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JUNE 12,
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
1920
ST. LOUIS TRADE CONCENTRATED ON HIGH GRADE GOODS
Player Grands and High-priced Instruments in Excellent Demand, Though Medium-priced Lines
Are Not Moving as Well as Might Be—Piano Movers' Strike Settled—Other News
ST. LOUIS, MO., June 7.—Business last week was
more of the same, which means only fair. The
dullness was relieved by spurts of activity here
and there, consisting mostly of sales of player
grands and other high-grade instruments. It is
the people who have the money who are doing
the buying of pianos and players. Having the
money, price is no great object, so the salesmen
find it about as easy to sell a top-notcher as
something lower in price. Dealers continue to
find that cheapness does not sell goods. Adver-
tisements offering price inducements alone fall
flat.
The piano movers struck last week and for
two or three days no pianos were delivered and
it looked for a while like the merthants were
going to have to pay more for deliveries, but
by standing together they withstood the ad-
versary and won, so far as they were concerned,
a bloodless victory. The Central Moving Co.,
which does practically all of the piano moving
in St. Louis, did not fare so well. George Geers,
president of the company, compromised with the
men, in the expectation of passing the increase
on to the merchants. They fooled him by
standing pat. The demand of the men was for
$10 a week increase in wages and an hour and
a half less work a day. Geers compromised
with them on the basis of $7.50 a week increase
and an arrangement of their working hours
which is equivalent to half an hour less a day.
Most of the dealers, individually, were willing
to absorb the moving company's increased labor
cost, but when they got together as members
of the Music Merchants' Association of St. Louis
they bucked up and decided that they would
not stand for an increase in the delivery cost.
They did consent, though, to co-operate in more
careful routing to cut down the overhead and
agreed to clear each day's deliveries not later
than 2 p. m. For deliveries cleared between 2
and 4 o'clock they will incur a penalty of 75
cents for each instrument, no matter what kind,
and after 4 p. m. they will be subject to over-
time charge. As partial compensation they are
to be credited with 50 cents for each upright
piano box and $1 for each grand box, which
have heretofore been the moving company's
without cost. Another condition imposed by the
dealers is that the movers must wear caps and
jumpers, in the interest of sartorial embellish-
ment.
From the first to last, it was a great week
for the Kieselhorst piano family. First off, E. A.
helped Jo mobilize the merchants to resist the
attack of the movers and helped to win a victory.
There was satisfaction in that. Then his new
seven-passenger Cadillac was delivered and he
drove it out the boulevard with proper pride.
Then he jumped on a train and went to Kansas
City to meet the thr^e young Kieselhorsts, com-
ing home from school at Santa Fe, N. M., and
they were all looking so husky and handsome
that he was prouder of them than of the Cadillac
And then Mrs. Kieselhorst won a $100 bill in
a slogan contest against 800 competitors, which
made her very happy and E. A. very proud. And
then Mrs. Kieselhorst donated the $100 bill to
the work of the organization which had con-
ducted the contest, the Child Welfare Commit-
tee of the Board of Religious Organizations,
which made her happier yet and E. A. prouder
yet. There was only one thing to mar aft this
and that was that Mrs. Kieselhorst had to miss
OARDMAN
Y
ESTABUSHED—IN—1837
ALBANY, N. Y.
the ball game to receive the reward for the
slogan and the honors therewith, but one can't
have everything in this world. Mrs. Kiesel-
horst's slogan was: "The Child—For God and
Country."
Manager Russell Elam, of the Scruggs, Van-
dervoort & Barney piano department, did not
have as many happy things happen to him as
happened to the Kieselhorst family, but he re-
ceived a carloatf of Kurtzmanns, and that was
something. There were nineteen of them, all
styles, and they were only ten days on the way.
And Vandervoort's is one of the places where
business is not as bad as it might be. June so
far is ahead of last June, he says, and last June
was a hummer of a month.
There is one thing, though, that makes Mr.
Elam feel bad. Miss M. Seymour, his star out-
side saleswoman, is going to California for the
Summer and she may decide to stay out there
for good. She has been with the department
two and a half years and has made a remarkable
record. And there is Miss Wilma Clipner, of
the music roll department, who is quitting too.
She is going to get married.
E. W. Furbush, manager of the Haddorff
Piano Co., Rockford, 111., was in St. Louis one
day last week.
W. A. Lippman, secretary and manager of the
Field-Lippman Piano Co., has returned from a
business trip to Sedalia, Mo., and a visit to his
mother at Maryville, Mo.
Alexander McDonald, of Sohmer & Co., New
York, spent two days of the past week in St.
Louis. He was on the back lap of a trip through
the South.
L. R. Tippan, of the Scruggs, Vanctervoort &
Barney piano department, and his wife, of the
player roll department of the same store, have
returned from an automobile trip to their old
home at Kahoka, Mo.
Christman
Reproducing
Grands
are of an exceptional
high quality, making
them a worthy and prof-
itable line to handle.
"The First Touch Tells"
Run your fingers over
Christman
RESOLUTIONS ON HOUCK'S DEATH
key board and it will
reveal a TONE of ex-
ceptional purity and
power.
Music Merchants of Memphis Pay High Tribute
to Memory of O. K. Houck Co. Head
MEMPHIS, TENN., June 5.—At a special meeting
of the Music Merchants of Memphis, the local
association of music retailers, held on Monday
of this week, the following resolutions were
adopted in memory of O. K. Houck, of the O.
K. Houck Piano Co., who passed away on Sun-
day, May 30:
Whereas, Providence in Its infinite wisdom
has called to his eternal reward the dean of
Memphis music merchants, (). K. Houck;
therefore, be it resolved:
1. That we mourn the loss oi a devoted friend
and loyal co-worker.
2. That in his death Memphis music mer-
chants have sustained the loss of a wise coun-
selor; Memphis and vicinity a devoted and faith-
ful patron of music; and our community one of
its most active and loyal citizens.
3. That Memphis music merchants close their
respective places of business at 1 o'clock Tues-
day afternoon, June 1, 1920, for the remainder
of the day in respect to his memory.
4 That we extend to his parents, brother and
relatives our deepest sympathy in their be-
reavement.
5. That a copy of these resolutions be sent
to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Houck, and
to his brother, Mr. Jesse F. Houck, and family,
and to the O. K. Houck Piano Co., of Memphis,
Nashville and Little Rock.
6. Furthermore, be it resolved that a copy of
these resolutions be also given to each of the
local papers and mailed to each of the national
music trade papers.
Consult the universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
€(
The First Touch Tells 9
Christman
Baby Upright
Four Feet—Four Inches
in height reveals what
a remarkable perfect
scale embodies CHRIST-
MAN products.
Investigate
"The First Touch Tells"
Christman Piano Co.
601 E. 137th Street, New York
L