Presto

PRESTO
May 15, 1920.
PREPARING FOR PRODUCTION OF
APOLLO GRANDS ON LARGE SCALE
ABOLISHING FREE ROLLS
IN THE ST. LOUIS TRADE
A Visit to Great Daylight Factories of Apollo Piano Company Gives
Proof of Intense Activity There.
The trade of St. Louis has possibly seen the last
of the custom of giving free music rolls to pur-
chasers of playerpianos. And this notwithstanding
the fact that the Music Merchants' Association
of St. Louis is still debating the desirabil-
ity of the free roll abolition.
At
recent
meetings of the association the question was
discussed of the desirability of once and for-
ever ending the free roll custom by a rigid associa-
tion rule. It is possible such a rule will eventually
be adopted.
In the meantime the Kieselhorst Piano Co. has
taken the initiative in the matter and put in prac-
tice a rule governing itself. As much as $10 worth
of rolls have been given to purchasers of players in
the Kieselhorst store in the past. The house, too,
was not alone in the practice. But since April 12
the Kieselhorst Piano Co. has declined to continue
the custom. E. A. Kieselhorst, president of the
company, is satisfied at the results since the adop-
tion of the rule and is confident it will stick.
Friday last was trade paper men's day for a gen-
eral visit to the plant of the Apollo Piano Com-
pany at DeKalb, 111. Representatives of all of the
trade journals of the industry went out from Chicago
on the San Francisco flyer of the Chicago & North-
western railroad, in the forenoon, and were met by
President E. S. Rauworth, E. E. Blake and Mr.
Shearer at the DeKaulb station with autos.
First a drive was taken.about the city, which is a
manufacturing town of 10,000 inhabitants, and also
a college town. The drive included a trip through
the State Normal School grounds—a normal school
that holds high rank among the educational insti-
tutions of the Central West, and one of the most
imposing normal school groups of buildings to be
found anywhere.
The residences of Mr. Blake and President Rau-
worth were pointed out. A stop was made at the
home of Mr. Rauworth. which is the only old Co-
lonial mansion in the city—a stately residence of
the exact type one runs across so frequently in
traveling in the old Atlantic seaboard states. For
DeKalb is an old city, and has a wealth of tradi-
tions and ; of course, a group of millionaires.
The American Steel & Wire Company's DeKalb
plant was pointed out; the wagon works, which now
is manufacturing a large order for the Jewel Tea
Company. Large stone and brick churches were
passed, including Congregational, Roman Catholic.
Methodist, Christian Scientist and Presbyterian.
The band stand was not missed, nor the ball park,
showing the healthy and normal sort of recreations
the people of this lively manufacturing city take.
Arrival at the Plant.
After a dinner at the principal hotel of the town,
the drive wound up at the Apollo Piano Company's
factory. At the north of the entrance is a large
room, well filled with bookkeepers and stenograph-
ers, all busy at fine mahogany desks in the very
best of daylight. Pausing to look over his mail be-
fore taking the visitors through the factory, Mr.
Rauworth remarked that he had in his hand an
order for a half-carload of Apollophones to be
shipped that day to Melbourne, Australia.
Some time was spent in an inner demonstrating
room, fixed up parlor style, with carpeted floor and
easy chairs, tables and music cabinets. The Q R S
rolls were used, and the demonstrations were partly
technical for critical ears and partly to show the
sweetness and easy capabilities of the instruments
when manipulated by the tyro in matters musical.
It was shown that the instruments play two press-
ures of air entirely—one soft and one louder. These
Apollos gave a very satisfactory account of them-
selves in performance.
Making Many Grands.
More than 350 grand pianos are now in work in
this factory. At the time the Apollo Piano Com-
pany took over the Apo'lo factory, it also took over
the factory space formerly used for the manufac-
ture of Q R S Rolls, and this part of the plant is
now being devoted exclusively to the manufacture
of errand pianos.
The company believes it can be truthfully said
that the Apollo grand factory is the largest ex-
clusive grand factory in the West. It expects be-
fore the end of the year to be producing five grand
pianos per day.
The bent of the comnanv has been in this direc-
tion from the start. Since taking over the Apollo
business on September 1. 1919, it has been prepar-
ing for the production of grand pianos on a large
scale.
Saws Both Sides at Once.
Heretofore it has been hard to get both sides
of a grand rim sawed exactly alike. But in this fac-
tory a special machine, invented on the premises,
saws both sides at once, and it requires only two
men to hold the rim while it is being trimmed by
the lyterally-placed saw.
Every machine throughout the plant is new, and
special machines are everywhere employed.
Grands Swung Like Beeves.
On an upper floor of the grand department, the
visitor's eyes are treated to a strange sight for a
piano factory; some twenty-five or thirty grand
piano rims swinging in rows on the troPey svstem
used at Swift's and Armour's at the Chicago Stock-
vards. "Thirty today, but we will have 500 swinging
here soon," was the comment. And they even
have the switches used at the great packing plants,
so that any piano that is wanted can be picked out
of the line and switched over for inspection or fur-
ther work. The switch moves at the touch of a
finger's weight. The company had no photograph
of this up-to-the-minute method of handling bulky
outer parts of large instruments, but the visitors
were assured that this is the only piano factory in
existence that is known to have adopted the labor
and time-saving device.
In the next room 300 grand cabinet rims are dry-
ing at once. In the room adjoining this one, the
bellying is being done before the rim is put on
at all.
Material for 1,000 Grands.
Talking of cut-up stock! In a great storage and
drying room, there is material for 1,000 grands.
