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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
NOVEMBER 6, 1920
W. C. HEPPERLA BACK FROM TRIP
STATE FAIR HELPS TRADE
C. H. SMITH ON PRICE QUESTION ~
President of Premier Grand Piano Corp. Pleased
With Satisfaction Premier Grand Is Giving—
Believes Business Will Be Better Shortly
Portland Dealers Close Many Sales Following
Annual Event at Salem
President of Smith, Barnes & Strohber Co. De-
clares That Present Conditions Do Not War-
rant Lower Piano Prices at This Time
W. C. Hepperla, president of the Premier
Grand Piano Corp., New York, arrived home on
Sunday last from a three weeks' trip through
the Middle West. This is the first trip that Mr.
Hepperla has made since his company has been
shipping grand pianos in quantity, and he re-
turned in a very optimistic frame of mind, owing
to the fact that wherever he went he found that
the Premier grand piano is giving complete
satisfaction.
"This was my first opportunity," he said to a
representative of The Review this week, "to find
out from the dealers who have been handling
the Premier grand just how the instrument is
being received by the buying public, and it cer-
tainly was very pleasing to me when I found
that both the purchasers and dealers praised the
instrument very highly, and that the latter are
finding a continuous demand for it.
"The dealers are pretty well stocked up, but
I noticed that during the cold spell which we
had the last week I was away there was a stim-
ulated demand for both pianos and player-pianos
which gave rise to a feeling throughout the re-
tail industry in the various cities I visited that,
with the change in the weather and election out
of the way, the dealers will have a good trade
well under way long before the holiday season.
They have felt that the three things retarding
business were the warm weather, the election and
the price-cutting. As for the latter, there has
been some of that, buf not very much in the
piano industry, and I think there will be less
from now until after the holidays. Although the
dealers are stocked up they feel that the future
holds considerable for them. As I said before,
the Premier grand has been well received all
along the line, and we are exerting every effort
here to increase our output."
NEW POST FOR ALFRED L. SMITH
General Manager of Music Industries Chamber
of Commerce Elected to Executive Committee
of American Trade Association Executives
Alfred E. Smith, general manager of the Music
Industries Chamber of Commerce, was elected
on a three-year term as a member of the Execu-
tive Commitee of the American Trade Associa-
tion Executives at the Convention in Lenox last
week. This organization is made up of the
executive officers of National Trade Associations,
of which there are about 400 in this country.
Mr. Smith also led the discussion on the paper
given by Alfred Reeves, general manager of the
National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, on
the subject "Procedure of a Trade Secretary with
the United States Government and Its Depart-
ments."
OPENS MUSICjSTORE IN JAVA
W. J. Stiphout Finds Trade in Musical Instru-
ments Thriving in Distant East Indies
We have received word from William J.
Stiphout to the effect that, he has opened a mod-
ern music store in Java at Weltevreden. He
believes that this part of the Dutch East Indies
holds possibilities for trade in musical instru-
ments and he desires to get in touch with Amer-
ican manufacturers and music publishers. In his
new store he handles pianos, musical instru-
ments and sheet music. Manufacturers should
get in touch with him.
The Wilden Co. has secured a Delaware char-
ter to deal in music. The capital is $25,000 and
the incorporates are T. L. Conwell, J. C. Mad-
den and M. R. Madden, Philadelphia.
THE BEST KNOWN
MUSICAL NAME
IN THE WORLD.
.PORTLAND, ORE., November 2.—The State Fair
held at Salem recently was the cause of a num-
ber of very good sales being made by the Seiber-
ling-Lucas Music House. W. A. Hodecker says
their display at the fair was productive of splen-
did sales. Right on the fair grounds they sold
two pianos and four Victor machines and im-
mediately after the fair three pianos and eight
V^ictrolas were sold to fair visitors, who had
seen and admired the goods on exhibit. The
display of small goods was no less- admired. A
complete line of gold-plated Buescher saxo-
phones was shown and every one sold. The
whole small goods department did a big busi-
ness at the fair and the exhibit was excellent.
A good piano business is reported for Sep-
tember and so far in October by Mr. Hodecker.
"If freight would move faster business would be
still better," said Mr. Hodecker. Haddorff pianos
are excellent instruments and make a big appeal
to the trade of this house. Clarenden players
are all sold out, but a shipment is on the way
and some of them are already sold. Mr.
Hodecker says they have just signed up with the
Q R S Music Co. exclusively and that they now
have the most complete stock in the city.
"Whispering" and "Tripoli" are exceedingly
popular rolls.
A decided growth in interest of the player-
pianos is noticeable at Oregon Eilers. Two
players were sold on Saturday and on Monday
morning another one was sold, and calls for the
instruments are on the increase. Shortage of
stock interferes with demand, however.
