October 4, 1924.
BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR
TRADE IN CORN-BELT
R. A. Burke, of Story & Clark Piano Co.,
Tells of Conditions in Farming Country,
West and South-west.
"Having just returned from a three weeks' tour of
the wheat and corn belts, embracing the states of
North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, 1
was much impressed with the marked change for
the better, in the feeling of the trade there toward
the prospects for business there this fall," said R. A.
Burke of the Story & Clark Piano, Chicago, to a
Presto representative.
"The farmers," continued Mr. Burke, "have had a
splendid wheat crop already partly marketed at good
prices, and the prospect of a big corn crop are bright
so it looks like the farmer is going to be in the
buying market again this fall.
"Dealers through this section have, for the most
part, bought sparingly for the past two or three years
in view of the limited marketing possibilities due to
the straightened circumstances of the farmer. Sec-
ond hand pianos and players have been a factor in
the dealers' sales for the situation made a market for
these, so dealers all over this section have not only
been taking up pianos on doubtful accounts but many
have even gone out on the market and purchased
them elsewhere in order to have something to sell
the farmer.
"Several dealers told me that their books never
were as clean as at the present time for all the
doubtful accounts had long since been repossessed
and the instruments resold.
"There is no doubt in my mind about conditions
being good in the farm belt this fall and the pro-
gressive dealers who have stood the test of the recent
slump and have put their house in order in the in-
terim, are going to do more business in the next
three months than they have during the past nine.
Every farmer who has purchased a used piano or
player to tide him over temporarily, is going to be a
possible prospect for a new one this fall, in addition
to the many who have bought no pianos as yet. The
farm belt is a real field with real possibilities for
splendid business there this fall.
"Story & Clark pianos, players, Grands and the
wonderful Repro-Phraso are being sold all over this
splendid territory and the trip I just completed, I
am glad to say, favored us with a bunch of dandy
orders."
MILEAGE BOOK HEARING
CONTINUED BY COMMISSIONER
G. W. Warne, Statistician for Traveling Men, Pre-
sents Interesting Figures to Prove Their Contention.
Figures to show that railroad earnings do and also
that they do not justify reduced passenger rates
through the sale of interchangeable mileage books
were offered to the interstate commerce commission
at Washington last week by G. W. Warne, statisti-
cian for associations of traveling men, and L. E. Wet-
tling, statistician for the western carriers.
The hearing, which is being conducted by Commis-
sioner Meyer, was continued in an effort by the com-
mission to determine whether the rates should be
reduced through the mileage book system, and if
so, how much.
Eastern carriers obtained an injunction a year ago,
which was upheld by the Supreme court, against
an order of the commission fixing the rate at $72 for
a mileage book having a face value of $90.
BRITISH FEDERATION
ADOPTS STAMP SCHEME
Old Voluntary Subscription Method Discarded as
Unsatisfactory Means of Financing.
The example of our own Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce in deriving an income from the sale
of stamps to piano manufacturers has led to the adop-
tion of a like scheme by the Federation of British
Music Industries, which has found the precarious
voluntary subscription method unsatisfactory. The
British organization has evolved a scheme which it is
hoped will place the federation finances on a sound
basis.
The new system applies only to the piano section
of the federation. The supply houses will have pur-
chase stamps which they will affix to their receipts
when the accounts are paid by manufacturers.
Piano manufacturers will purchase twin stamps,
each valued for a shilling, which will be fixed by
PRESTO
manufacturers to their invoices in the proportion of
one twin stamp for every piano sold to a dealer.
The manufacturer will himself pay one side of the
stamp—that is, a shilling, for every pianoforte sold
to the trade—and will add on to his invoice to the
dealer the value of the other side of the stamp—again
a shilling for each piano. Manufacturers will them-
selves pay the whole of the stamp duty (two shil-
lings) on those pianos they sell retail.
CHICAGO PIANO AND ORGAN
ASSOCIATION ELECTS
Otto Schulz, Elected President of Organization at
Annual Meeting Last Week.
The annual meeting of the Chicago Piano & Organ
Association was held in the Great Northern Hotel,
Chicago, on Sept. 25th at which the election of new
officers for the ensuing year took place. The follow-
ing were chosen:
President, Otto Schulz, president of the M. Schulz
Company.
Vice-President, George B. Lufkin, of the W. W.
Kimball Co.
