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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MARCH 10,
1923
OHIO DEALERS SUPPORT NEW BILL
SHIFTS IN COLUMBIA SALES FORCE
DISCUSS MUSICMEMORY CONTEST
Answer Call of Secretary of Music Merchants'
Association of Ohio to Get Behind Measure
Introduced for Protection of Trade
H. E. Gardiner in Philadelphia, R. J. Mueller in
Cleveland and H. P. Haring and A. B. Creal
Become Regional Representatives
Victor Dealers of Northern Ohio Gather in
Cleveland to Hear Mrs. Frances E. Clark Ex-
plain Features of the Contest
CLEVELAND, O., March 5.—State-wide call to every
member of the music industry in Ohio, whether
a member of the Music Merchants' Association
of Ohio or not, to get behind the new legisla-
tion that has been introduced at Columbus and
support the measure to the full has been issued
this week by Secretary Rexford C. Hyre. J'lea
that every member of the industry apprise his
legislator of the importance of this bill, to the
end that it will be passed, likewise is made by
Mr. Hyre.
"The importance of this bill, known as house
bill No. 347, cannot be overestimated," says Mr
Hyre. "It has been prepared with great and
careful attention to detail, contains no sleepers,
and means what it says. In effect, it attempts
to prevent frauds in the giving and recording
of Ohio chattel mortgages. It is the kind of
protection the music merchant, and particularly
the piano dealer, has needed and wants. It is
really no exaggeration to say that passiveness
on the part of the merchant may mean failure
of the bill, while action on his part may mean
its passage—and the protection that it affords."
The new bill is designed to allow a period
of five days for the filing of chattel mortgages
by dealers, and thus will relieve them of the
present necessity of having an immediate rec-
ord made of such transactions,, and also pro-
vides fines of from $100 to $1,000 and prison
sentences of from one to three years for those
who give fictitious names and addresses in con-
nection with the giving of the chattel mort-
gages. This last provision is regarded as par-
ticularly important and being calculated to stop
a form of fraud that has caused considerable
loss to music merchants.
Through his position in the legal fraternity
Mr. Hyre succeeded in getting Hon. M. J. Wal-
ther to introduce the bill at Columbus. Indeed,
Mr. Walther is the author of the measure, and
as such has given freely of his time and skill
in preparing the document. It is the belief of
both Mr. Walther and Mr. Hyre that passage
of the measure will give the merchants pro-
tection that no other method will afford. Mr.
Hyre expects to tell of its merits before the
next meeting of the Music Merchants' Associa-
tion of Northern Ohio, of which body he also
is secretary.
In conjunction with the recent announcement
by Geo. W. Hopkins, general sales manager of
the Columbia Graphophone Co., relative to the
company's new distributing plans, another an-
nouncement was made this week in connection
with changes in the personnel. These changes,
effective March 1, are as follows: H. E. Gardi-
ner, formerly manager of the Detroit branch,
becomes manager of the Philadelphia branch;
H. I'. Haring, formerly manager of the Buffalo
branch, and A. B. Creal, formerly manager of
the St. Louis branch, become regional repre-
sentatives, and R. J. Mueller, formerly of the
Omaha branch, becomes assistant manager of
the Cleveland branch.
In sending this announcement to the Colum-
bia organization, Mr. Hopkins stated that it
had already been demonstrated that the regional
branches are going to give Columbia dealers
better service than they had ever received
before and that the entire organization has ex-
pressed its approval of the new plans for 1923.
CLEVELAND, O., March 5.—More than fifty Victor
dealers in the northern Ohio territory were
guests of the Cleveland Talking Machine Co.
and the Eclipse Musical Co., Victor jobbers, at
a special meeting at Hotel Winton to-day,
where they heard Mrs. Frances Elliott Clark,
head of the educational department of the Vic-
tor Co., tell of the development of the music
memory contest, and of facts pertaining to the
contest in Ohio particularly. With Mrs. Clark
were her aides, Miss Marie Finney, Miss Mar-
geret M. Steeter and R. J. Coleman.
The contest in Ohio is believed to be inter-
esting 150,000 children. Contests are being held
in nearly every town, city and county. Winners
in these localities will compete in finals for the
State at Columbus during May. The contest in
Cleveland will close some time in April. The
schools are using the Victor records specified
by individual workers in the respective districts.
Approximately fifty numbers are being used in
each school as well as instruments on which to
play them. The children need these records to
keep themselves abreast of the work, and thus
their elders are made interested, and made cus-
tomers for the live, merchants who want to cash
in on this business.
