Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JULY 23,
1921
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MICHIGAN TO CELEBRATE A STATE-WIDE MUSIC WEEK
MERCHANTS FAVOR SALES TAX
Robert Lawrence, of the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music, Completing Plans
Whereby Thirteen Cities in Michigan Will Hold Music Week Festivals Beginning October 16
Sentiment of Merchants' Association Members
Sounded by Means of Postal Card Ballot
All preliminary arrangements have been com-
pleted in the leading thirteen cities of Michigan
for the first State-wide Music Week in the his-
tory of this or any other country, according to
Robert Lawrence, of the advisory staff of the
National Bureau for the Advancement of Music
of the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce,
organizing director of the event, who returned
to New York this week after an exhaustive pre
liminary survey of the field.
For four weeks Mr. Lawrence traveled ovei
the State organizing activities for Music Week
in the following cities: Detroit, Grand Rapids,
Lansing, Saginaw, Highland Park, Bay City,
I'ort Huron, Flint, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo,
Jackson, Ann Arbor and Pontiac.
On August 28 Mr. Lawrence will return to
Michigan with an assistant organizing director
and three instructors to open an eight weeks'
campaign of instruction for song leaders and
otherwise prepare the State for the big Music
Week, which will open October 16, with all
schools of the thirteen cities co-operating.
The assistant organizing director will be Miss
Alice Pollock, secretary of the community
center department of the public schools of the
District of Columbia, who was secretary of the
recent Music Week in Washington.
WILBUR TEMPLIN FORMAL OPENING
OLD INSTRUMENTS IN MUSEUM
Great Send-off for New Store in Mishawaka—
Branch of Templin Store in Elkhart
Organ and Melodeon Transported Across
Plains Nearly Fifty Years Ago on Exhibition
MISHAWAKA, IND., July 18.—The new Wilbur
Templin music store, 117 Lincoln Way East,
was formally opened last Saturday with an elab-
orate musical program, attended by close to
3,000 people. The store is a branch of the
Templin Music Co., of Elkhart, Ind., and is
under the management of P. B. Lynch, who is
assisted by E. D. Duke, salesman; Miss Minnie
Beehler, pianist, and Mrs. Walter Jieffer, sales-
woman.
A number of employes from the Elkhart store
assisted in receiving the guests. Each guest
was given a favor in the shape of a rose. Those
who contributed to the musical program were
Dick Lucke, of Elkhart, xylophone; Miss Eileen
Webster, soprano soloist; Miss Hildred Helme,
piano accompanist, and Miss Esther Templin,
violin soloist. Mrs. Margaret Corcoran pre-
sided at the piano.
• The Templin store has been established in
Mishawaka about two years. The firm handles
fifteen lines of pianos as well as various makes
or talking machines and other musical instru-
ments. It previously occupied part of a build-
ing at 134 Lincoln Way East.
Two fine specimens of musical instruments of
a period dating back nearly fifty years have
been presented to the State Museum of Colo-
rado by descendants of pioneer citizens. One of
the instruments is a "Seraphim and Aeolian"
type five-octave organ, which has two sets of
reeds, producing three different tones. This in-
strument was manufactured by Foster & Keene,
of New Hampshire, and was probably the first
ever brought to Colorado. It was transported
across the plains in a small wagon train, which
was attacked by Indians. The men in charge of
the caravan were massacred and the wagons
plundered, but, curiously, the organ was left
undisturbed. About ten days later it was
brought to Denver by a rescue party and sold
to a pioneer in that city.
The other instrument is a quaint little port-
able melodeon, which when folded is about the
size of a suitcase. It was brought across the
plains from Canada by Solomon Cline, a vocal
teacher, in 1867. Parker E. Cline, son of the
original owner, and a prominent rancher near
Brighton, loaned the instrument to the museum
for exhibition.
The Merchants' Association of New York has
declared itself in favor of the repeal of the
Excess Profits Tax on corporations and in favor
of a sales tax on all turnovers of goods, wares
and merchandise, provided that a sufficient
amount of revenue will be produced by this tax
at a rate of not more than \ l / 2 per cent. If this
tax proves insufficient a tax on all turnovers is
favored by the Association.
The stand taken by the Board of Directors for
the Association is the result of two tests of
sentiment regarding Federal taxes. One of
these tests took the form of a hearing given by
the Committee on Taxation and the other was
made by sending postal card ballots to every
member of the Association, with the result that
459 ballots favored the repeal of the Excess
Profits Tax. Acceptable ballots received num-
bered 573. Thirty-eight favored retention of the
war taxes on business, including an increase of
the income tax on corporations. Three hundred
and fifty-nine ballots were returned in favor of
the repeal of war taxes on business and the
substitution of a sales tax at a low rate on all
business transactions to replace revenue lost by
repeal and shrinkage. One hundred and nine-
teen voted for a tax on retail sales only; 118 for
a sales tax on each turnover of goods, wares and
merchandise only, and 187 favored a sales tax on
all turnovers. (This would include all transfers
of property of every kind.)
