June 5, 1920.
MAY WEATHER FAVORED
ST. LOUIS DEALERS
But the Climatic Joys for Once Did Not Stimu-
late the Prospective Piano Buyers to De-
sirable Action in Piano Stores.
With the exception of a rankly torrid spell in mid-
summer, St. Louis is blessed with a really desirable
climate. Its citizens never brag about joys of climate
except, of course, as J. E. Kieselhorst admits, when
they encounter the ebullient climate fans of Cali-
fornia. Then they will knock over the Californians
with a few convincing weather bureau facts. Spring
is a particularly pleasant time in St. Louis and then
the shoppers flock to the retail center in such
crowds that the movement for the widening of
Olive street, gets its annual resuscitation. During
May they flocked in unusually big droves, but the
piano sales were not in equal ratio to the apparent
prospects.
With everything favoring the outpouring of the
masses, the piano sales in St. Louis were not all
they should be during the fifth month of 1920. The
nature of a great deal of the piano advertising was
an indication of the conditions. There was too much
bargain talk and the old lure of cheapness. It
seemed a new line of publicity because it had not
been used for quite a while.
The Conroy Piano Co., St. Louis, is now the only
exclusive piano house in that city. Up to the
present the firm has withstood the allurements of
the talking machines and pinned its faith in the
player-piano as first claimant on its efforts. The
Conroy house was not alone in this stand—up to
last week the Lehman Piano Co., which had also
stood forth as an exclusively piano one, has suc-
cumbed and last week added a talking machine
department.
BODANSKY TO DIRECT
MAKING OF AMPICO RECORDS
Special Arrangements Made for Production of Four-
Hand Records Is Announcement.
Special arrangements have been made to have
Arthur Bodansky, the conductor of the Metropolitan
Opera, and the new Symphony Orchestra, New
York, conduct the playing of favorite overtures and
symphonies in four-hand piano arrangements for the
Ampico. This brings to the records of these pieces
the vivid and pulsating interpretation of this man
and introduces a new and important feature in the
playing of four-hand records which will make a con-
tribution of extraordinary value and distinction to
music. Several of the works conducted by him are
now in course of preparation and will be issued in
an early bulletin. Four-hand arrangements of over-
tures and symphonies conducted by Bodansky will
be played by Arthur Lassor and Wilbur Pelletier.
SPRINKLE PIANO COMPANY
TO STAY IN GREENSBORO
Hot Fight in City Council Over License to Sell
Pianos Decided in Its Favor.
The cit3 r commissioners of Greensboro, N. C,
recently ended a hot fight over the question of per-
mitting the Sprinkle Piano Company to do busi-
ness. The company came there about a month ago,
was granted license and was fought by the Mer-
chant's Association, the later demanding that the
license of the piano firm be revoked. The spokes-
men for the Greensboro Merchants' Association dis-
claimed any intention to force the Sprinkle people
out because it is a competing firm with other mer-
chants. They alleged that the Sprinkle firm was run
by people who were not fit to be granted license to
do business in Greensboro. The city fathers de-
cided that the Sprinkle Piano Company be allowed
to stay there.
There have been several hearings on the matter,
each side hiring counsel to plead for them, in addi-
tion to their own arguments and affidavits. The
Sprinkle Piano Company contended that "other
dealers here are sore because we have invaded
Greensboro and that the whole thing was simply an
effort to get rid of competition."
The merchants' association effort was to show the
Sprinkle firm up a'n an unworthy one. The city
commissioners passed an ordinance to the effect
that no business license was to be granted to any
person whose "moral character" was not good.
The city commissioners were divided as to the
matter of revoking the license. Mayor Stafford
wanted not to revoke the license but to refuse a
new one when the present one expired, May 31 of
PRESTO
this year. The two commissioners outvoted him on
the latter proposition, however, and the new firm
seems to be firmly intrenched in Greensboro.
MUSICAL CHARACTER OF
DALLAS, TEX., IN EVIDENCE
Civic Music Commission Stages Event to Celebrate
City's Census Figure.
On the night of May 24 Dallas enjoyed one of
the most memorable musical events of her active
and energetic musical career, a splendid celebration
embodying the first concert of the Dallas Munici-
pal Chorus under directorship of Paul VanKatw^jk,
the celebrated Belgian composer and pianist, and
the Dallas Symphony Orchestra of 50 pieces under
director Walter Fried, assisted.by two local quar-
tettes and two well known soloists.
This celebration expressed rejoicing as a result
of the census returns giving Dallas and suburbs a
population of approximately 175,000. The event
was under the auspices of the Civic Music Com-
mission appointed by the mayor, the first commis-
sion of its kind established, and it is accomplishing
wonders for Dallas musically with the full co-
operation of Dallas Music Industries Association.
This removes any suspicion on the part of the peo-
ple that the wonderful development of music in
Dallas is merely the result of a commercial or busi-
ness proposition, backed by the music merchants,
but is really a matter of civic effort, pride and in-
terest.
0. K. HOUCK DIES
AT BROTHER'S HOME
Death Comes Peacefully at Memphis to
Leader in the Retail Piano Trade of Cen-
tral South at an Early Hour on
Sunday Morning.