Just a glimpse here and there, all interesting to
Presto's representative—the air-brush method of
varnishing, a great glue-press at work; many fine
band saws, patented planers, burnishers and gougers
all doing their intricate and exact work.
And every man working as earnestly as if the
factory were his own. Their contentment comes
from considerate treatment; the employes of the
•Apollo Piano Company are considered from a hu-
man standpoint. A great many of them carried
home packages of sugar and coffee Friday evening
that they had been enabled to buy through the
company at lower prices than they could get the
goods at local stores. The women workers are
provided with a rest room with a playerpiano in it.
If the men have any grievances they are not pre-
vented from speaking to the heads of the plant
about such matters. But the fact is they have no
grievances, all working as a family taking pride
in their product.
BYRON MAUZY FEATURES
THE AMPIC0 CLEVERLY
Active San Francisco Dealer Follows Up Ornstein
Concert with Wareroom Recitals.
In order to obtain every bit of good from the Orn-
stein concert, recently given in San Francisco,
Byron Mauzy repeated the program every afternoon
and evening the week following the event. Herbert
Higginbottom, manager of the Mauzy Ampico de-
partment, had charge of the affair and was sup-
ported by the sales force.
Mr. Higginbottom prepared a little talk on Orn-
stein and his work, the Ampico and its value; bene-
fits and possibilities of the Ampico in the home.
The Ampico was specially arranged with a conve-
nient seating capacity of easy chairs. The thought
of advertising was eliminated and the concert given
in the nature of a recital. The results were all that
could be expected. "The Ornstein Comparison Con-
cert was a good investment," said Byron Mauzy.
"These concerts should be looked upon as educa-
tional—a public education rather than an advertise-
ment. They perform an everlasting good and are
of inestimable value to the Ampico dealer."
A. A. Batkin was the designer of some remarkable
window displays during the Ampico recital. He
also extended his activities in this line to the Oak-
land store.
FACTORY MANAGER PLEASED.
B. K. Settergren, superintendent of the H. C. Bay
Company's piano factory, Bluffton, Ind., is assured
that production in all departments will now go on
without interruption of any kind, either of supply
or transportation. Mr. Settergren stated that the
morning mail brought 255 orders for instruments,
the largest day in the history of the local plant.
Mr. Settergren hopes the railway troubles may be
over s|o that sufficient supplies may be secured to
keep up a steady flow of work, being firmly con-
vinced that the work will be here to do.
PROGRESS IN BATTLE CREEK.
The Roat Music House, Battle Creek, Mich., has
taken a long-term lease on the building which it
has occupied for eighteen years. A vacant lot ad-
joining has also been secured by the company. Ac-
cording to Charles E. Roat, owner and manager,
about $6,000 will be expended on alterations and im-
provement. The Roat Music House is one of the
most active and progressive firms in that section of
the country.
It Is Possible a Custom of Long Continuance May
Be Abolished by Association Ruling.
FOWLER PIANO COMPANY
ACTIVE IN BINQHAMTON, N. Y
Progressive Piano Organization Installs Two
Bacon Grands in the New Strand Theater.
Read A. Dimmock, treasurer and manager of the
Fowler Piano Company, Binghamton, N. Y., sends
an interesting story of an incident associated with
the installation of two Francis Bacon baby grands
in the new Strand Theatre in Binghamton.
At the time of the opening of this new theatre,
the city's newest and most up-to-date place of
amusement, large advertisements featuring the Fran-
cis Bacon baby grand piano installation were run in
all the local papers. Special effort was made to
have these advertisements possess strong selling
copy so that the advertising merit of the installation
might be used to full advantage.
The newspaper series was timely and a very suc-
cessful advertising effort.
The theatre patrons
were continually reminded of the Francis Bacon
Piano Company and of the Fowler Piano Company
both through means of the screen and by special
space in the program.
It is undoubtedly true that a great number of
people in Binghamton have been impressed with
the Francis Bacon quality and with the progressive-
ness of the Fowler selling organization, as this
makes the third theatre in Binghamton in which
this progressive organization has installed Francis
Bacon pianos.
DEALERS PROMOTE CAUSE
OF MUSIC IN CLEVELAND
Local Trade Association and All Musical Organiza-
tions Join in Realization of Plans.
The Cleveland, O., movement to promote the
cause of music is enthusiastically backed by all the
interests associated with music. The Cleveland
Music Dealers' Association, the Talking Machine
Dealers' Association of Northern Ohio, professional
musicians and music organizations are all enlisted
in support of the movement. The newspapers, too,
are aiding the cause in no small way. The Cleve-
land News and the Cleveland Plaiudealer both give
considerable space to music matters both of a gen-
eral and a newsy character.
Plans originally projected by the music merchant^
of the city are now being realized in a way highly
gratifying to Henry Dreher of the B. Dreher Sons
Co.. who has been foremost from the start in the
promotion of the movement. Others active in the
promotion of the plans are Mayor Harry L. Davis,
E. F. Spauldin, superintendent of the Cleveland pub-
lic schools, and Prof. Harper Garcia Smythe. the
well-known community singing director and all the
members of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.
SEES NO PANIC.
Panic talk is termed idle gossip by George M.
Reynolds, president of the Continental & Commer-
cial National Bank, Chicago. Persons who point
to such a possibility, says Mr. Reynolds, are not
familiar with the resources of our federal reserve
banking system. A money panic in this country is
pext to impossible. A period of hard times may be
in the offing, but even this can be avoided if every-
body puts his shoulder to the wheel and works for
the common good.
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