The Queensborough Chamber of Commerce
has voted in favor of a sales tax on merchandise
only and not on all turnovers. F. Ray Howe,
chairman of the Committee on National Affairs,
in explaining the stand taken by the Chamber,
made the following statement: "As the excess
taxes on various businesses is, with the excep-
tion of one or two articles, a tax on luxuries, we
do not believe anyone would favor the doing
away with this tax and the substitution of a tax
on necessities."
A new music establishment was recently
opened in Bangor, Me., by Clyde A. Wheeler.
INSTALLS PIANO DEPARTMENT
SPANISH GOVERNMENT INCREASES PIANO IMPORT TAX
RACINE, WIS., July 18.—A piano department has
been added to the establishment of the Chris-
tianson Bros. Co., of this city. The store has
been completely remodeled and a full line of
pianos will be handled in addition to talking
machines and records. Nine sound-proof rec-
ord demonstration booths have been installed,
as well as a card system with facilities for han-
dling 25,000 records.
Piano Manufacturers Should File Protests With Federal Government Regarding New Spanish
Import Tax on Musical Instruments—Former Tax Increased Approximately 100 Per Cent
UNCLAIMED IMPORTS INCREASE
WASHINGTON, D. C, July 18.—Imported musicar
instruments and supplies remaining in Govern-
ment warehouses which have not been removed
by consignees are greater than ever before, ac-
cording to a Department of Commerce report.
The value of musical instruments and parts, in-
cluding strings, stored in warehouses awaiting
claimants reached a total of $283,879 on April 30.
NEW BALDWIN AGENTS IN MONTANA
A. J. Davenport, Hamilton, Mont.; H. O.
Ekern, Thompson Falls; H. W. Erdwig, Chi-
nook, and E. Jewell, of Dillon, Mont., were re-
cently appointed agents for the Baldwin Piano
Co.'s line of pianos and player-pianos in the
State of Montana.
William Schmoller, of Schmoller & Mueller,
Omaha, Neb., is on his way to Germany and
other countries in Europe.
THE BEST KNOWN
MUSICAL
NAME
IN THE WORLD.
According to information recently received
from Spain, the Gaceta Olicial, an official pub-
lication of the Government, dated May 19, 1921,
in announcing an increase in the import duties
in general of the Government of Spain, states
that the tariff on pianos has been increased in
the following manner:
"Article 520—grand pianos—Tariff 1, 975
pesetas. Tariff 2, 650 pesetas, plus percentage
for exchange in gold in which the payment has
to be made.
"Article 521—upright pianos, with or with-
out player actions—Tariff 1, 750 pesetas. Tariff
2, 500 pesetas, plus the gold exchange."
Tariff No. 2 applies to goods from the United
States. It is, therefore, to be understood that
grand pianos shipped from this country to Spain,
which were formerly taxed at 325 pesetas, plus
the exchange, will now be 650 pesetas, plus the
gold exchange. Upright pianos and player-
pianos, which formerly were assessed at 250
pesetas gold, will now be taxed 500 pesetas
when shipped from this country.
This is a much higher increase in duties than
was anticipated. When R. Vizcarrondo, of the
export department of the Baldwin Piano Co.,
was in Spain last October the Government was
figuring to increase the import duty only about
20 per cent. Such an increase obviously would not
have been harmful to piano manufacturers in
the United States who are doing business with
Spain, but the new duty is almost prohibitive
and manifestly unfair.
It cannot be said that this is a protective
tariff on behalf of home industries, for it is well
known that very few pianos are made in Spain
by local manufacturers and player-pianos are
not made at all in that country. Nor can this
tariff be due to the increased cost of Govern-
ment operation or living costs, because prices
in Spain are beginning to decline as in every
country throughout the world.
\t behooves American manufacturers of pianos
and players doing business with Spain to pre-
sent their views on this subject to the Secre-
tary of the Treasury of Spain through our diplo-
matic representatives in that country and also
bring the subject to the attention of our Gov-
ernment at, Washington. Whatever is done
should be done quickly.
The United States has been building up a
very excellent trade in musical instruments with
Spain. The people of that country seem to like
not only our pianos and players, but our smaller
types of musical instruments, and it is too bad
that a tariff so manifestly drastic amd prohibitive
should be put through at a time when the peo-
ple of that country desire musical instruments,
particularly of the American type, which make
such a favorable appeal.
THE BEST PROFIT
PRODUCER FOR THE
DEALER IN THE TRADE.