June 12, 1920.
POSTAL VOTE WILL
FIX CONVENTION DATE
Dealers Are Asked to Indicate Their Prefer-
ences as to Season in Which to
Hold Meeting.
11
FKESTO
for room to store the old one. The North Topeka
fire station was selected, not for the benefit of the
firemen, but because there was sufficient space to
store the piano.
Here it has rested ever since. While Harry Hop-
per was Chief Joseph Hanlon's driver, the old piano
was the center of attraction on Sunday nights.
Since Hopper was transferred to another station the
piano has been almost forgotten.
It isn't easy to understand the silent piano in the
North Topeka fire station. Pianos are scarce just
now.
"When do you like your annual convention?" is
the question asked on a postal sent to members of
the National Association of Music Merchants by its'
secretary. Recipients are expected to indicate choice
of date and whether or not they favor a music
show.
In a letter accompanying the postal the different
periods suggested for holding the convention are
named and the advantages and disadvantages pointed Retail Piano Men, Eager for Uprights, Grands and
Players, Enliven Things in Offices.
out in the following manner:
H. A. Duncan, of the Duncan-Schell Furniture
January 1 to February 10—The winter season has
been severely criticized because of inclement Company, Keokuk, Iowa, which sells pianos and
weather, crowded railroad and hotel conditions, and playerpianos, was in Chicago on Saturday.
Piano Department Manager Beck, of the N. A.
because it is the time for inventories, tax figuring
and annual meetings, but has been approved because Lehman department store, Nappanee, Ind., was in
of greater interest in convention sessions and exhib- Chicago on Saturday and called at the Gulbransen-
Dickinson Company's offices.
its.
J. F. Reynolds, of Macomb, 111., piano and player-
April 15 to May 15—This period is generally ap-
proved by those who have studied the matter. It piano dealer, was in Chicago this week.
E. B. Colwell, Jr., advertising^ manager for E. B.
gives the working organization and committees full
opportunity for active efforts before and after the Colwell Piano Co., playerpiano dealers, Monmouth,
convention and is early enough so as not to inter- 111., was in Chicago on Saturday and spent some
fere with the completion of work undertaken before time at the Gulbransen-Dickinson Company's fac-
the vacation season. While the weather may be tory.
Clark F. Gross, manager of the piano department
unsettled, there is less likelihood of severe heat or
cold. Most men are better able to get away from of E. B. Colwell & Co., Monmouth, 111., was in Chi-.
business at this period. Railroad and hotel accom- cago on Saturday. He spent most of his time in the
city at the Gulbransen-Dickinson Company's fac-
modations are better.
June (First Week)—The old convention date, tory.
Lambert Gronier, his wife and their three bright
while preferred by some, is objected to because of
the likelihood of unduly hot weather and because of sons, Lancaster, Wis., were in Chicago on Saturday
the fact that interest in business and association af- and spent some time at the Gulbransen-Dickinson
fairs drops off with the vacation period immediately Company's plant.
Ed. Gast, piano dealer of St. Joseph, Mich., was
following.
September (First Week)—Weather, railroad and in Chicago last week. He called at the Packard of-
hotel conditions are favorable, but the difficulties of fices.
WAREROOM WARBLES
(A New One Every Week.)
By The Presto Poick.
THE MORNING AFTER.
0UT=0F=T0WN DEALERS
ENCOUNTERED IN CHICAGO
arousing interest in convention work during the sum-
mer period preceding are obvious, also school open-
ing might make it inconvenient.
NEW STORE LOCATION
FOR FORT WORTH FIRM
Important Changes to Follow the Occupation of
Largest Quarters by the Field-Lippman Co.
The removal last week of the Field-Lippman
Piano Co., Fort Worth, Tex., was the beginning of
a new era in the activities of the company in the
progressive Texas city. The old location at Fifth
and Houston streets, occupied for many years, has
been completely vacated and the firm is now in-
stalled in its new quarters at Fourth and Houston
streets.
The visit of O. A. Field, of St. Louis, recently to
Fort Worth was mainly for the purpose of complet-
ing arrangements for important events consequent on
the change of location. Among these will be the in-
stallation of a new front to the store. The plans for
this, drawn at the suggestion and after the ideas of
Mr. Field, are now in the hands of the contractors.
The plans for the rearrangement of the interior are
very ambitious, and among other things include
eight new sound-proof booths for the demonstration
of talking machines.
PIANO THAT PADEREWSKI
PLAYED NOW IS MUTE
Instrument Is Spending Its Declining Years in a
Fire Station.
The grand old piano that used to play an im-
portant part in all City Auditorium entertainments
at Topeka, Kan., is spending its declining years in
the North Topeka fire station. It no longer has an
opportunity to stir the hearts of throngs at enter-
tainments in the Auditorium. Not one of the North
Topeka firemen can play, and few of them try. The
only chance for the piano to thrill any listeners
comes when some one who can play it visits the
stations, which occurs less than once a month.
In its younger days the piano occupied a conspicu-
ous place on the City Auditoriiim platform. It had
a chance to see every famous singer and musician
that appeared.
