Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
E.tabli.hed ISU. THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
IO Cent.; $2.00 a Year
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1924
NEW ENGLAND
WEEK OBSERVED
Six States Hold Celebration of Industrial Tri-
umphs and Boston Is Radiating Center
of Enthusiasm with Piano Men
Foremost in Spirit.
MUSIC TRADE ACTIVE
Members of New England Music Trades Association,
as a Body, and Individually, Take Notable
Part in Events.
Six states forming New England last week cele-
brated the industrial achievements which began in
Colonial days and continue to make that portion of
the United States busy and prosperous. It was
right in line with the purposes of the New England
Music Trades Association that it should enact a
prominent part in the observance of New England
Week. Piano factories, and retail piano warerooms
everywhere in New England participated in the
proud and joyous celebrations. Factory officials,
factory workers, piano travelers, tuners, repairmen
and salesmen increased their New England spirit
by favoring New England boiled dinners frequently
during the week, ate generously of the best pie in
the world and expressed a physical sympathy with
Boston by making beans and codfish part of the
menu on occasions.
Boston Foremost.
Boston of course was the hub of celebration during
New England week. Piano Row showed wayfarers
the big part that pianos take in giving industrial
prominence to New England. Special decorations
were typical of the occasion and the show windows
were admirably used in impressing the educational
facts about pianos, organs and other musical com-
modities made within the boundaries of the six
states. Veneers, leathers, ivory keys, stools, benches,
scarfs, covers, varnishes and other requirements for
the piano industry, all made in New England, were
shown as parts of the piano house exhibits that drew
eyes to the show windows along Boylston, Tremont,
and other streets.
The Poole Product.
The Poole Piano Company showed participation in
the New England Week proceedings by special ex-
terior and interior decorations and Ava W. Poole,
president of the company, was active in stimulating
the efforts of the trade association towards a success-
ful celebration. The Poole piano has been typical
of the characteristic New England purpose to produce
high quality goods. The history of the Poole Piano
Co., and its participation in the ambitious industrial
efforts of New England were eloquently told in the
exhibit of Poole pianos, grands, uprights, players and
reproducing pianos shown in the factory showrooms
in Cambridge.
Hallet & Davis' Part.
Since the Hallet & Davis Piano Company was es-
tablished in 1839 the Hallet & Davis piano has re-
flected credit upon New England industries and upon
the American field of piano making as well. Natur-
ally the new daylight factory at Neponset, Mass.,
should be represented in the week's displays and the
pianos made therein prominent objects in displays in
music stores in Boston and elsewhere.
Vose Men Helped.
The forward movement of the Vose & Sons Piano
Co., Boston, since it was established close to three
quarters of a century ago, has been of the typical
New England kind that the section is justified in
glorifying. In a part of the country where big and
admirably conducted industries are numerous, the
Vose Company and its wonderful new plant in
Watertown, Greater Boston, stands out in a promi-
nent way that evokes the attention of proud New
Englanders. Willard A. Vose, president, and D. D.
Luxton, vice-president, were among the active busi-
ness men who helped to create the wide interest that
made the New England Week a success, but they
might present the Vose plant and Vose piano tri-
umphs as convincing object lessons in teaching the
world about New England industrial supremacy.
Mason & Hamlin's Part.
It was a pleasant coincidence that the remodeling
plans on the new Mason & Hamlin wareroom at
146 Boylston street were removed in time to make
the new facade finished in bronze, a part of the New
England Week celebration. The timely removal of
the large wooden framework showed the new display
window with the name of Mason & Hamlin promi-
nently displayed.
The Mason & Hamlin Co., is another distinguished
piano house which has convincingly associated Bos-
ton and New England with the production of the
finest type of pianos and it was no surprise that New
England Week speakers in many parts of the six
proud states pointed with pride to the Mason &
Hamlin Co. as a typical industry of the energetic sec-
tion. The company has been making New England
proud since 1854, the year of its founding.
Notable Historic Display.
A notable Boston display in connection with New
England Week was that of Chickering & Sons at the
Tremont street retail warerooms. It was a com-
parison exhibition which showed Chickering piano
history since the founding of the company in 1823.
The Chickering piano dating back a hundred years
was something that New England Week speakers at
municipal celebrations and school lectures particu-
larly singled out to illustrate the excellences of the
products of the section.
Heriry F. Miller's Part.
A convincing New England Week exhibit in B-os-
ton showing the supremacy of that section in the
manufacture of pianos was that of the Henry F.
Miller Store Co.'s array of Henry F. Miller uprights,
grands and playerpianos. The Continental Piano Co.,
of which the Henry F. Miller Stores Co. is the retail
distributor in Boston, can point with pride to the
Henry F. Miller piano's asset of deserved promi-
nence in the industrial productions of New England.
From the first the ambition of the makers was to
make the Henry F. Miller piano one of high attain-
ments. Pride in the instrument was shown by dealers
throughout New England last week.
Effects of Estey Organ.
