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JANUARY 19, 1929
Waverly, Ohio, High School
Gets Francis Bacon Piano
The Victor C. Guth Piano Co., of Waverly,
O., reports that they have recently installed a
The Waverly, O., High School
Francis Bacon piano in the High School of
that city.
The advantages of the Francis Bacon piano
for school use are constantly coming to the
attention of dealers throughout the country.
Many of them are in use in public institutions
in various parts of the country.
F. R. Hoffman Appointed
Columbia Office Manager
Announcement was made this week of the
appointment of F. R. Hoffman as office manager
of Columbia's executive offices, 1819 Broadway,
New York City. He succeeds W. K. Doetsch,
who has been transferred to the general sales
department.
Mr. Hoffman was previously with Columbia
as assistant manager of its Canadian offices,
from 1903 to 1918. He then became cashier of
the Bridgeport Brass Co., at Bridgeport, Conn.,
and last June returned to Columbia in its
Bridgeport accounting offices.
The choice of so able a man for supervision
of mailing, filing, receiving and shipping, office
supply and equipment departments appears sug-
gestive of Columbia's regard for the importance
of detail work, and of the actual growth in
volume of such work from the rapid expansion
of the company in all fields.
Closes Big Radio Year
Portland, Ore., Trade Reports 1928 One of Most
Successful in History
PORTLAND, ORE., January 11.—H. P. Harrison, in
charge of the radio and phonograph department
of the J. K. Gill Co., and president of the Port-
land Radio Trades Association, stated that the
year 1928 just closed was the most successful
year experienced by the radio trade in the city
of Portland. According to Mr. Harrison about
60 per cent of the homes in the city have some
kind of a radio set, of which approximately 35
per cent are electric sets, the balance being
battery or crystal sets.
According to Mr. Harrison the market for
1929 will be the 40 per cent who have no instru-
ments together with the 25 per cent who have
battery or crystal sets.
One of the great problems locally for the re-
tailer is the demonstration of radio. During the
past year it has been the custom to loan out
radio sets to prospective buyers on trial, without
a cash deposit or other evidence of purchase.
This privilege has been greatly abused and the
organized dealers have on foot a movement to
eliminate the practice of home demonstration
without serious ev.idence of intent to purchase a
receiving set.
-••"•
The store and stock of the Marion Music
Store, Mt. Airy, N. C, was severely damaged
in a fire which swept through the business sec-
tion of that town recently causing an aggregate
loss of $175,000.
The Music Trade Review
West Coast Piano Man Looks for
Great Business Year During 1929
Leon M. Lang, Sherman, Clay & Co. Manager, Points Out Many Opportunities That
Are Within Reach of Music Salesmen—Other News
CAN FRANCISCO, CAL., January 13.—Leon
M. Lang, manager of the East Bay branches
of Sherman, Clay & Co., believes that the com-
ing year will be the greatest in the music busi-
ness, if the dealers plan to make it so. Speak-
ing to The Review this week Mr. Lang said
that there has never been a time when there
has been so much money in the savings banks,
stocks are at a peak, but the most interesting
thing of all is that the public is seeking happi-
ness more than ever.
In speaking of "Happiness" Mr. Lang touched
on his own formula. He is an enthusiast in his
firm belief that the piano salesman should al-
ways feel that he is giving the customer the
opportunity to purchase the ultimate product of
a piano. This he considers to be music, har-
mony and happiness. Most of his fellow mer-
chants are frank in saying that Lang makes his
enthusiastic ideas bring practical results. He
and his sales force are a success at selling
pianos. He believes that other music merchants
are bound to come to the idea that they are
selling joy and happiness, the ultimate product.
The spirit behind the thing is what counts.
People might call him a dreamer if he were
not doing business, but the Oakland store of
Sherman, Clay & Co. has for some years past
been showing a higher percentage of profit on
the investment than any others of the firm, and
Lang is manager of this store. Mr. Lang is
leaving at the beginning of February to visit
the Northwest branches of Sherman, Clay &
Co., to be gone for four or five weeks. He will
give talks for the salesmen.
Business Good in Oakland
Music dealers in Oakland seem very well
satisfied with the holiday business. G. Calvert,
manager of the Hauschildt Music Co., said that
1928 had been a good year for them all through.
Their leading piano lines are the Kranich &
Bach and the Mehlin, and the house has a steady
business from an old-established clientele, for
the Hauschildt Music Co. has been in business
in Oakland since 1891. Speaking of the six radio
lines in which business has been very good, Mr.
Calvert expressed the conviction that as radio
settles itself down it will belong more and more
to music houses. It is music that causes the
radio demand chiefly, and this is bringing people
more and more to music stores to buy -their
radios.
Brisk Radio Sales ,.,•''
William Cross, jjianager of ihe radio and
phonograph department of the Jackson Furni-
ture Co., Oakland, which has a large music de-
partment, said that they had a fine holiday busi-
ness with a whirlwind finish. Business was
exceptionally good in high-priced r&Hios and
phonographs. Mr. Cross, who is one of.jhe di-
rectors of the Music Trades Association of
Northern California, said that the silent key-
Portable Phonograph Makers
Increase Capital Stock
RACINE, WIS., January 14.—The Allen Hough
Mfg. Co., manufacturer of portable phono-
graphs, has filed an amendment to its articles
of incorporation in the register of deeds office
showing its capital stock is increased from
1,000 shares to 2,000 shares of common stock
without par value.
The firm occupies quarters at Fourteenth and
Clark streets, and in a short time increased from
a payroll of twelve employes to 100 employes,
with a daily output of 500 machines. Don T.
Allen is president of the company and George
P. Hough is secretary.
boards in the Oakland public schools are bring-
ing excellent results in the form of increased
interest in the piano. He paid a tribute to the
work, on behalf of music, of Glen H. Woods,
music supervisor of the Oakland public schools
for many years.
W. S. Gray Has Many Lines
Walter S. Gray continues to be much pleased
with his new headquarters at 835 Howard street
to which he moved in 1928 from Mission street.
He has over 4,000 square feet of space, and
carries stock in a number of the musical lines
for which he is California distributor. They
include the Utah dynamic loud speaker of the
Utah Products Co., Salt Lake City, Utah, and
the following portable phonographs, the Artone
portables, made in New York, the Gypsy,
product of Milwaukee, and the Decca, a high-
class portable imported from London, England.
He distributes the Harmony line of guitars,
made in Chicago, and is importing violins direct
from Germany.
New Radio Manager
The new manager of the phonograph and
radio department of the Emporium is W. K.
Glasby, an engineer who has specialized in
radio. He is well known to the trade, having
formerly been manager of the radio depart-
ment of a large chemical house of San Fran-
cisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, which had a
radio section.
Pratt Read
Products
keys actions
players
are shipped on time.
When we make a
promise you can
count on it.
When you want
quick service you
can get it.
We have over
200,000 sq. ft.
of manufacturing
space to back you
up with.
Write us Mt the
first opportunity.
PRATT, READ & CO.
Established in 1806
The PRATT READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
D—p River, Conn.