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The Music Trade Review
FEBRUARY 16, 1929
National Radio Program Inaugurates
Edison Hour on Founder's Birthday
R. S. Williams & Sons' Go.
Marks 80th Anniversary
Thomas A. Edison Reaches 82nd Milestone of Brilliant Career and Company Cele-
brates With Appropriate Program on Coast-to-Coast Hookup
Prominent Canadian Music House Was Estab-
lished by the Late R. S. Williams in 1849—
Special Program for the Celebration
*TpHE eighty-second birthday anniversary of
Thos. A. Edison in many respects proved
cue of the most notable occasions in the very
interesting life of the famous inventor, for, in
addition to receiving substantial gifts and con-
gratulations from his friends, the day, Febru
ary 11, saw the launching of the first of a series
of Edison Hours over the radio, designed to
acquaint the public with the new Edison radio
and radio-phonograph combinations.
In many respects the radio program sent out
over the Blue Network of the National Broad-
casting Co. through station WJZ, New York,
and taking in some fifty stations of the chain
and independent hookups from coast to coast,
was unique in character. Starting at 8.30 East-
ern Standard Time, the regular announcer told
of the purpose of the broadcast, which was in
the nature of a birthday party for the inventor,
and then Chas. Edison, his son, and president
of Thos. A. Edison, Inc., made a brief address,
following which came Frieda Hempel, promi-
nent soprano, and Moritz Rosenthal, pianist,
both of whom contributed interesting numbers
to the first half of the program. Promptly at
nine o'clock connection was made with Mr.
Edison's Winter home at Fort Myers, Fla., and
the inventor himself delivered a, personal mes-
sage to the radio audience. Mr. Edison always
hesitates about talking in public, and even over
the radio, but on this occasion acquitted himself
admirably with a short and friendly talk in
which he expressed his regrets that all those
Sherman, Clay & Go.
Managers in Convention
Store Managers in California Meet in San Fran-
cisco to Discuss Business Plans With Execu-
tive Heads of Company
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., February 8.—Sherman,
Clay & Co.'s California Store Managers' Con-
ference opened a three-day session to-day in
the Palace Hotel. The members of the board
of directors are in attendance, including P. T.
Clay, president; Fred R. Sherman, vice-presi-
dent; F. W. Stephenson, secretary, G. W. Bates,
treasurer, Richard Ahlf, head of the piano de-
partment; Shirley Walker, comptroller, and
most of the other directors. Store managers
present include: I. H. Hilbron, Sacramento; L.
F. Galliana, San Jose; E. R. Armstrong from
Fresno who is going to Portland; Charles
Tracy who is going to Fresno as store man-
ager; O. R. Bowman, Stockton; E. J. Conn
manager of the Mission and Fillmore street
branches in this city, and A. L. Lome, piano
sales manager, Oakland, Leon M. Lang man-
ager of the Oakland store being in the north-
west.
Among heads of departments attending the
conference are: Neill C. Wilson, head of the
advertising department; G. Lloyd Taylor, piano
promotion; L. W. Sturdevant, manager of the
phonograph and radio department; Harold
Pracht, piano sales manager, San Francisco
stores, Carver Cliff, George Marsh and L. G.
Ryder.
The conference is on February 8, 9 and 10.
It opened this morning with a general discus-
sion covering the entire store. It was followed
this afternoon by a discussion of the musical
merchandise department. The program calls
for discussion of two or three of the different
departments on each day, including sheet music,
broadcasting, piano department, radio, talking
machine and record department.
TORONTO, ONT., February 9.—The R. S. Williams
Co., Ltd., the prominent music house of To-
ronto, is at present celebrating its 80th business
anniversary, having been founded in 1849 by
the late R. S. Williams. The company has
grown up with Canada, and is at present one
of the largest concerns of its type in the Do-
minion. Last week the company held open
house in honor of the anniversary and pre-
sented an elaborate program participated in
by a number of prominent artists and broad-
cast over a wide chain of radio stations. Sou-
venirs were given to visitors and special honors
were paid to several veterans in the company's
employ.
