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CHICAGO AND THE MIDDLE WEST
Frank W. Kirk, Manager, 1302 Republic Building, South State St., Chicago
Chicago P. & O. Association Pledges
Full Support to Chicago Piano Contest
At Special Meeting Held at the Great Northern Hotel, Organization Subscribes Sub-
stantial Fund to Event—E. P. Lapham the Speaker
/CHICAGO, ILL., December 15.—In addition to
^ pledging full co-operation and support to the
second annual Chicago Piano Playing Tourna-
ment, the Chicago Piano & Organ Association at
a special meeting held at the Great Northern Hotel
to-day subscribed a substantial amount to the
fund that is being raised among the members of
the local trade to carry out the program for
next year.
There is every indication that the 1928 contest
will have the full support of every local member
and house, for the trade as a whole realizes the
future benefits to be derived from such effort and
investment that may be made to promote an an-
nual contest and are entering upon the work with
unusual zeal to carry it to a successful end.
Before discussing the plans of the coming tour-
nament at the meeting, during which short talks
were given by Roger O'Connor, of Kranich &
Bach, president of the Association, Charles E.
Byrne, of the Steger & Sons Piano Mfg. Co., Adam
Schneider and others, an interesting picture of
present and future conditions was drawn by E.
P. Lapham.
Mr. Lapham was associated with the trade for
many years before entering the financial field
through his connection with Dangler, Lapham &
Co., and his knowledge of economic and financial
conditions as well as his long experience in the
music business enables him to speak with author-
ity on conditions in general and how they affect
the music business in particular. He said in part:
"With the radio business increasing from
$2,000,000 to $600,000,000 in six years' time, and
when the Commonwealth Edison Co., some twenty-
five years ago, wished to negotiate a $2,000,000 loan
they were compelled to send a special emissary to
London to obtain this money, while at the present
time a $75,000,000 bond issue is absorbed over
night, you can see how impossible it is to use
the old yardstick in business measurement.
"The present custom of the so-called hand-to-
mouth buying is saving merchants from being
caught as formerly with large stocks, which, with
a drop in prices, had to be written off as con-
siderable loss. This saving has been offset some-
what by his meeting with heavy sales losses the
last season, caused by unseasonable weather which
has existed all over the country."
After giving a brief review of the various in-
dustries, including textiles, steel, automobiles, real
estate and the agricultural situation, Mr. Lapham
said:
"Aiany bank presidents are tremendously op-
timistic for the coming year. Henry Ford has
just said: 'My outlook lor the coming year is
based on ample evidence of continued and increas-
ing material prosperity. National wealth is in-
creasing, individuals have more money, taxes are
on ihe decrease, and governmental economy has
made lor better business in all lines.'
"Crops and future prospects are good, it being
estimated that the product of the farmer will
amount to $1,1)00,000,000 this year. There is an
increase of millions of dollars in deposits in our
savings banks, largely due, in my opinion, to high
wages paid, and also to prohibition. Bond prices
are highest since 1913, and going higher, railroads
are prospering, the Government changed from a
debtor to a creditor nation, and high wages with
labor well employed. Imports are falling off and
exports increasing to the amount of $356,000,000
in the past nine months, which assures no deple-
tion of our gold supply. There are many large
projects to be started during 1928 in Chicago.
These are some of the reasons for sustained busi-
ness and a prosperous future."
Among those present at the meeting were
President Roger O'Connor; Vice-President R. J.
Cook, Cable Piano Co.; Secretary J. V. Sill, W.
W. Kimball Co.; Treasurer Adam Schneider; E.
F. Lapham, C. J. Steger and Chas. E. Byrne,
Steger & Sons Piano Co.; William Collins, H. C.
Bay Co.; Ben Strub, Standard Pneumatic Action
Co.; James T. Bristol, James T. Bristol, Inc.;
Jack Cheney, Piano & Organ Supply Co.; Roy
Hibschmann, Motor Player Corp.; E. P. Whit-
more, Eugene Whelan, David Kimball, W. W.