The Estey Organ Co., Brattleboro, Vt., has an
emblem, "Seventy-eight Years of Success," which last
week might be made to read, "Seventy-eight Years of
Effort to Make New England Industrially Greater."
For over three quarters of a' century the Estey organ
has been a big factor for the encouragement of
music in and out of the six states which so proudly
celebrated the perpetuation of successful manufactur-
ing. The Estey organ has been satisfying musical
desires for a great many years and carrying the man-
ufacturing fame of New England near and far in
America and distant places abroad. The Estey Organ
Co. has been making the name of Estey on an organ
the synonym of musical satisfaction.
In Boston last week C. E. Briggs, manager of the
Estey Studios in the Park Square Building had a
celebration which provided most satisfying proof that
the Estey organ has been a highly appreciated object
in churches, schools and homes throughout the coun-
try in the past seventy-eight years, thereby daily
bringing honor to New England.
The Week in Ivoryton, Mass.
Ivoryton, Mass., is a town qualified to feel the
thrill of pride during a week devoted to telling the
world about New England's industrial prominence.
Note that the world needs to be reminded of the
place possessing one of the most interesting indus-
tries in the six states—Comstock, Cheney & Co., ivory
cutters and manufacturers of commodities essential
to the music trade. Few New England industries are
as widely known as the company named, and the
unique character of its products makes it of general
interest to people in and out of New England and
of particular interest to piano trade folk everywhere.
Knowing the extent and high character of the
products of Comstock, Cheney & Co. is knowing an
important unit in the sum of New England's indus-
trial greatness. All over the country are piano man-
ufacturers, piano dealers, salesmen, tuners and re-
pair men to whom Ivoryton suggests dependable
ORGAN CENSUS FIGURES
ARE INTERESTING
Government Return Also Gives Comparative
Figures of 1923 and 1921 in Recent
Report.
The Department of Commerce announces that, ac-
cording to data collected at the biennial census of
manufacturers, 1923, the establishments engaged pri-
marily in the manufacture of pipe and reed organs
reported for that year an output of 1,465 pipe organs,
valued at $8,335,091, and 5,641 reed organs, valued
at $389,970, together with other products and repairs
to the value of $867,500, making a total of $9,592,561,
a decrease of 5.8 per cent as compared with $10,184
in 1921, the last preceding census year.
In addition, 236 pipe organs, valued at $1,307,656,
and 2,131 reed organs, valued at $148,644, were re-
ported by establishments engaged primarily in the
manufacture of pianos. Thus the total production of
organs in 1923 was as follows: pipe organs, 1,701,
valued at $9,642,747, and reed organs, 7,772, valued at
$538,614.
Of the 58 establishments reporting for 1923, 12
were located in New York, 8 in Illinois, 6 in Massa-
chusetts, 5 each in California, Ohio, and Pennsyl-
vania, 4 in Wisconsin, 3 in New Jersey, and the
remaining 10 in Connecticut, District of Columbia,
Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Vermont and
Virginia.
• The statistics for 1923 and 1921 are summarized in
the statement published. The figures for 1923 are
preliminary and subject tb such correction as may be
found necessary upon further examination of the
returns.
The number of establishments in 1923 was 58 com-
pared to 56 in 1921. In 1923 the wage-earners, not
including salaried employees and firm members, num-
bered 1,928. In 1921 it was 2,346. The wages paid
in 1923 were $2,661,004; in 1921 they were $3,342,795.
But contract work was $18,253 in 1923 compared with
$6,985 in 1921.
The total value of the organ products in 1923 was
$9,592,561. Organs numbered 7,106, of which 1,406
were pipe and 5,641 were reed. In 1921 the number
of organs was 5,532, of which 1,300 were pipe and
4,232 reed.
FORMS SALES FORCE.
Roy S. Dunn, a former piano traveler, will repre-
sent the new radio organization for the distribution
of radio material to music merchants known as the
Music Trade Radio Corp., located at 328 North Mich-
igan avenue, Chicago, in the state of Wisconsin.
J. E. Gerlick, another well-known piano man, will
travel Indiana, and Fred Aylesworth, a prominent
talking machine man, will travel the state of Illinois.
The company will distribute the Zenith radio among
other radio commodities.
GOLF GAME FOR ANNIVERSARY.
A. Hospe, head of the A. Hospe Company, Omaha,
Neb., will provide a golf tournament for his trafle
friends who will attend the golden anniversary of the
founding of the Omaha house on October 23. A
special car has been engaged for the Chicago con-
tingent, which, headed by Matt J. Kennedy, secretary
of the National Association of Music Merchants, will
arrive in Omaha on October 22.
SPEAKERS AT PIANO CLUBS.
At the Chicago Piano Club's annual meeting and
dinner at the Edgewater Beach hotel Wednesday
night, Oct. 8, Fred P. Watson, president of the Illi-
nois Music Merchants' Association and Rexford C.
Hyre, secretary of the Ohio State Association, have
accepted invitations to be present and to each give a
short talk.
things essential to their business. They do not need
a special week to glorify New England's industries;
they do so every time they think of the Ivoryton
company which furnishes piano keys, actions and
hammers.
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