F. C. Smith. In
the new corporation William H. Bryan holds
80 shares, Frank B. Ostermueller 40 shares and
E. B. Willoughby 5 shares. The announced
purpose is to "manufacture, sell and generally
deal in pianos, etc." The capital stock, 50 per
cent paid, is $25,000. The only piano man in the
corporation is Mr. Willoughby. He was for-
merly with the Kieselhorst Piano Co. The other
men have been in other lines of business.
The Lehman Piano Co., which heretofore has
been confining itself to pianos exclusively, has
taken an agency for Vocalion phonographs and
records.
John Ferris, for the past five years with the
Aeolian Co., and before that with the Famous &
Barr Co., has again joined the sales staff of the
latter.
Manager J. F. Ditzell, of the Famous & Barr
Co. music department, chairman of the griev-
ance committee of the Ampico Art Society, has
appointed as members of the committee Henry
Weiscrt, of the Bissel-Weisert Co., Chicago;
Parham Werlein, head of Philip Werlein, Ltd.,
MADISON
Piano Co.
Incorporated
Manufacturers
The Madison Tone—
Supreme—Its Own
219 Cypress Ave.
NEW YORK
New Orleans, and F. O. Gamble, of E. Witz-
mann & Co., Memphis, Tenn. A meeting of the
committee will be held soon.
The Advertising Club of St. Louis was
mighty well pleased with the Chickering Am-
pico concert given at the Century Boat Club
last week, at which members of the Famous &
Barr Co. music salon organization assisted.
Bert Barnett, • chairman of the general en-
tertainment committee of the organization,
has written a letter to Manager J. F. Ditzell,
in which he says: "Everyone who attended was
much pleased with your work and with the
work of the entire organization, and I have
heard nothing but complimentary comment on
it."
LESTER PIANO IN SOUTH AFRICA
R. Muller, of Capetown, With Branches Else-
where in South Africa, Secures Agency for
the Lester Piano—High Praise for Its Merits
PHILADELPHIA, PA., May 17.—Communications
received from various foreign representatives of
the Lester Piano Co. have enabled this company
to have a remarkable insight into conditions
abroad. One point that is particularly notice-
able is the greatly increased popularity of the
American-made piano, which is more than sup-
planting the former popularity of the German-
made piano in foreign countries. From South
Africa there comes a tribute to American-made
pianos of no small significance in a letter the
Lester Piano Co. recently received from R. Mul-
ler, who is said to be one of the largest retailers
of pianos not only in Capetown but in South
Africa. An idea of the volume of his busi-
ness may be gained by the fact that he is said
to carry half a million dollars' worth of players
in his three Capetown showrooms alone. Mr.
Muller will hereafter handle the Lester line
exclusively throughout his system of stores. His
letter proves that the merit of American prod-
ucts alone is sufficient cause for the change from
the European piano to the American. The let-
ter reads, in part:
"Prior to the world war I imported pianos
principally from Germany, but after three of
my Capetown business premises with their large
stocks of pianos, to the total value of $60,800,
had been destroyed by incendiarism during the
riots of May, 1915, I had to find out where I
could best obtain good pianos at reasonable
prices. The instruments must be well made,
and of good material to be suitable to the try-
ing South African climate. After a thorough
try-out of all the leading makes the result has
been that the Lester pianos have proved far
superior to any other make for my require-
men'ts."
George Miller, treasurer of the Lester Piano
Co., has also received many highly complimentary
letters from tuners in this country who have
recently had occasion to tune Lester pianos.
They express high praise for their constructive
and musical "qualities.
TO STUDY INDUSTRIAL PROBLEMS
E. W. McCullough Heads New Department of
United States Chamber of Commerce
A new department on industrial production
has been established by the United States Cham-
ber of Commerce with E. W. McCullough, for
nine years executive secretary of the National
Implement and Vehicle Association in Chicago,
as manager. The new department will be di-
vided into two sections, one to deal with natural
resources, the other with manufacturing and pro-
duction. Problems to be studied will deal with
selection and education of employes along safety
and efficiency-lines, wage or compensation plans,
workmen's insurance, alien labor, Americaniza-
tion, standardization, etc.
Victrola XVII, $350
Victrola XVII, electric, $415
Mahogany or oak
Other styles $25 to $1500
Victor
Supremacy
The supreme qual-
ities that make the
Victrola the certain
choice of a discrimin-
ating public are equal-
ly important factors
in t h e s u c c e s s of
Victor retailers.
" V i c t r o l a " j , the Registered Trade mark of
the Victor Talking Machine Company designating
the product! of this Company only.
W a r n i n g : The uie of the word Victrola
upon or in the promotion or tale of any other
Talking Machine or Phonograph productf it mis-
leading and illegal.
I m p o r t a n t N o t i c e . Victor Record* and
Victor Machine! are scientifically co-ordinated
and synchronized in the processes of manufacture,
and should be used together to tecure a perfect
reproduction.
Victor Talking
Machine Co.
Cam den, N. J., u. s. A.