Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Pennsylvania Music Dealers Form a
State Body at Harrisburg
Organization Meeting of Music Dealers of Keystone State at Harrisburg on May 3 and 4 Results in Forma-
tion of State-Wide Organization—A. Z. Moore Elected President, G. W. P. Jones and C. C.
Shaffer, Vice-Presidents, 0 . B. Lank, Secretary, and J. H. Troup, Treasurer of New Body
ARRISBURG, PA., May 4.—Yesterday
was a memorable one for the music
merchants of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, for it saw the bringing to fruition
of long-delayed plans for the formation of a
State organization under the title of the Penn-
H
Following the luncheon, the meeting was
quickly organized, with M. V. DeForeest, of
Sharon, past president of the National Associa-
tion of Music Merchants, as acting chairman.
William C. Hamilton, of Pittsburgh, one of the
most active factors in bringing about the meet-
Pennsylvania Dealers Gathered at Harrisburg, Pa.
sylvania Music Merchants' Association. Pro- ing, first presented the proposed constitution
gressive merchants of the State have long had and by-laws for the new association, and these
the idea in mind of forming their own organiza- were adopted unanimously and after very little
tion, and several moves toward that end have discussion. These provide for the affiliation of
been made in the past, though they never de- the new association with the National Associa-
veloped to a point where an actual meeting was tion of Music Merchants. The annual dues
held. This time, however, some of the bravest were fixed at $15, which covers the members'
spirits forced the issue, with the result that dues for the national body.
As soon as the adoption of the constitution
about fifty retailers from all sections of the
State gathered here to participate in launching and by-laws made the association a matter of
fact there was a rush to sign applications for
the new body.
Although only a half-hundred attended the membership in the new body. Arthur O. Lech-
first meeting, many others took occasion to ner, president of the Piano Merchants' Asso-
write or wire the committee, pledging their sup- ciation of Pittsburgh, had the honor of signing
port to the movement and regretting their in- the first application.
One of the things that made the formation
ability to attend in person, and it is believed
that, with the organization under way, the of a State association particularly desirable at
membership roll will not be long in passing the this time was the necessity of giving considera-
tion to the protection of trade members under
hundred mark and keep climbing.
a new conditional sales act passed last year by
First Session
The. morning was given over to registration the State Legislature and now in force.
The new act provides that all conditional
and to an informal committee meeting for the
purpose of threshing out details of the proposed sales contracts must be filed, which means addi-
constitution and by-laws, and promptly at 12.15 tional "expense to the merchants, and it also
all those in attendance, including several manu- provides certain rather complicated regulations
facturers and their representatives, gathered at to be observed where it is found necessary to
the luncheon tables for the opening of the first repossess an instrument for non-payment of
formal session, O. B. Lank, of the Harrisburg instalments.
It developed that, although some of the piano
committee, acting as toastmaster and temporary
houses were operating under the new condi-
chairman.
The visitors were welcomed to Harrisburg by tional sales act, the great majority were con-
the mayor of the city and by Francis J. Hall, tinuing to sell pianos under a form of bailment
president of the local Chamber of Commerce. lease without going through the form of filing,
Other speakers at the luncheon proper were C. it being claimed that the new act did not have
J. Roberts, of Baltimore, formerly of Pitts- any bearing on that particular type of contract.
burgh, who was largely responsible for organiz- Dr. R. E. Fox, research manager of the Penn-
ing the Pittsburgh dealers into an association; sylvania Chamber of Commerce, addressed the
George W. Allen, past president of the National meeting at length regarding the new conditional
Piano Travelers' Association and of the New sales act and its bearing on musical instrument
York Piano Manufacturers' Association, and sales, citing some interesting opinions by the
George E. Mansfield, present head of the Na- chamber's attorney on the subject.
The new association will give prompt atten-
tional Piano Travelers' Association. Several
stars and members of the male chorus of the tion to this question of instalment selling con-
Harrisburg Civic Opera Company, made up of tracts, first, with a view to developing a
volunteer singers, who are this season present- standard form of contract which will give ade-
ing "The Prince of Pilsen," were present and quate protection to the merchant, and, secondly,
sang the chorus numbers from that production. to taking steps to have the conditional sales act
amended to exempt musical instruments or to
have some of its troublesome provisions
amended or eliminated. It was pointed out
that, with the primary election contest on in
the State, the music men had an excellent op-
portunity to obtain political backing for any
such move as they plan to make in relation to
the conditional sales law.
Dinner in Evening
The proceedings of the first day were brought
to a close with an informal dinner in the eve-
ning, at which the speakers were Henry E.
Weisert, of Chicago, president of the National
Association of Music Merchants; Arthur O.
Lechner, president of the Piano Merchants' As-
sociation of Pittsburgh; Charles H. Yahrling,
first vice-president of the National Association
of Music Merchants; Richard W. Lawrence,
past president and director of the Music In-
dustries Chamber of Commerce, and Alex.
McDonald, of the National Association of
Music Merchants.
Mr. Lawrence made a particularly brilliant
address in which he emphasized the fact that
prosperity was abroad in the land and other
industries were growing steadily and rapidly,
with the automobile strongly in the forefront.
He pointed out that there was little or no un-
employment, that industries were active and
that the workers were getting high wages,
which makes possible the buying of many com-
modities and the enjoyment of a high standard
of living.
The speaker declared that, even were an esti-
mated piano production of 300,000 instruments
in 1925 accepted as fact, the number was en-
tirely too small, and that it was up to the piano
retailers to work harder to bring about a desire
in the children of the country to want to play
the piano. In this connection he quoted from
an article which appeared in The Review of
May 1 on a survey made in the schools of
Johnstown, Pa., where out of 4,300 school chil-
dren 4,200 expressed a desire to play some
musical instrument, of whom 804 girls and 166
boys, or a total of 970 children in all, expressed
the wish to play the piano. These figures were
most effective in establishing the fact that there
was available a means for developing a future
piano market if the music men would but take
advantage of the opportunity. He also told
of the success of the piano-playing contest now
being held in Detroit.
Mr. McDonald also stressed the necessity for
encouraging the teaching of piano playing in
the schools of the country as the most direct
means for the development of a substantial
market for pianos. He also advocated the re-
taining of some individual of prominence and
standing in the country to travel far and wide
and to preach the gospel of making America
musical by teaching the youth of the land to
express themselves musically.
The Election
At this point the nominating committee,
headed by A. E. Winter, of Altoona, presented
the following nominations for officers of the
association for its first year, all of whom were
elected unanimously:
President, A. Z. Moore, Lancaster, Pa.;
first vice-president, G. W. P. Jones, Washing-
ton, Pa.; second vice-president, C. C. Shaffer,
Oil City, Pa.; secretary, O. B. Lank, Harris-
(Continued on page 9)
*->