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FEBRUARY 5,
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
1921
SAN FRANCISCO TRADE GRADUALLY BECOMING NORMAL
however, that the talking machine trade is but
little affected by the slump in purchases of
higher-priced goods. Talking machine .stocks
are admittedly low and are continuing to sell
well.
Much success is attending the sales drive and
house-to-house canvass in introducing the
Motora by Byron Mauzy, who has the exclusive
agency for that product in northern California.
The window display of the Motora in action has
been changed at the Byron Mauzy establish-
ment so that the machine is now operating on
an Autopiano.
Howard Morenus, vice-president and general
manager of the Cable Piano Co., of LaPorte,
Ind., is in San Francisco visiting the trade.
Frank Anrys, vice-president and general man-
ager of the Wiley B. Allen Co., of this city, is
spending a couple of weeks in the southern part
of the State on a pleasure trip.
P. C Paddock, manager of the Oakland store
of Kohler & Chase, achieved considerable suc-
cess in exploiting the Ampico through arrang-
ing for an Ampico concert at the Oakland
Women's Club, which was attended by several
hundred women. "Women are the buyers,"
says Mr. Paddock.
STUDIO GRAND IMPRESSES DEALER
HARTMANN BACK WITH WANAMAKER
Piano Merchant Writes to Christman Piano Co.
Asking for Exclusive Representation
And "Eddie" Boothe and "Charlie" McDonald
Win the Fifteen-dollar Chapeaux—Piano Busi-
ness Better Than Wall Street
Dealers Are Well Pleased With Manner in Which Tracte Is Progressing, Though Medium-priced
Instruments Are in Greatest Demand—Difference of Opinion Over Stocks on Hand
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., January 29.—The question
of whether there are or are not large stocks oi
musical goods, especially pianos, on the Pa-
cific Coast is apparently a matter of doubt, as
representatives of the large music houses in
California are sharply divided in their opinions
concerning this subject. Some aver that piano
stocks are vastly depleted and that these stocks
must be replenished very soon. Others em-
phatically declare that a large quantity of
pianos is on hand at almost every one of the
large wholesale houses and that no shipments
of pianoS will arrive fr8m the East for Some
tinle because df the superabundance of Supply
already here.
It is knowri definitely, hovVever, that Kcrnler
& Chase Have ordered several carloads of piano§
of various makes arid that shiprrierit is expected
within the next sixty days. This shipment is
just in time to take advantage of the Hew water
freight rate on pianos iii carload ldts from At-
lantic to Pacific ports via the Pariania Carial,
which was announced a week or two ago. The
new rate, which provides a cut from $2.50 to
$1.65 per hundredweight, is of the utmost im-
portance to the music industry as a whole
throughout the country, declares George R.
Hughes, secretary of the Wiley B. Allen Co. The
lower freight rate will mean a saving of $8 by
music houses on the Pacific Coast on every
piano shipped. Credit for accomplishing the
reduction in the piano rate is given by Mr.
Hughes to Walter S. Gannon, Pacific Coast rep-
resentative of the Kohler & Campbell industries,
who argued the case before the authorities in the
Kast.
A striking feature of business cdnditions itt
California is that no one in this section is talk-
ing of trade depression and a spirit of extreme
optimism prevails everywhere, declares C. E.
Lueore', lately genferal manager of the Rudolph
Wuriitzer stdres iii the East, who arrived here!
lust week to 1 take charge of the retail sales de-
partment of the kohle'r & Chase gstablishmetits
ii- hQrtherti Cahfdrnia. Business depression ill
the East is aeute compared td ediiditioris here,
avtrs Mr. Lucdre'.
A significant feature of gerieral business con-
ditions affectirig the iriusie industry iii (jalifor-
niai however, is the iiicreasirig te'ndertcy of the
public to make purchases df the ldwef priced
goods instead of demanding and paying for the
most expensive lines, as was the custom until a
few months ago. This condition is noticed and
is being felt by practically all of the music
houses in the State. Caution is being displayed
by people contemplating 1 making expensive pur-
chases, declared Mr. Hughes, in discussing the
new situation confronting the trade. He, in
common with others who are closely in touch
with conditions affecting the industry here, says.
11
The sUcecsB of the Christman Studio grand,
whieh i§ claimed by Henry Christman, secre-
tary of the Christman Piano Co., 697 E. 137th
street, New York, to have been the first h've-
fodt grand put on the market, has been mani-
fested in many Ways recently, through expres-
sions from various dealers who have handled
ii. throughout the United States. One of the
most forceful of the comments Game to Mr.
Christman recently from a dealer who, while
contemplating the placing of a large order of
these instruments, stated that, having tried them
out, he knows from experience that they are
tine instruments. Continuing, he said: "I have
one in a church that has been in constant use
for four or five years, and I heard it only last
night and it still had a splendid tone. Some time
ago I also sold one of these grands to a promi-
nent music professor, who has had the instru-
ment in his itudio for the past five or six years
and has had it in constant use every day. This
instrument still retains that wonderful tone
quality." In speaking of this letter Mr. Christ-
man said this week to a representative of The
Review: "This dealer not only manifested his
desire to handle our instruments, the Studio
grand particularly, but stated that, not being
fully satisfied with the other grands he had been
handling, he \» very anxious to conclude an ar-
rangement with \is for all the grands which he
expects to haridle/"
VISITORS AT AEOLIAN HALL
Visitors at Aediian Hall during the past week
included W. P; Shaw of Cluett & Sons, Albany,
N. Y., who was on his Way to Florida for a
well-earned vacation; L. C. Wiswell, of Lyon
& Healy, Chicago, who has charge of the dis-
tribution of Melodee rolls; C. A. Winter, of
E. Winter's Sons, Kingston, N. Y., and A. M.
Prouty, of M. Steinert & Sons, Springfield,
Mass.
Peter Hartmann returned this week to the
sales staff of the piano department of John
Wanamaker, New York, and thereby hangs a
tale concerning "Pete," "Eddie" and "Charlie."
In a notebook carried in the vest pocket, not
hip pocket, of Edwin Miller Boothe, of Jacob
Doll & Sons, there appears the following: "I
hereby bet Edwin Miller Boothe that I will not
be back selling pianos within the next twelve
months. If I do, I am to buy new hats for
Mr, Boothe and Charles McDonald," dated No-
vember 6, 1920, and duly witnessed by the"
aforesaid Mr. Hartmann. Since the above date
Mr. Hartmann has been enjoying the glamour
of Wall Street, but has found that he cannot
lose his old love for the piano business. There-
fore, "Eddie" and "Charlie" win the hats.
A. B. CHASE DEALERS ARE BUSY
President Whitney's Trip Extended Because of
Demands of Dealers and the Trade
W r arren C. Whitney, president of the A. B.
Chase Piano Co., Inc., was expected back in
New York this week from his mid-Western
trip, but, according to word received from
Mr. Whitney, he found so much to do and so
many chances to sell pianos that he was forced
to stay away another week. Business seems to
be picking up with his dealers and he is hard at
work helping them lay plans for the coming
year. Mr. Whitney expected to be in Cincin-
nati on Saturday of this week and hoped to be
in New York about the end of next week.
PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL
Through an oversight, the photograph of the
marble piano used as a tombstone in a British
cemetery was not credited to the International
News Service, who supplied the picture and to
whom acknowledgments are due.
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