Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
Established 1884.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
tO Cent*; $3.00 a Year
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1924
A. W. JOHNSTON IN
NEW CONNECTION
Frominent Supply Man This Week Announces
Acquisition of Financial Interest in the
Cornwall & Patterson Mfg. Co. with
New Field for His Great Energies.
THE WORK AHEAD
His Strong Bus : ness Aggressiveness with Pleasing
Personality the Qualities Potent for Results for
the Cornwall & Patterson Mfg. Co.
Since A. W. Johnston announced his resignation
as president and director of the Standard Pneumatic
Action Company, New York, two weeks ago, the
A. W. JOHNSTON.
entire piano trade has been keenly interested in his
future p!ans. This week brings the news that Mr.
Johnston has acquired financial interest in the Corn-
wall & Patterson Manufacturing Company, Bridge-
port, Conn., one of the largest supply manufacturers
catering to the music industry.
It has been generally conceded by those who know
the extent of Mr. Johnston's ability and his- energetic
way of doing things, that there are few organizations
in the piano industry that could offer him a broader
field for his ability than the Standard Pneumatic
Action Company has afforded. And there were many
who wondered whether Mr. Johnston was leaving the
piano industry to enter some other branch of manu-
facturing. The announcement of Mr. Johnston's con-
nection with James T. Patterson does not come as a
surprise to those who know his ambitions and devo-
tion to the piano trade. For Cornwall & Patterson
is not only one of the largest piano supply organ-
izations catering to the piano manufacturers, but it is
a great industry in itself that serves every branch
of the music industry, supplying many of the essen-
tial parts used in the building of pianos, playerpianos,
grands and organs, piano actions and player actions.
What Mr. Patterson Said.
When Mr. Patterson was interviewed regarding his
association with Mr. Johnston he said that the re-
sponsibilities of his other investments and other ex-
ecutive positions that he held left too little time
for the proper direction and development of the
Cornwall & Patterson organization. He said further
that in the future much of the responsibility of run-
ning and developing the Cornwall & Patterson Man-
ufacturing Company will be shared by Mr. Johnston.
Besides being president of the Cornwall & Patter-
son Manufacturing Company, Mr. Patterson is a
director of the City National Bank at Bridgeport,
Conn., and director and trustee of the Milford Sav-
ings Bank of Milford, Conn. He is also president
of I. Newman & Sons, Inc., of New Haven, Conn.,
manufacturers of the nationally advertised P. & N.
Practical Front Corsets, the New York offices of
which are at 222 Fourth avenue.
Wanted a Uroader Field.
Perhaps no more able man could have been chosen
to extend and develop the Cornwall & Patterson
business, than Mr. Johnston. The work he has done
in the development of the Standard Pneumatic Action
Company stands out as one of the achievements of
the music industry. Even during this year, when
business has been "'a little off" the Standard has
enjoyed the largest year's business in its history.
And those who are close to the organization know
that this phenomenal business has been largely due
to Mr. Johnston's foresight, courage and aggressive-
ness.
Those who know the many products that the Corn-
wall & Patterson Manufacturing Company make will
understand Mr. Johnston's enthusiasm in entering
this new ''and broader field of business" as he
terms it. For, where Mr. Johnston has had only
the playerpiano manufacturer to cater to in the
past, now he has every manufacturer in the trade.
Although it is a little known fact, one or more' of
the products of the Cornwall & Patterson Company
finds their way into eighty per cent of every piano,
playerpiano, grand and organ made in the United
States.
A Great Industry.
Only through a study of figures can one grasp the
immense proportion of this great business. The fac-
tory at Bridgeport, Conn., consists of thirteen build-
ings. It takes up nearly 100,000 square feet of floor
space, in a single year approximately 5,000,000 lbs.
of steel and brass are formed and shaped into ma-
terials used in the building of pianos, playerpianos,
grands and organs, piano actions and player actions.
The company makes fifty per cent of all the tracker
bars, transmissions used in the trade. Millions of
tuning pins are also made each year. This is a new
branch of the business developed during the past
few years which promises a wonderful development
in the future.
A few of the other products of the company are
as follows, included under the head of player hard-
ware: Tracker bars and transmissions, pumper ped-
als, take-up spools and fittings, cut-out valves and
finger levers, threaded wires and valve stems, and all
miscellaneous parts.