It took part in every performance of the old mid-
winter exposition. Paderewski played it. It fur-
nished accompaniments for Nordica and Melba.
Three years ago its entire position in life changed.
The city fathers decided that the old piano had out-
lived its usefulness and that its place should be
occupied by a new instrument. They looked around
BUY CONTROL OF
REDEWiLL MUSIC COMPANY
Eugene and Victor Redewill Now Sole Owners of
the Oldest Retail Store in Southwest.
The entire control of the Redewill Music Co.,
Phoenix, Ariz., is now in the hands of Eugene Rede-
will and Victor Redewill, two active members of the
Redewill family connected with the corporation. This
came about as a result of stock ownership recently
effected.
The Redewill Music Co. is one of the oldest houses
selling music goods in the Southwest. It was estab-
lished in Phoenix about forty years ago. It is one
of the most widely known in that section and has
built up a character for dependability in its piano
and other lines. The stock recently secured by pur-
chanse by Eugene and Victor Redewill is valued at
$150,000."
SPANISH DEALER VISITS CHICAGO.
Mr. Stuart, who looks after the export interests of
Wanamaker's piano business, New York, accompa-
nied by Augustin Guarro, of Barcelona, Spain, a
piano dealer who cannot speak English, came to Chi-
cago on Monday of this week. They found the
downtown hotels crowded, on account of the con-
vention, so Mr. Stuart appealed to H. H. Harrison,
of J. O. Twichell's, to help them find a stopping
place. Mr. Harrison sent them to the Hyde Park
Hotel, where they engaged two rooms. Mr. Guarro
sells Emerson pianos at Barcelona.
TRADE MARKS IN PARAGUAY.
In view of the frequency with which foreign
trade marks are registered in Paraguay by third
parties in order to force the real owners to bny
the right to their use, the American consul at Asun-
cion has suggested that he be notified when Ameri-
can firms arrange for the registration of their marks
in that country. He will then be in a better position
to determine whether the marks are being registered
in the name of the owners or not, and may be able
to save manufacturers and exporters considerable
annoyance and expense at a later date.
MAUS PIANO CO. INCORPORATES.
The Maus Piano Company, Lima, Ohio, was incor-
porated last week for $350,000. The incorporators
are Frank and Gerald Maus, G. D. Johnson and E.
O'Neill. The company was incorporated not to sell
stock but to provide for the future, H. P. Maus, own-
er of the store, said. Plans are under way for the
remodeling of the second and third floors of the pres-
ent building, and to occupy the entire block, he said.
Oh, you sellers of the things
That give life full half its zest,
Do you feel the truth that clings
To this memory so blest?
'Tis the cheery clink that rings
Through the years now past that spice
Time's dull round, and often brings
Cooling thoughts of watered ice!
How the pitcher seemed to shrink,
And the contents, rushing out,
Kept the lips glued to the brink
While the ice just nipped the snout!
And the ripple and the chink
Of the frozen chunks suffice
For all draughts the gods would drink-
Buckets full of watered ice!
Oh, what joy when to the door
Came the aqua pura kid,
And the head that swam before
Seemed to slacken in its skid;
You were through—so you'd just swore—
All your nights thenceforth so nice!
No more nectar—never more!
Just a tub of watered ice.
BALTIMORE MUSIC DEALERS
DISCUSS "FREE GIFTS"
Committee Report on Various Problems of More or
Less Gravity in the Trade.
At a meeting this week of the Baltimore (Md.)
Music Dealers' Association several important prob-
lems were discussed. They were the left over ones
from the meeting held May 27. The subjects sched-
uled for discussion this week included free music
rolls, free scarfs, free covers, free stools and free
player benches.
In a committee report on the problems the give-
away scarfs, covers and music rolls were character-
ized as "an undignified inducement to secure busi-
ness." The gifts are in effect a misrepresentation,
according to the report, because they are usually
charged in the price of the piano. The committee
recommended that the practice be discontinued en-
tirely and that any rolls, scarfs or covers sent out
to customers at the time of a piano's purchase be
charged at the fair market value.
The custom of representing the stools or benches
as gifts when such were given at the time of the
sales was called reprehensible, but the committee
considered that at the present time the matter of the
right or wrong of it should be left to the individual
dealer.
As to the interest on contracts, which was one of
the subjects discussed at the previous meeting, the
committee recommended that "It would be more in
keeping with the principles to state the net price of
an instrument in the contract and the legal rate of
interest be charged and fully disclosed in the con-
tract."
ORGAN BUILDER DIES.
Arthur Livermore Colburn, an expert organ build-
er, died on Sunday at his home, 918 Main street,
Waltham, Mass. Since undergoing an operation
six months ago Mr. Colburn had not returned to his
work at the plant of the Hastings Organ Company
in Kendall Green. He was seventy-one years did
and a native of Wentworth, N. H.
"
C. A. Woodall, insurance man of Kuttawa, Ind.,
with his son are arranging to open a music store
in Livingston, Ind.
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