CHICAGO, I I I . , November 1.—C. H. Smith, pres-
ident of the Smith, Barnes & Strohber Co., is
firm in his declaration that the majority of the
piano manufacturers cannot at this time con-
sider the reduction of wholesale prices. In an
interview, Mr. Smith said:
"It has 'come to my attention that certain
manufacturers of pianos have reduced their
prices, but I have paid no attention to these
rumors, knowing that it was out of the ques-
tion for this house to reduce its prices at this
time.
"It was found necessary to place our orders
far in advance for our supplies. These supplies
have been coming in and we find ourselves at
this time with a large stock of high-priced ma-
terial on hand, and it is. going to take some
months to work up this material.
"It depends upon the general market condi-.
tions as to whether we will be in position to
lower our prices after the present high-priced
materials have been used up. We all know that
the present high prices are occasioned by the
large taxes, the high cost of labor and material
that the manufacturer is forced to meet.
"It would simply be a disaster for piano manu-
facturers to cut prices and knife the piano busi-
ness. The thing to do is for the manufacturer
and the dealer to work out of this difficulty
gradually and by degrees, just as we entered
into it. I believe this is the only solution of
this situation, and I am trusting to the ability
of the masters of the piano industry to meet
this situation in a square and fair manner so
HOLLAND DEALER VISITS TONK PLANT that we may conserve the piano trade and
hold it where it belongs.
J Douwes Tells of Conditions in His Country
"It appears to the writer that prices will
and Praises Tonk Instruments—Says Germany
have to remain at their present standing until
Is Shipping Pianos Into Holland
such time as the taxes, labor cost and the cost
of general supplies will be reduced.
A visitor at the plant of Wm. Tonk & Bro.,
"I might say in closing that the present situa-
Thirty-sixth street and Tenth avenue, New York,
this week was J. Douwes of Holland, who has tion in the music trade is just what I feared it
represented the Tonk line in that country for would be—that the public would stop buying
many years. Mr. Douwes, while talking with a at the excessively high prices that we are com-
representative of The Review, stated that the pelled to charge for our goods."
rate of exchange made it practically impossible
PAUL FINK RETURNS FROM TRIP
for Holland to do very much business with the
manufacturers of "this country just at present.
"Just what the trouble is 1 cannot say," he said, Sales Manager of Behning Piano Co. Found
Conditions Better Than Anticipated
"but we find it extremely difficult to purchase
in this country on account of the exchange. I
Paul Fink, sales manager of the Behning
have successfully sold Tonk pianos for a num-
ber of years, and have sold them to many well- Piano Co., New York, arrived home the latter
known persons in Holland. Just before I came part of last week from an extended trip which
away, a noted professor of music from Budapest, took him to all the important points through
while visiting Holland, paid the Tonk piano a the Middle West.
Mr. Fink stated to a representative of The
great tribute, and all the time he was in our
Review that in spite of the reports of quiet
country used one for professional purposes."
When asked if Germany is shipping many business he found most dealers fn very opti-
pianos to Holland he said: "Yes, it is, but mistic moods. "In fact," he said, "the retail busi-
they are commercial instruments. However, they ness in some sections showed a decided improve-
are beginning to come into Holland in consider- ment before I returned, this stimulus being
brought about evidently by the setting in of
able quantities."
cooler weather. All the dealers whom I visited
felt that as soon as the weather became more
seasonable they would be able to move their
Head of Philip Werlein, Ltd., New Orleans, stocks. As far as we are concerned, we are still
very busy at the factory here, and if signs do not
Weds a Prominent Belle of That City
fail, I feel that we will close one of the best years
NEW ORLEANS, LA., November 3.—Parham Wer- the Behning Piano Co. has ever known."
lein, president of Philip Werlein, Ltd., was mar-
ried tonight at 8 o'clock to Miss Isabel Orrae, a
NEW INCORPORATION
beautiful and talented descendant of one of New
Orleans' oldest families. The wedding was at
The Harris Music Co., Inc., Detroit, Mich., has
Trinity church, followed by a reception at the been incorporated to deal in musical instruments.
home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gor- The capital is $100,000 and the incorporators are
don S. Ormc. Mr. Orme is one of the largest given as Norman H. Harris, Robert L. Rosen,
rice millers in the South. Mr. and Mrs. Wer- and D. E. Hoken. It is expected that a good
lein left on a tour which will include Hot Springs, line of small goods will be carried by the new
Ark., and Pinchurst, N. C.
PARHAM WERLEIN A BENEDICT
ESTEYPIANO CO
THE BEST PROFIT
PRODUCER FOR THE
DEALER IN THE TRADE