Music Trade Review

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The Music Trade Review
Manila Music Merchant Planning to Open
Branches in Hong Kong and Singapore
Points Out That Germans Win in Competition by Meeting Climatic Conditions in East Indies—
Heine Piano Co. Planning to Open Los Angeles Store
OAN FRANCISCO, CAL, June 18.—Arthur F.
^ Uggen, of the Lyric Music House, Inc.
Manila (P. I.), has the only American-owned
and controlled music store in the Far East, and
he has had such success that he is considering
opening up new branches, probably in Hong
Kong and Singapore. He has, however, a
problem that he would like to have settled be-
fore he expands and this has brought him to the
United States. Mr. Uggen landed here a few
days ago and called on A. L. Quinn, Western
manager for the Q R S Music Co. He was
greatly interested in the process of manufactur-
ing rolls, especially as his store in Manila is a
Q R S dealer. It was after visiting the mechan-
ical department that Mr. Uggen told Mr. Quinn
why he has made a special trip to the United
States in order to visit some of the piano man-
ufacturers here.
Germans Cater to Climatic Conditions
In the Philippine Islands, as well as elsewhere
in the Far East, the dealers seem forced to buy
large quantities of German-made pianos. This
is due to the fact that the German manufac-
turers take the climate into consideration in
making up their pianos. For one thing, veneer
blisters under hot, moist tropical conditions and
German manufacturers are quite willing to make
pianos of unveneered wood, polished to a fine
finish. They also use screws in many places
where the American manufacturers use glue.
Mr. Uggen is here to try to make arrangements
with some of the American manufacturers for
making pianos for export that will resist the
hot, soggy tropical climate of the Far East.
He is very partial to the American player-
piano, but as it is made at present he hesitates
to sell it to either white or native in outlying
districts, as it does not stand up under the
moist heat and the services of an expert me-
chanic are required to keep it in order. The
natives are very fond of music and there is a
field for player-pianos among the natives. Mr.
Uggen plans to visit Eastern piano manufac-
turers and see if any of them will cater to
Oriental climatic conditions. He will also call
at the Q R S Music Co.'s headquarters in
Chicago.
Three Great Valleys Facing Prosperity
Wiley B. Allen Co. branch managers from
three of the great California valleys are all visit-
ing headquarters here and give hopeful accounts
of the outlook. They are R. W. Young, from
Fresno (San Joaquin Valley); William Law-
rence, from San Jose (Santa Clara Valley), and
Harry Williams, of the Sacramento branch
(Sacramento Valley). Speaking of the reports
brought in by these three branch managers,
James J. Black, treasurer of the company, said
they all believe that the music trades will re-
ceive their fair share of the promising crop con-
ditions in the three great valleys and things look
promising for the remainder of the year.
Tucker Delighted With New L. A. Store
Maurice Michaels, of the piano department of
the Wiley B. Allen Co. here, has just returned
from a vacation motor trip in southern Cali-
fornia. In Los Angeles he found E. P. Tucker,
the branch manager there, very much elated
over the new location of the store. Business,
especially Ampico business, was most encourag-
ing. The new box-office arrangements are very
satisfactory. The store handles box-office sales
for the bulk of the concerts.
R. E. Wolfinger, manager of the phonograph
department of the Wiley B. Allen Co., has sold
a Brunswick Panatrope, combination radio and
phonograph, to William B. Leeds, Jr., for his
home in Oyster Bay. Mr. Leeds, who has been
staying at Hotel Del Monte, expressed satis-
faction with the Brunswick Panatrope recently
installed there. This reaching the attention of
Mr. Wolfinger, he called on Mr. Leeds and the
result of the visit was a thousand-dollar sale.
Robertson Returns From N. Y. Convention
A telegram has been received by Sherman,
Clay & Co.'s offices here, stating that R. E.
Robertson, who has general supervision of the
Northwest branches for the firm, has returned
from the convention in New York. P. T. Clay,
president of the firm, who was accompanied
East by Mr. Robertson, has not yet returned.
Seeking New Location in Los Angeles
Mrs. S. Heine, president of the Heine Piano
Co., is in Los Angeles, considering several pos-
sible new locations for the branch there of the
Heine Piano Co. At present it is at 110 South
Spring street, but Mrs. Heine is anxious to see
the store in a more central location and she
went South to find one.
J. F. Hale Has Almost Recovered
J. F. Hale, of Kohler & Chase, assistant to the
president, has returned from a business trip to
the South. Mr. Hale stated to-day that he
has almost recovered from his recent somewhat
severe illness and is busy at work again. It is
hoped to move to the new store early next
week.
"Dream of Love" on Victor Records
One of the best-selling records on the Coast
at present is the new Victor record, "Dream
of Love," with "If I Were King" from the light
opera "Patsy." "Dream of Love" is a Floren-
tine publication and an even later one is "Count
the Stars" by Maurice Gunsky.
E. G. Johnson, representative of the Wiley B.
Allen Co. at Eureka, Humbolt County, has
aroused a great deal of interest in that northern
California seaport by at last discovering what
is believed to be the desk used by Ulysses S.
Grant, then Captain Grant, when he was sta-
tioned at Fort Humbolt for five months in
1853-4. At the Pacific Exposition held in San
Francisco in 1915 Mr. Johnson learned from an
expert on antiques that the desk used by Cap-
tain Grant was supposed to be in Humbolt
County. For eleven years he has been seeking
JUNE 26, 1926
the desk and once traced it to a house that was
found to have burned down. Last week, how-
ever, the desk was found at an abandoned house
An itinerant, stopping to speak to Johnson at
his place of business and noting a number oi
antique objects, said that the music dealer ought
to see the old desk he had seen in a house where
he had found shelter the night before. Because
he likes old things, Johnson went to the tumble-
down place and was greatly surprised to see a
desk exactly resembling the one used by Grant,
according to the sketch made by the antique
dealer eleven years before. The music store is
at 226 D. street, Eureka.
Preparing Radio Exposition
Active preparations have been begun for the
Pacific Radio Exposition, which will be held in
the Civic Auditorium here, from August 21 to
28, under the auspices of the Pacific Radio
Trade Association. Mark E. Smith, district
sales manager, E. T. Cunningham, Inc., is
chairman of the Exposition Committee of the
Association.
Reproducer and Player
in Piano Promotion
(Continued from paijc 3)
study and practice, enables him to command
all the resources of the keyboard. It is a fact
actually well known that there are groups of
player-pianists here and there throughout the
land who have found their musical salvation in
the player-piano and who would not give up for
anything the satisfaction they get out of their
greater or lesser mastery of its control. Those
who complain that the player-piano does not
sell readily simply have never tried to sell it in-
telligently.
Now the player-piano naturally should share
in the benefit of the campaign about to begin.
If this is to happen the men who are under-
taking to sell it must get behind it upon the
understanding that it is a musical instrument,
and to be sold as such. Which probably means
that most of them will have to begin to learn
to play it. And that, after all, would be worth
while even if no other result should become
presently apparent.
Whatever is collectively said and done to tell
the story of the pianoforte once more to the
American people will benefit the player-piano.
Display of Q R S Products by the
F. A. North Co. of Philadelphia, Pa.