Presto

24
PRESTO
THE PROMISSORY NOTE
WHEN GIVEN BY A WIFE
Subject Which Sometimes Is Not Clear Is Many
Men Who Sell Pianos.
"The law department of The Chicago Tribune the
other day, answering a correspondent, denned the
liability of a woman's note given without papas sig-
nature, as follows:
A woman who is a property owner gave me a
promissory note.
1. Is she liable without the signature of her hus-
band? 2. Should this note be written with pen and
ink? 3. Should this note be taken before a notary
public and sworn to before it is valid? 4. Does my
signature have to appear on the note?
L. T.
1. Yes. 2. Not necessary. 3. No. 4. Not as long
as you are the holder.
STRANGE RESULTS COME
FROM SHORTAGE OF GOODS
Piano Manufacturers Even Refer Customers to Com-
petitors So As to Give Service to Buyer.
One of the peculiar situations arising from the un-
precedented demand for holiday deliveries of pianos
is the willingness of piano manufacturers to send a
dealer to a competitor, to look over his—the com-
petitor's—line. It isn't a rare occurrence in the
Chicago offices these days to find that a customer is
being sent to someone else, so that he can get a
piano on time.
It is not improbable the splendid co-operation and
perfect friendliness of competitors, so much dreamed
of by moralists, causes this. The world grows
better, but very slowly; but business methods have to
change from time to time. When a customer writes
to a manufacturer for pianos, to be shipped at once
—or what is more usual now, telegraphs or comes
after them—the manufacturer is willing to do every-
thing rather than lose the good will of that buyer.
It is gall and wormwood to his soul, perhaps, but
the best way out of the difficulty—if there is abso-
lutely no hope of increasing his own output—is to
see if a rival make of piano will suit the needs.
He, of course, takes into consideration the fact that
he is risking the loss of the trade of that buyer, but
December 30, 1922.
he secretly thinks that the buyer will come back to
him. Anyway, his own pianos are better than any
others. Did anyone ever see a manufacturer who
made pianos which were inferior to any others? So,
he is cheerful and passes the order around.
Idle words? There is a great deal of truth in them.
On various occasions, Presto representatives have
asked the condition of business with Chicago piano
manufacturers, and received for reply something like
this: "Never saw the like. We have all we can
handle. Wish we could turn out more. Why, there
is a man here now who is begging for pianos, but
we have to refer him to a competitor. We are filled
up with orders."
There is one possible fallacy of the reasoning of the
seller who sends a customer to a competitor. He is
liable to forget that there are no pianos to be had
immediately, at least, at the competitor's factory. If
there were a race to determine the busiest manu-
facturer within the past few months, the figurative
tape would be broken at the same time in as many
places as there are manufacturers. However, if there
are no pianos anywhere, the purchaser is apt to come
back to his starting point, and place orders for de-
livery as soon as possible. And that's what happens
in the majority of instances.
LACK OF CONFIDENCE
DETRIMENTAL TO TRADE
Best Way to Keep Up In the Piano Game Is to Meet
Employes Squarely, Thinks Chicago Piano Seller.
The solution of troubles in the manufacturing and
selling" of pianos is to have confidence in the firm's
ability to treat employes in a manner which will
keep their interest and loyalty, declared W. C. New-
man, manager of the retail department of Smith,
Barnes & Strohber, Chicago. Mr. Newman, who is
a keen observer of events in the piano business,
declared that he has never seen anything like the
rush that the Smith, Barnes & Strohber Co.'s fac-
tories have had this season.
"Inadequate preparations for the season's rush
caught many houses without pianos soon after the
rush began. Hardly anyone dreamed that the buy-
ing would be so frenzied, or that the prospects for
the after-holiday business would be so promising A
little more confidence would do a great deal of good,"
he said.
HALLET & DAVIS IN PORTLAND.
Schumann
PIANOS and PLAYER PIANOS
Have no superiors in appearance, tone
power or other essentials of strictly
leaders in the trade.
The Reed-French Piano Company has installed a
Hallet & Davis grand in the auditorium of the Dallas
High school. H. G. Reed, of the Reed-French Piano
Company, says that business is 25 per cent better
than at this time last year and that they have many
customers lined up for early purchases.
FORECAST OF BUSINESS
EXPANSION FOR NEXT YEAR
President of Chicago Chamber of Commerce Says
Improved Conditions Have All Signs of Health.
Edward E. Gore, president of the Chicago Associa-,
tion of Commerce, last week forecast a large expan-
sion of business during 1923. "There is no question
of the next twelve months' business being better than
any similar period during the last three years," said
President Gore.
"Prosperity can hardly fail to follow rising com-
modity prices; rising commodity prices can hardly
fail to follow widespread employment and strong de-
mand for labor; employment and labor demand we
already have with us. Labor is the principal factor
in commodity costs; sometimes it is as high as 95
per cent. Take this chair, this table. Take wheat
for example; aside from seed, ground rent and ma-,
chinery, the chief element of cost is labor.
"The situation of the farmer is bound to improve
markedly during the coming year. Already there
has been a decided improvement in the purchasing
power of the agricultural districts; it has been notice-
able for two or three months.
"This has none of the earmarks of a sudden ex-
pansion and there are absolutely no grounds for sup-
posing that business is experiencing more than a nor-
mal healthy growth. The recent activity in bank
clearings is probably due to some extent to refinanc-
ing. The cheapening of money has enabled a number
of firms to take up securities issued during the high
interest rates of the last three or four years and sub-
stitute more favorable terms."
TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA.
Financial and commercial conditions in Australia
are showing steady improvement, according to cables
to the Department of Commerce from Trade Com-
missioner J, W. Sanger. Australia's total trade with
the United States for October records the sligh 4 - in-
crease of £25,000 over September, the imports
amounting to £2,190,000, an increase of 6 4-5 per cent,
and exports totaling £566,000, a decrease of 16 per
cent. Australia is a good market for American pianos
also.
READING STORE REMODELED.
An expenditure of about $25,000 is represented in
the result of the remodeling plans of Hangen's Music
House, 47 South Sixth street, Reading, Pa., which
have just been carried out. The various departments
have been rearranged and every modern aid to sales
has been provided. The color scheme in the decora-
tions are particularly suitable in every portion of
the store.
,
-, < \
Warning to Infringers
TRADB MARK
This Trade Mark U caat
In the plate and also ap-
pears upon the fall board
of all genuine Schumann
Pianos, and all Infringers
will be prosecuted. Beware
of imitations such as Schu-
mann * Company, Schu-
mann A Bon, and also
Shuman, as all stencil
shops, dealers and users ot
pianos bearing a name In
imitation of the name
Schumann with the Inten-
tion of deceiving the public
will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law.
THE KOHLERINDUST
of NEW YORK
AFFILIATED COMPANIES
Manufacturing for the trade
Upright and Grand Pianos
Player Pianos
Reproducing Pianos
Auto De Luxe Player Actions
Standard Player Adions
Art De Luxe Reproducing Actions
Parts and Accessories
Schumann Piano Co.
W. N. VAN MATAE. President
Rockford, 111.
HIGH GRADE
Folding Organs
School Organs
Practice Keyboards
Dealers' Attention Solicited
Wholesale Chicago Office and Service "Departments
San Francisco Office
462 ^Phelan building
KOHLER INDUSTRIES
1222 KIMBALL B U I L D I N G
CHICAGO
A. L. WHITE MFG. CO.
215 Englewood Ave., CHICAGO, ILL.
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