Secretary, F. F. Story, vice-president and treas-
urer of the Story & Clark Piano Co.
Treasurer, Adam Schneider, treasurer of Julius
Bauer & Co.
Traffic manager and assistant secretary, Ed. A.
Levielle.
The new executive committee is composed of the
following: W. B. Price, chairman of board of direc-
tors of the Price & Teeple Piano Co.; John Parn-
ham, president of the Cable-Nelson Piano Co.; Geo.
J. Dowling, president of The Cable Company; Mar-
quette Healy, president Lyon & Healy, and C. N.
Kimball, president of the W. W. Kimball
NEW INCORPORATIONS
IN MUSIC GOODS TRADE
New and Old Concerns Secure Charters in Various
Places.
The Orth Music Co.,, Milwaukee, $25,000; to take
over retail business of Chas. J. Orth, Inc. A. V.
Orth, president; Mrs. Mildred Orth, vice-president,
and John Traut, secretary and treasurer.
Smith & Mitten Piano Co., Akron, O.; $75,000.
C. A. Ritten, president, treasurer and general man-
ager; F. W. Van Scoyce, vice-president and secre-
tary.
The John Davis Music Co., New York, $10,000.
J. M. Davis, F. E. McDermot and D. Marks.
The Pendleton Music House, Inc., of Pendleton,
Ore., increased its capital stock from $15,000 to
$30,000.
The R. Mapelli Music Co., of Denver, Colo.;
$10,000; Joseph, Esther and Ambrose Mapelli, all of
Denver.
DEALERS GO AFTER
THE SCHOOL SALES
Possibilities of Bigger Sales Increased Since
the Reopening of the Schools in All
Places.
Everywhere the piano dealers are organizing sales
drives of a seasonable character and from all parts
of the country comes the cheerful reports of suc-
cesses in sales and the accumulation of good pros-
pect lists. The reopening of the schools at all points
marked the resumption of school sales endeavor.
The F. A. Winter & Son store in Altoona, Pa.,
has achieved notable results in placing pianos in the
schools. Music in the Altoona schools has been
made a more important feature than ever before.
The school board has just purchased three Krakauer
uprights and one Steinway concert grand for use in
the high schools from Winter & Son. These have
been delivered and two additional Krakauer pianos
will be placed in the schools this week.
The Baldwin Piano Co., Cincinnati, has announced
the placing of two Baldwin grand pianos in the high
schools of Baltimore by the Kunkel Piano Co., in
that city. A special letter to the piano dealer ex-
pressed satisfaction of the school board with the
instruments.
The possibilities of sales of pianos in the schools
are understood by John Wanamaker's, Philadelphia,
and the piano section in the big store has developed
a systematic plan to reach the school boards in the
territory served. The reopening of the public schools
has given a pleasant impetus to business in all kinds
of music goods. From the liberal appropriations for
pianos in the elementary and high schools the de-
partment manager believes the next few months will
result in many sales of uprights and grands.
Dealers in many places are introducing the "Mel-
ody Way," a system of music teaching adapted to
children, designed by W. Otto Miessner, head of the
Miessner Piano Co., Milwaukee, and school boards
everywhere are being shown the advantages of the
"Melody Way" and the peculiar claims of the Miess-
ner piano, "The Little Piano with the Big Tone,"
for use in schools.
CONN GOODS IN PORTLAND, ORE.
The McDougall-Conn Music Co., Portland, Ore.,
distributors for the C. G. Conn, Ltd., Elkhart, Ind.,
has equipped the Original Serenaders of Portland
with a complete set of Conn instruments. The Orig-
inal Serenaders, under the direction of Richard
Lyons, is composed of prominent Portland musicians
and play at the Winter Garden, one of Portland's
exclusive resorts. The members of the orchestra are
versatile musicians, each playing several different in-
struments.
Who Started The First Exclusive Grand Factory?
A good many discriminating piano dealers know
and are profiting by the sale of the products of the
premier manufacturers of small Grands of flawless
tone quality.
jflorep
GRANDS
are the result of years of striving with the single
aim of creating exceptionally fine Grand pianos.
The degree of our success is for the Trade and
Public to decide.
We are not Car-load lot manufacturers
but we can serve a few more discrimi-
nating dealers with reasonable prompt-
ness.
—Established 1909—
/ / you have discriminating compe-
tition please write for literature.
Movty
Washington
New Jersey
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/