O. K. Houck, nationally known piano dealer of
Memphis, Tenn., with branch stores in Little Rock,
Ark., and other cities of the Central South, died at
dawn on Sunday of this week at the home of Jesse
Houck, his brother, 1234 Sledge aveue, Memphis.
He had been in bad health for a long time. About
five years ago he was stricken with rheumatism
which laid him up for several months. He came
back, and though his strength was never regained,
his heart was as whole as ever. About May 21 he
was stricken again.
The funeral was held Tuesday. Dr. A. B. Curry
conducted private services for the family at the
home of Mr. Houck's father, 774 Tate street at 10
o'clock. The body lay in state at the Scottish Rite
Cathedral from 11 o'clock till half-past two, when
the Rose Croix *service was conducted by Calvary
Chapter, assisted by Dr. C. H. Williamson. Services
were conducted at the grave in Forest Hill at 4
o'clock with Dr. Ben Cox assisting De Soto Lodge.
LOUISVILLE ASSOCIATION
APPOINTS NEW COMMITTEES
New Officers for the Ensuing Year Also Named by
Local Association at Annual Meeting.
At the first annual meeting of the Louisville Music
Dealers' Association at the Hotel Henry Watterson,
Louisville, Ky., recently, the following officers were
elected. W. C. Willis, Baldwin Piano Co., presi-
dent; R. L. Mainwaring, Steinway & Sons, vice-
president; M. W. Brock, M. W. Brock Music Co.,
secretary; Bruner Greenup, Greenup Piano Co,,
treasurer.
:\1. H. Brock, P. T. Burk and C. R. Ambuhl were
appointed a grievance committee to hear all dis-
putes among members of the association. Another
committee on advertising and publicity of a co-oper-
ative kind to increase general interest in music
named on the occasion consists of C. R. Ambuhl, W.
C. Willis and R. L. Mainwaring.
Hereafter regular meetings will be held on the
first and third Friday in each month in the dining
room of the Sewart Dry Goods Co.
PLATES ARRIVE IN CHICAGO.
A carload of piano plates was located in Chicago
on Friday last after a three weeks' hunt through
the largest and most congested freight yards in the
world. Although several piano manufacturing con-
cerns were interested in parts of the shipment, the
carload was finally located by Newman Bros. Com-
pany. It was on the Wabash road at 43rd and
Wallace streets, from which point the Newman
Bros. Company was obliged to haul its part of the
plates to its factory at West Chicago avenue and
Dix street. The company now has no drawback on
its work of producing pianos. Newman Bros, used
the facilities offered by the Chicago City Hall ;
which has men engaged in tracing hundreds of thou-
sands of carloads of goods of all descriptions. Never
in the history of American railroading has there
been so many carloads of goods lost for weeks at
a time as is the case, this spring. Government con-
trol changed the systems, and the switchmen's
strike and shortage of labor upset all remaining
chances of following one's carloads; so that now
condirions are said to be little short of chaotic.
AGAINST TAXING ADS.
The music goods trade recorded many of the pro-
tests received by the House Ways and Means Com-
mittee against the passage of the Thompson Bill,
which calls for a ten per cent tax on advertising in
newspapers, magazines and other publications
Pleas for the defeat of the bill were wired by manu-
facturers, chambers of commerce, department stores
and merchants in all lines of trade.
GOOD TRADE IN CENTRAL WEST.
W\ A. Lund, of the Kohler & Campbell Industries'
Chicago office, has returned from a trip through Illi-
nois and Indiana.
He found that farmers in this
rich agricultural region average about six weeks be-
hind with their work, owing to the cold, rainy spring
and the shortage of help; but he said that piano
business was very brisk.
O. K. HOUCK.
The services at the cathedral were open to the
public. Various civic, industrial and fraternal bodies
of which he was a member took part. President
Ellis, of the Chamber of Commerce, requested the
directors to attend in a body. The advistory board,
consisting of ex-presidents, also attended. E. R.
Barrow, chairman of the music committee of the
chamber last year, when Mr. Houck was vice-chair-
man, called the committee to attend.
The Knights Templar acted as escort in the pro-
cession from the cathedral to Forest Hill, accompa-
nied by the Al Chymia Shrine band, patrol and
chapters.
Was Fifty-Eight Years Old.
Oliver Kershner Houck was born in Decatur, 111.,
Feb. 25, 1862, the son of John Cassel and Rebecca
Kershner Houck. In 1873 the family removed to
Nashville, where for two years Oliver Houck at-
tended school before embarking upon the long trail
that leads to the great school of experience.
When 15 years old he began work on the Amer-
ican, being employed at night as a clerk in the Jesse
French music house. His few leisure hours were
spent in study.
As a Mule Driver.
Being advised that he showed symptoms of tuber-
culosis, he went to Colorado, where he engaged as
a mule driver in the work of railroad grading. Hav-
ing recovered his health, young Houck returned to
Nashville and again became connected with the
Jesse French music establishment.
In 1883 he went to Memphis and, with his father,
organized the O. K. Houck Piano Company, of
which he was president at the time of his death.
Into this business he threw all his business acumen
and unbounded energy, and under his guidance it
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