Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
FEBRUARY 4, 1928
The Music Trade Review
Visiting Music Men Entertained in New York
Dinner Tendered the Executive Board of the National Association of Music Merchants and the Directors of the Music Industries Chamber
of Commerce by the New York Piano Manufacturers' Association and the New York Piano Merchants' Association
Commerce Chamber Deficit Is Guaranteed
(Continued from page 3)
come with which to carry on its work unless the
situation is immediately remedied, be it therefore
"Resolved, that this committee earnestly
recommend to the president and Board of Di-
rectors of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce that every effort be made to provide
the necessary funds to enable the Bureau to
restore its suspended activities, proceed with
its normal undertaking and meet the necessities
of logical expansion.
"Your committee estimates that $20,000 will
be required instead of $13,740, which is the pres-
ent curtailed basis, or a difference of $6,260."
At the Wednesday meeting a number of
prominent educators and musical authorities at-
tended and emphasized the importance of the
Bureau's work and its great value in every phase
of music educational activities.
The next matter discussed concerned the
fraudulent duplication of piano leases by certain
types of dealers for the purpose of discounting
the paper two or three times. Cases of such
frauds have been frequent enough within the
past year to make some action advisable, and
after discussion the Chamber was directed to
establish a clearing house in its present wedit
department to enable manufacturers and finance
companies to ferret out fraudulent leases. The
Manufacturers' Association appointed a commit-
tee to work with the Chamber officials in the
conduct of the clearing house, the cost of opera-
tion of which will be covered by the users.
The resignation of Steinway & Sons as in-
dividual members of the Chamber was received
and accepted, the company having been elected
to membership in the National Piano Manufac-
turers' Association.
Tentative plans for the annual convention of
the music industries to be held at the Hotel
Commodore, New York, during the week of
June 4 were discussed, and it was agreed that
the policy of making it primarily a business
gathering rather than a social one would again
be followed. The meetings of the various asso-
ciations are to be held during the morning
hours, and the afternoons to be given over to
the exhibits.
Tt was stated, in this connection, that the
regulation of the exhibits would be considerably
tightened, and the practice of outside manufac-
turers joining with the Chamber at the last
moment for the purpose of securing exhibit
privileges would no longer be tolerated. Only
those concerns who hold membership in the
Chamber as of March 1, this year, will be recog-
nized as entitled to exhibit, though it will be
possible in certain cases for the company, within
a reasonable time after that date, to submit
their applications for membership as of March 1
and meet the dues from that date.
Miss Helen Curtis, founder of the Curtis Sys-
tem of Group Piano Instruction, was elected
to individual membership in the Chamber.
In order that Chamber problems that arise
between ineetings of the directors might be
handled promptly and efficiently the Board rati-
fied the appointment of an executive committee
to act for the Chamber whenever occasion de-
mands. The committee consists of Hermann
Irion, president; Chas. H. Yahrling, first vice-
president; Wm. J. Haussler, second vice-presi-
dent; Herbert Simpson, treasurer, and C. J.
Roberts, C. D. Greenleaf, W. E. Guylee, Roy S.
Hibshman, Max J. deRochemont, Mark P.
Campbell, Richard W. Lawrence, E. R. Jacob-
son, C. Alfred Wagner and Walter W. Clark,
all of the Board of Directors.
The president was authorized to add to the
Music Advancement Advisory Committee non-
members such as prominent music educators
and authorities in number not to exceed 20 per
cent for the entire personnel of the committee.
The Revenue Bill now before Congress was
discussed at some length, and steps were taken
for the further co-ordination of the trade in the
effort being made to eliminate from the bill
the provision for double taxation on instalment
sale reports.
The meeting itself was one of the best at-
tended in the history of the Chamber, those
present including: Hermann Irion, president;
Chas. H. Yahrling, first vice-president; Wm. J.
Haussler, second vice-president; Alfred L.
Smith, secretary and general manager; Herbert
Simpson, treasurer, and of the Board of Direc-
tors: C. D. Bond, Mark P. Campbell, Walter W.
Clark, M. V. DeForeest, Raymond E. Durham,
A. K. Gutsohn, W. E. Guylee, Roy S. Hibshman,
E. R. Jacobson, Gordon Laughead, Richard W.
Lawrence, C. J. Roberts, Max J. deRochemont,
Edward H. Uhl, C. Alfred Wagner and Arthur
L. Wessell.
Between the morning and afternoon sessions
of the Chamber directors, they, together with
members of the Board of Control of the Na-
tional Association of Music Merchants, were
taken to the Steinway & Sons factories in As-
toria, L. I., as guests of that company, to enjoy
a special orchestra concert provided by the
members of the Steinway Musical Society, un-
der the direction of Richard Eckner. The
orchestra of some thirty-five men presented a
program including the "Hungarian Comedy
Overture," by Kela-Bcla; "Talcs of the Vienna
Woods," waltz, by Strauss; selections from the
opera "La Traviata" by Verdi, and the "Chief
of Staff March," by Axt. They played with a
precision and authority that astonished the vis-
itors and aroused great enthusiasm, and demon-
strated the great possibilities of building up a
musical atmosphere in the factory itself. That
the orchestra is appreciated by its fellow work-
ers was demonstrated by the large groups of
factory men who gave up their luncheon hour
to attend the concert.
After refreshments were served the party
again boarded the large buses that had brought
them from New York, and on the return trip
from the Ditmars avenue factory, where the con-
cert was given, stopped at the Riker avenue
plant and inspected with much interest the great
plate foundry, the key and action making de-
partments and the great mill rooms and lumber
stocks of the company, the tour being made un-
der the guidance of Theodore Cassebeer, man-
ager of the factories.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review.
WATCH US GROW—Ludwig Pianos