The piano action hardware includes: Damper
rods and attachments; key, plate and bridge pins;
capstan screws, iron and brass; brass agraffes, piano
bolts and pressure bars, springs for all uses, and
timing pins.
Manufacturers Since 1881.
Although the Cornwall & Patterson Manufacturing
Company has been established for nearly half a cen-
tury the great size of this business and the vast
number of products it manufactures is little known
except to the manufacturers whom it serves. The
business was organized back' in 1881 by the late
James T. Patterson and J. B. Cornwall and has con-
tinued to grow year after year in size and in the
esteem of the manufacturers whom it serves.
Since 1912 when the present James T. Patterson,
son of the founder of the business, took over the
management, the company has increased to double
its former proportions. Floor space has also been
doubled and today the Cornwall & Patterson Mfg.
Co. is not only the largest manufacturer of its kind
in the world, but is one of the best equipped manu-
facturing organizations in the world, manufacturing
products that have always been standards for qual-
ity.
Mr. Johnston's Friends.
Under the influence of Mr. Johnston's vigorous per-
sonality, the business of the Cornwall & Patterson
Manufacturing Company premises to grow to greater
proportions. It is believed that he will pay particular
attention to developing the playerpiano end of the
THE ILLINOIS MUSIC
MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION
Effective Publicity of Officials Assures Big
Attendance at Second Annual Convention
at Springfield Meeting.
The second annual convention of the Illinois Music
Merchants' Association will be held at the Leland
Hotel, Springfield, October 6 and 7. The event is
being given most effective publicity, and President
Fred P. Watson believes he has reached every music
dealer in the state with some item of the advertising.
This week two postals have been mailed to deal-
ers, members and non-members, in which the recipi-
ents are urged as follows:
"Do not fail to mark your calendar for Monday
and Tuesday, October 6th and 7th, the second annual
convention of the Illinois Music Merchants' Associa-
tion to be held at Springfield. A business man's
meeting, constructive work and splendid entertain-
ment.
"Mr. Music Dealer, whether a member of the asso-
ciation or not, you cannot afford to miss it.
"Plan to bring the ladies. Program will come to
you soon."
Another postal says:
"No music dealer in Illinois can afford to miss it.
"Constructive talks by men who are on the firing
line."
In a special letter signed by President Watson he
says:
"We are of the opinion this will be a splendidly
attended meeting and a very interesting one to its
members and the dealers throughout the state. The
program is only tentatively arranged, but will be
ready for publication within the next very few days
and I will take pleasure in forwarding a copy to
you.
"Our association has made more than one hundred
per cent increase in membership this year and from
the fact that we were the second to affiliate with the
National Association, we feel that these things along
with a number of other accomplishments have placed
us among the few state associations that are going'
to accomp'ish something in the future."
The following are the officers of the Illinois Music
Merchants' Association:
President, Fred P. Watson, Fred P. Watson, Mt.
Vernon; vice-president, O. F. Anderson, Anderson
Piano Company, Springfield; secretary, R. J. Von
Fossen, Von Fossen Music Company, Beardstown;
treasurer, Lloyd L. Parker, Lloyd L. Parker, the
Music Man, Harrisburg.
Executive Committee—J. Barth Johnson, J. Barth
Johnson Company, Jacksonville, chairman; J. F. Mc-
Dermott, Emerson Piano House, Decatur; Chas. C.
Oldendorf, Oldendorf's Music House, Mt. Carmel;
George P. Cheatle, The Music Shop, Springfield.
Advisory Council—Past president, Charles C.
Adams, Charles C. Adams & Co., Peoria.
BY AUTO AND BOAT.
A. C. Clausen, sales promotion manager of the
Henry F. Miller Stores Company, has returned to
Boston from a few days' stay in Detroit, after com-
pleting arrangements for the moving of his house-
hold goods to his new home in Watertown, Massa-
chusetts, a Boston suburb. Mr. Clausen with his
family, made the trip from Detroit to Buffalo by
boat and then drove over the road to Boston, arriv-
ing there Sunday after a pleasant trip.
Cornwall & Patterson business. To help him in
this connection Mr. Johnston has a very wide circle
of friends. He knows intimately practically every
manufacturer in the piano trade. And the year he
has spent developing the Standard Pneumatic Action
Company won him thousands of friends among the
music merchants in all parts of the United States,
and among the tuners and repair men of the country.
Presto doubts whether any man in the music indus-
try has a larger circle of friends than Mr. Johnston,
and who wish him success in his new undertaking.
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