Music Trade Review

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The Music Trade Review
Paul ]VL Booth, British Plate Maker,
Is Luncheon Guest of New York Trade
Formally Welcomed to This Country by Hermann Irion, of Steinway & Sons, at Event
Tendered in His Honor by Richard W. Lawrence—Many Present
A DISTINGUISHED trade visitor to reach
"^^ our shores last week is Paul M. Booth,
cx-chairman of the Federation of British Music
Industries and a member of the firm of Booth
& Brooks, Burnham - on - Crouch, England,
piano-plate makers.
Mr. Booth stated frankly that he had come
to the United States particularly for the pur-
pose of observing business methods on this
side of the water as they concern his branch
of the industry and was seeking information
that he could carry home with him and use to
advantage in improving manufacturing and dis-
tributing methods. He will remain in the coun-
try for about a month and expects to travel
as far West as Chicago, stopping in Rochester,
Buffalo, Toronto, Chicago, Springfield, O., and
Washington, during his tour. He has already
received invitations to inspect numerous repre-
sentative plants engaged in the making of
pianos and parts.
On Friday of last week Mr. Booth was the
guest of Richard W. Lawrence, president of
the Bankers-Commercial Security Co., Inc., at
a luncheon at the Republican Club attended by
a number of prominent members of the trade
including Hermann Irion, president; A. L.
Smith, general manager; Dewey M. Dixon, as-
sistant general manager of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce; D. L. Loomis, execu-
tive secretary of the National Association of
Music Merchants; C. M. Tremaine, director of
the National Bureau for the Advancement of
Music; Herbert Simpson, president of Kohler
& Campbell, Inc.; Gordon Campbell, of the
Brambach Piano Co.; C. Alfred Wagner, vice-
president of the Aeolian Co.; Max J. de Roche-
mont, vice-president of the Laffargue Co.; Cur-
tis A. Wessel, editor of The Talking Machine
and Radio Weekly; Daniel Webster, editor of
The Talking Machine Journal, and B. B. Wil-
son, editor of The Music Trade Review.
At the luncheon Mr. Irion took occasion for-
mally to welcome the guest from England and
took occasion to emphasize the cordial spirit
President Hoover Heads
Music Week Committee
Consents to Act as Honorary Chairman of Na-
tional Music Week Committee for the Cur-
rent Year
C. M. Tremaine, secretary of the National
Music Week Committee, announced this week
that President Hoover had consented to act as
Honorary Chairman of the Committee for the
annual celebration this year from May 5 to 11.
Mr. Tremaine is particularly gratified over
President Hoover's consent to act in an hon-
orary capacity, particularly as he was con-
strained to refuse two written invitations be-
cause of the press of official duties. However,
Mr. Tremaine, while in Washington last week,
took occasion to visit the White House and a
personal plea brought the desired results.
President Hoover's action is appreciated par-
ticularly because of the fact that President
Coolidge acted as Honorary Chairman for
music week celebration during his tenure of
office, realizing that the movement was de-
signed to advance the cau'se of the art and
was not in any sense a commercialized proj-
ect. Up to this time the governors of a score
or more of States have issued proclamations
urging that citizens join in the observance of
Music Week, and with the President accepting
the Honorary leadership of the movement it
is given added dignity.
with which he and other members of the
American trade have been received by the rep-
resentatives of the British Music Industry.
He told of the close co-operation between the
various divisions of the Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce of America and the Federa-
tion of British Music Industry, and paid par-
ticular tribute to Col. Patton, the head of the
Federation. He assured Mr. Booth that he
would be given every assistance possible in his
search for trade information in the United
States.
In his reply, Mr. Booth declared that al-
though he had been in the country hardly
twenty-four hours he had been made to feel
quite at home by his friends in the trade.