P. A. Ware Appointed on
Convention Committee
Thomas A. Edison
listening in could not join with him in the
eating of his birthday cake.
At the conclusion of Mr. Edison's talk, B. A.
Rolfe and his orchestra, exclusive Edison
recording artists, played several of Mr. Edi-
son's favorite musical selections, and finished
up with a dance program in the orchestra's
characteristic style. The success of the entire
program was evident from the response of the
radio audience, which was most generous.
In this connection it was announced that an
Edison program will be broadcast each Mon-
day night from 9.00 to 9.30, the feature being
the playing of the favorite selections of noted
men and women. In the first of the regular
series to be broadcast next Monday, February
18, the music played will be that favored by
Charles Evans Hughes, the noted jurist.
In addition to the radio celebration, Henry
Ford, long a close friend of Mr. Edison, an-
nounced the gift of $5,000,000 for a technical
school and museum to house the Edisonian col-
lection owned by the Edison pioneers and by
Mr. Ford himself, which includes early ex-
amples of the phonograph, motion picture, the
trolley car and the radio, as well as the incan-
descent lamp. The gift was Mr. Ford's con-
tribution to the 50th anniversary of the inven-
tion of the incandescent lamp by Mr, Edison.
The announcement of Mr. Ford's gift was
made at a dinner held by the Edison Pioneers
in New York. This is an annual event and was
attended by those men who worked with Mr.
Edison in the early days. On the same evening
there was a dinner of the foremen of the great
Edison plant in Orange, held in that town, at
which addresses were made by Chas. Edison,
president of the company; Ralph Allen, vice-
president, and Arthur L. Walsh, vice-president
and general manager of the radio and phono-
graph division of the company.
Mr. Edison's neighbors in Fort Myers also
paid their respects on his birthday anniversary,
one of the visitors being President-elect
Hoover. During the day the inventor posed
and talked for the talking pictures, stressing
particularly his work in developing rubber-
producing plants in this country. He also an-
swered a number of questions of a general
nature presented to him by newspaper corre-
spondents..
The Woodworth Music Store has moved to
new quarters at 704 Main street, Stillwater,
Okla.
P. A. Ware, merchandise and sales promotion
manager of the Atwater Kent Mfg. Co., Phil-
adelphia, has been appointed a member of the
general convention arrangements committee
and also the banquet committee for the national
music industries convention to be held at the
Hotel Drake, Chicago, during the week of June
3. Mr. Ware's long connection with the indus-
try, he having been with the Victor Talking
Machine Co. before joining the Atwater Kent
organization, makes his services particularly
valuable. Roger O'Connor of Chicago, chair-
man of the General Convention Arrangements
Committee, and Carl Weber, of Chicago, is
chairman of the banquet committee.
Making Drive for More
Association Members
BOSTON, MASS, February 9.—Secretary William
F. Merrill of the New England Music Trade
Association has sent out to the membership a
circular letter in which he calls attention to
the advantages of belonging to such an organ-
ization. He adds that plans are afoot aimed
at making this Association of more direct value
to the members about which the members will
hear more later, and they are asked to give
their co-operation.
"I believe you will agree with me that there
never was a time in the music industry when
a trade Association was more needed than it is
to-day," says Mr. Merrill. "It has come to the
time when the mere payment of annual dues
and attendance at annual meetings are insuf-
ficient support for our Association—that is, if
we would rise to the occasion and do some-
thing of tangible mutual benefit for one an-
other."
Now Henry Morans & Sons
Henry Morans and his sons, Leslie D. and
Herbert E. Morans, engaged in the retail music
business in New Britain, Conn., have been in-
corporated under the name of Henry Morans
& Sons. The capital stock is $50,000. Mr.
Morans, Sr., established the business a number
of years ago.
Winter Buys McArdle Stock
Winter Piano Co., of Erie, Pa., has purchased
the entire stock of the McArdle Piano Co. in
that city, having consolidated both lines in the
Winter store in State street. A special clear-
ance sale of McArdle instruments is being held
with good results, the Winter Co. announces.