Kimball Co.; Chas. Burtzloff, Kohler Industries;
E. Hill, of P. A. Starck Co.
AT almost regular, and certainly at frequent intervals during the
last four years this paper, The Review, has told the piano industry,
the small goods industry, the sheet music industry, and all those
sub groups which together make up what we col-
~, eace> ,
lectively name the music industries that the day
Goodwill,
Victory
ot
-
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Urges Music Temple
for Chicago Memorial
V. F. Grabil, of Sherwood School of Music,
Outlines Plan Before the Chicago Piano Club
The need for a fitting and desirable memorial
to Chicago's heroes by the erection of a temple
of music was emphasized by Victor F. Grabil,
band leader, at the last weekly meeting of the
Chicago Piano Club.
Mr. Grabil, who is associated with the Sher-
wood School of Music, proposed that the most
fitting memorial would be a beautiful and com-
modious music pavilion, or temple of music, to
be located in Grant Park.
This same proposal was presented to the pub-
lic by Mr. Grabil through the daily papers, and
in his talk to the members of the Piano Club
he urged the further promotion of this idea.
He said:
"Chicago is widely advertised as one of the
foremost art-music centers. We have the Field
Museum, the Art Institute and other museums.
During the Winter we have a richly diversified
musical program with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra and the Chicago Civic Opera taking
the lead, but during the Summer we have prac-
tically nothing musical.
"It is estimated that we have 25,000 music
students studying here in the Summer, many
of them being teachers from colleges and
schools all over America. They cannot but
wonder at the total lack of good music within
the city during that time.
"An artistic pavilion could be so constructed
as to afford a large seating capacity and, by be-
ing opened on the sides and rear, allow for many
additional listeners. With a scientifically con-
structed band shell at one end many thousands
could hear the music in comfort, and concerts
could be given regardless of weather condi-
tions."
It was announced that the next meeting of
the club would be held after the first of the
year on January 8, 1928.
Wins in New Field
Members of the local trade who know W. A.
Sheaffer, formerly a piano dealer at Ft. Madi-
son, la., referred to the notice which appeared
{Continued on piiflc 16)
be interpreter. The trade paper Daniels are indeed, as always,
ready to interpret the writing, but their services by now should
scarcely be needed. For the writing is plain and the language
familiar. "Ye have fought amongst yourselves. Ye have wounded
each other. Cease now from your contentions, for the enemy is
at the gate. Band together, raise the banner of Music for the
People, and go forth to fight as one man, brother shoulder to
shoulder with brother. For the enemy is powerful, the enemy is
strong and the enemy lusteth for blood. His banners are Novelty,
Aggressiveness, Money. He is young, insolent with success and
drunk with power. To meet him, whether his war-cry be motor
car, real estate, fur coat, or iceless icebox, you too must be strong.
Insolent, noisy, aggressive you need not be, for you are of old
and honorable lineage. But victorious you can be, for the goddess
whom ye serve is the most gracious and the most puissant of god-
desses. Her name is Music, whom strong men and gracious ladies
alike delight to worship. With her sign on your banners ye cannot
fail." These are the words and this the interpretation. Could one
offer to friends of the music industries, whom one has the happy
privilege of addressing on this page, any better Christmas wish than
that they may heed the writing on the wall and obey the command
it reveals. For that way lies Victory.
OCCIDENS.
/-i
Competition is here. O. L. Cheney,
the New York banker, who first brought this
name into general use, has well said that the old day of internecine
warfare among the members of an industry is already dead, and
that it has been succeeded by the day of large scale war among
great embattled armies, each comprising a great industry and each
composed of individual members working in harmony and obeying
commands laid down by a general staff of merchandising and adver-
tising experts. If ever there has been an industry intensely cen-
trifugal, intensely inclined to fly off into its constituent elements
at the least excuse, or at no excuse at all, that industry has been,
and is, ours. If ever there was an industry of which the con-
stituent elements delight in fighting among themselves, in see-
ing how much damage each can do to his neighbor, who should
be his brother, it is our industry. Yet if ever the handwriting
flashed plain upon the wall of destiny, it flashes now. And its
Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin may be read by almost any would-
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