He stated that the British piano men had
much the same problems as are found in
America and were endeavoring to meet those
problems much as they are doing it in this
country. He declared himself to be particularly
interested in the training of apprentices and
outlined briefly the system in vogue in Eng-
land where special training is given to young
men in all branches of the music instrument
manufacturing industry. Under the system in
vogue there the employer pays for the time
devoted to the special training which, at the
outset, may average three days a week and is
subsequently cut down to two and finally one
day a week as the student progresses. He
seemed somewhat surprised that no such sys-
tem of training was in vogue here.
San Antonio Music House
Features Emerson Line
SAN ANTONIO, TEX., April 15.—The San An-
tonio Music House, which recently took on the
Emerson piano, has been using considerable
advertising space in the daily papers exploit-
ing this old-established instrument. One of
the most recent advertisements, under the cap-
tion of "Another Artist Adds His Praise to
the Emerson," displays a photograph of Dr.
David Friedman seated at the Emerson grand
as well as a letter from him in which he says:
"Please accept my sincere appreciation for the
wonderful Emerson piano you sent to me for
my disposal since I came to your city. I chose
the Emerson piano above other makes because
it responds more to my emotion, and I feel
free and at ease during my performances. I
consider it the highest achievement in piano-
forte building". You are to be congratulated for
having such a marvelous instrument in your
possession. I shall always use it exclusively
for my concert work and teaching, as I expect
to make San Antonio my permanent home."
Pfaff With Sonora Co.
Paul F. Pfaff, who for the past five years
has been assistant buyer of the phonograph,
record and musical instrument department of
the John Wanamaker store, New York, and
lias had much previous experience in the whole-
sale music field, is now representing the So-
nora Phonograph Co. in upper Manhattan.
Bradford Veteran Dies
MILWAUKEE, WIS., April 13.—Hugo Bergmann,
seventy-three, for forty years an employe of
the J. B. Bradford Piano Co., died here last
week. Mr. Bergmann had never been absent
from work for even one day while employed
at the Bradford Co. He was foreman of the
shop at that concern.
APRIL 20, 1929
Gordon Campbell Heads
N. Y. Piano Manufacturers
Annual Meeting of Association Held on April
12 — E. M. Ruelbach Resigns — Minimum
Budget Adopted
The annual meeting of the New York Piano
Manufacturers' Association was held on last
Friday evening, April 12, at the National Re-
Gordon G. Campbell
publican Club, being preceded by the usual
dinner. General trade conditions were dis-
cussed at length and a minimum budget adopted
to carry on the work of the Association for the
ensuing year. E. M. Ruelbach, who has been
commissioner of the Association for several
years, has resigned and the work of his de-
partment will be taken care of, as necessity
arises, by the Industrial Relations Committee
of which Max J. deRochemont is chairman.
Walter Drew continues as counsel for the As-
sociation on a new retainer basis.
The annual election of the officers resulted
as follows: President, Gordon G. Campbell,
Brambach Piano Co.; first vice-president, W.
E. Janssen; second vice-president, C. Albert
Jacob, Jr., Jacob Bros.; and secretary-treasurer,
Albert Behning. The executive committee con-
sists of George L. Catlin, Skinner Organ Co.;
W. G. Heller, Winter & Co.; George Urquhart,
American Piano Co.; and Herbert Brown, Aus-
tin Organ Co.
A. M. Seavey in New York
A. M. Seavey, well-known music dealer of
Saco, Me., visited New York early this week
while en route to his home after an extensive
motor trip through the Southland. With Mrs.
Seavey visits were made to the principal re-
sorts in Florida and Cuba, also stopovers at
various places along the Atlantic seaboard on
the way North. They report a delightful trip,
which was brought to a climax with a week-
end stay in New York, where Mr. Seavey re-
newed many trade acquaintances. He visited
the executive headquarters of the National
Association of Music Merchants, where he was
guest of D. L. Loomis, executive secretary,
getting an intimate glimpse of the workings of
the various departments of these offices. Mr.
Seavey is State Commissioner in Maine.
The Wood Piano Co., Norfolk, Va., is now
broadcasting a half-hour musical program each
afternoon through station WTAR.