The work, dealers here learned, is the result
of twelve years' effort on the part of Mrs. Clark
to put it across with school interests. The first
State contest was held in 1916. Seven State
contests now arc being conducted. It is be-
lieved that perhaps twice as many such con-
tests may be held next year.
DOEHLER CO. ELECTS DIRECTORS
At the annual meeting of the stockholders of
the Doehler Die-Casting Co., held at the execu-
tive offices of the company, at Court, Ninth
and Huntington streets, Brooklyn, New York, a
short time ago, the company elected the fol-
lowing directors, to serve for the ensuing year,
namely: H. H. Doehler, Charles Pack, John A.
Schultz, Jr., H. B. Griffin, John Kralund, F. L.
Duerk, John L. Pratt, A. P. Sloan, Jr., and E.
J. Quintal.
BUY RIDDELL PHONOGRAPH STOCK
DALLAS, TEX., March 6.—The Collins-Decker
Co., Inc., operators of a chain of music stores
throughout Texas, with headquarters in Green-
ville, Tex., recently concluded negotiations
whereby the stock and fixtures of the Riddell
Phonograph Co., 1205 Elm street, were pur-
chased by them. J. S. Frank, for the past six
years with the Collins-Decker Co., has been
appointed manager of the local branch in this
city, and is planning an extensive selling cam-
paign to increase sales.
NEW LOCATION INJlARSHFIELD, ORE.
L. L. Thomas Music Co. Holds Formal Opening
of New Music Establishment in That City
MAKSHKIELP, ORE., March 3.—The L. L. Thomas
Music Co., of this city, moved into a new loca-
tion at 162 South Second street during the past
month, having its formal opening February 16.
Mr. Thomas is most enthusiastic over his new
establishment and future business. The new
store is modern in every respect and artistically
finished throughout in old ivory and gray. A
large room has been installed for the display of
the Gulbransen line of player-pianos, as well as
four modern audition booths and one large dem-
onstrating room for Victrolas and Brunswick
phonographs.
Mr. Thomas has been in business in Marsh-
field for eleven years and is a prominent figure
in the business world of this thriving lumber
community. He is president of the Oregon
State Retail Merchants' Association, vice-presi-
dent of the Chamber of Commerce and a direc-
tor of Coos County Business Men's Association,
and is altogether a "live wire." The Thomas
Music House claims the distinction of being the
farthest west of any music store on the con-
tinent.
GETTING WINDOW DISPLAY IDEAS
The Talking Machine Dealer Can Profit by
Window Display Ideas Put in Effect by Other
Aggressive Merchandisers
BOSTON COLUMBIA SALES SCHOOL
Courses for Retail Saleswomen in Boston With
Large Attendance Prove Success—Twenty-
eight Take Instruction Offered
BOSTON, MASS., March S.—Numerous calls made
since the first of the year by Columbia dealers
in this territory for trained saleswomen were
responsible for the inauguration of a training
course by the Columbia Co., which proved a
marked success. Over fifty applications were
received for this course and twenty-eight were
finally accepted, and these saleswomen were
given an efficient training under the supervision^
of Mrs. Alice W. Graves, the record sales and
stock-keeping expert of the Boston branch.
Two classes were held daily, and one at night
being for the benefit of those who were unable
to attend the afternoon class.
During the progress of the course there were
talks by W. A. Wilson, manager of the educa-
tion department of the Columbia Graphophone
Co.; O. F. Benz, record sales manager of the
company; Fred W. Mann, manager of the Bos-
ton branch, and E. H. McCarthy, of the Boston
branch sales force. At the close of the course
the members of the class listened to an inter-
esting talk by Olin Downes, music critic of the
Boston Post and author of the "Lure of Music,"
and were entertained by Toscha Seidel, famous
violinist and exclusive Columbia artist, and
Harry C. Brown, well-known musical comedy
and vaudeville headlincr.
Talking machine dealers can profit by analysis
of window displays of other merchants in their
communities regardless of whether these dis-
plays appertain to the music business. For
example: It is especially noticeable that rapid
strides in the science of window displays have
been made by women's apparel shops. Fea-
tures of lighting and background effects which
make these displays distinctive can be utilized
in most instances by the talking machine dealer.
At least he can obtain some excellent ideas in
this manner and ideas are a valuable asset, pro-
vided thev are carried out.
OPENS NEW GRAFONOLA DEPARTMENT
The Talking Machine Co., of Austin, Tex.,
has increased its capital from $34,500 to $400,000.
The concern has also changed its name to the
F. E. Swan Co., and moved to Houston, Tex.
VICKSBURG, Miss., March 5.—The Feld Furni-
ture Co., of this city, which recently held the
formal opening of its new Columbia Grafonola
department, gained considerable publicity from
this event which has already resulted in sales.