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14
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Milwaukee Music Merchants Begin to
Feel Approach of the Holiday Demand
Stores Already Beginning to Open Evenings—Bradford to Feature Duo-Art with Mary Howard
—Ruth Lloyd Kinney Appears with Ampico at Local Theatre and with Great Success
\ / f I L W A U K E E , WIS., December 3.—Busi-
•*•_ ness has been going along very well at
the majority of Milwaukee stores, especially
since the middle of November, and a good
December trade is expected. The approach of
Christmas has stimulated the demand for musi-
cal instruments to some extent, although sev-
eral stores report that this business is coming
in more slowly than in other years. With the
first week in December a number of local music
stores started keeping open during the evening
in order to attract holiday business, and window
displays with Christmas decorations are also
being used to call attention to musical instru-
ments as gift suggestions.
Hugh M. Holmes, vice-president and manager
of the J. B. Bradford Piano Co., said: "The
Brambach campaign has been going over big
and we have sold nearly all of these instru-
ments we have on the floor and have had to
reorder. The last ten days of this campaign
were very good."
The Duo-Art was featured in several special
recitals and entertainments in Milwaukee during
the last week of November. David Pesetzki,
Russian pianist, appeared in person at the Al-
hambra Theatre for one week in connection with
the film, "Sonia's Song," and also gave recitals
under the auspices of Bradford's at a number
of local organization meetings.
Direct comparison of Pesetzki's playing with
the Duo-Art was also featured when the pianist
Pratt Read
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Oldest and Best
appeared in recital before the Optimist Club,
the Izaak Walton League, Kiwanis Club, Tripoli
Shriners' Boosters Club and the Junior Associa-
tion of Commerce. According to Mr. Holmes,
these recitals were very well accepted and have
stimulated a great interest in the Duo-Art.
Bradford's featured the appearance of the
pianist with the Duo-Art in extensive advertis-
ing during the week, which added to its success.
Bradford's is also planning to feature the
Duo-Art during the coming week when Mary
Howard, one of America's youngest and best-
known prima donnas, will sing at the Milwaukee
Athletic Club between the hours of 6 and 8
o'clock, after which she will appear at the
Downer Theatre on the east side of the city,
which is in the choice residential district of the
city. During her appearances at the club Miss
Howard will be accompanied by the Steinway
Duo-Art grand, which was purchased by the
club last Spring. A Duo-Art reproducing piano,
furnished by Bradford's, will also accompany
the prima donna at the theatre.
C. W. Houseman, who has been with the
Bradford Co. for the past few years, has re-
signed his position as salesman for the company
and left here about the first of the month. Be-
fore his departure he was honor guest at a
dinner given by the sales force of the company
at which Hugh W. Randall, president, and Hugh
M. Holmes, vice-president and manager, spoke.
Mr. Randall presented Mr. Houseman with a
gift in token of their appreciation of his serv-
ices. During his work with Bradford's Mr.
Houseman specialized in the Mason & Hamlin
department
The Flanner-Hafsoos Music House, Inc.,
home of the Kurtzmann, Brinkerhoff and Behr
Bros, pianos, recently received the new Brinker-
hoff reproducing grand, called the Aria Divina,
and Mr. Flanner announced that they were very
much pleased with the instrument. It was sold
when it had been on the floor only two days.
W. L. Brinkerhoff, of the Brinkerhoff Co., was
a Milwaukee visitor last week.
Miss Ruth Lloyd Kinney, contralto, whose
appearance with the Ampico was so well re-
ceived when she came here under the auspices
of the Kesselman-O'Driscoll Co., has been ap-
pearing at a local theatre for a week's engage-
ment. During her first appearance here this
Fall Miss Kinney was accompanied by the Am-
pico in concerts before a number of local organ-
izations and clubs and her work was very well
received. The management of the Wisconsin
Theatre, Milwaukee's largest motion picture
house, purchased this act for the first week in
December through the Kesselman-O'Driscoll
Co. Miss Kinney is accompanied by the gold
bronze Knabe Ampico, which was purchased by
the theatre at the time of its opening last
Spring, and which is usually placed on the bal-
cony in the lobby, where it entertains the over-
flow crowds during the evenings.
Demand for musical merchandise for Christ-
mas has not yet started at the Boston Store,
according to J. J. Healy, manager of the music
department. Although a few sales have been
made for Christmas, the real demand for mer-
chandise for this purpose has not come in, he
states. The store did a fairly good business
during the latter part of November, with player-
pianos leading.
Tentative dates have been set for the music
festival of the Milwaukee public schools in 1925.
May 8 and 9 will be devoted to four perform-
ances by school children of the city, provided
consultation with the management of the Mil-
waukee Auditorium proves that a satisfactory
arrangement can be made for those days. Pupils
of the public schools took an active part in the
local observance of National Music Week last
DECEMBER 6,
1924
Spring, and the music festival for next May is a
development of that observance. The resolu-
tion favoring these two days was passed by the
School Board at the recommendation of the
course of instruction committee.
Tentative
plans, however, call for an event which will
be independent of other organizations and par-
ticipated in by the schools only.
Revision of Bankruptcy Laws
Is Urged by Circuit Judges
Prevention of Attempts to Defraud Creditors
Sought by Federal Judges and by Legal and
Business Interests
WASHINGTON, D. C, December 1.—Reorganiza-
tion of the bankruptcy laws is sought in recom-
mendations prepared by the judicial conference
of senior circuit judges, in co-operation with
committees from the American Bar and Na-
tional Credit Men's associations, which have
just been transmitted to the United States Su-
preme Court through Chief Justice Taft, chair-
man of the conference.
Prevention of attempts to defraud creditors
and of acts designed to institute involuntary
bankruptcy proceedings is sought in the recom-
mendations, together with rules which would
prohibit receivers from representing creditors
in any way.
Regulation of appointment of receivers in
cities of over 500,000 is recommended, together
with a change in rules which would require fees
and agreements as to fees in many cases being
set out in writing before an order confirming a
settlement is made.
The recommendations are part of an attempt
to secure a tightening up of the bankruptcy
laws, which was given impetus last session at
hearings before Congressional Committees, when
it was shown that regularly organized rings ex-
isted in some of the larger cities for the pur-
pose of floating bankruptcies with profit to the
members of the rings.
Conference on Distribution
in Washington Next Month
U. S. Chamber of Commerce Calls Meeting of
Manufacturing, Wholesale and Retail Inter-
ests to Consider That Problem
WASHINGTON, D. C, December 1.—A national
conference of retail, wholesale and manufactur-
ing interests has. been called by the United
States Chamber of Commerce, to meet in
Washington early next month to consider the
problem of distribution, with a view to reduc-
ing this very important cost factor.
The conference will appoint committees to
make detailed investigations of various phases
of the question, whose reports will be discussed
at a second general conference, when, it is
hoped, a definite program will be evolved for
the reduction of distribution costs in retail
merchandising.
The forthcoming conference will be the first
concerted attack upon the problem of distribu-
tion from the point of view of the distributor,
officials of the Chamber point out, and the field
of inquiry which it is proposed to cover has
been, for the most part, unexplored in the past.
The owners of establishments employed in dis-
tribution constitute the largest single class of
business men in the United States, it is declared,
numbering not less than 1,500,000.
Buys Out Palmer's Interest
WINCHESTER, VA., November 29.—G. L. Brawner,
of the music firm of Seal-Brawner, located on
Piccadilly street, has purchased the interest of
his partner, Henry Seal. The store will con-
tinue to operate at the same location under the
name of the Brawner-Anderson Music Store in
the future.