Presto

18
February 7, 1925.
P R E S T C
P. L HANSON WINS
HOBART M. CABLE PRIZE
Traveler for Illinois and Missouri Field Goes
Over His Quota in Contest of Sales-
men of La Porte Industry.
P. L. Hanson, Danville, 111., who travels in Illinois
and Missouri for the Hobart M. Cable Co., of La
Porte, Ind., has been receiving congratulations from
friends for winning the quota prize given each year
by the Hobart M. Cable Company to the salesman
having the highest score. He went over his quota
nearly 300%, Jack Norris, who travels the Southern
states being a close second.
Mr. Hanson attributes his success mostly to the
piano he sells, and another reason for his success
was his early training in salesmanship by his father,
Col. C. P. Hanson, of Bridgewater, S. D., was one
P. L. HANSON.
of the most successful merchandise auctioneers in
America. As a result the state of South Dakota
appointed Mr. Hanson official state auctioneer for
four years, and during these sales he sold over seven
million dollars' worth of school land for the state.
In 1909 A. N. Anderson, piano man at Centerville,
S. D., induced Mr. Hanson to go into the piano
business. Mr. Anderson is a very successful piano
man who has sold more pianos individually in South
Dakota than any other salesman. He sells pianos
through the summer months and spends his winters
at Long Beach, Cal. One of Mr. Anderson's drastic
laws to his salesmen was that when he loaded up
the pianos and phonographs and started out he must
not return before he had sold his instruments On
one occasion Mr. Hanson loaded his phonographs
and was driving a wild team of western horses when
the team started to run up the street, then onto the
sidewalk, through fences, and finally into the river,
phonographs, Hanson, sled and all. When the crowd
reached the spot they heard music. One of the
phonographs in which a demonstration record had
been placed was playing "Asleep In the Deep."
Another of Mr. Anderson's drastic laws was that
no salesman could return any trade-ins to the store.
One day Mr. Hanson received a good organ as first
payment on a piano, and going from house to house
to sell it found a family that would accept the organ
as a gift but would not buy it. Finally the salesman
asked if they would trade two large roosters for the
organ and the accepted the "bargain" and Mr. Han-
son was busy for an hour running down the roosters.
He succeeded but realizing that it was too late to
drive home, asked permission to stay all night. After
the evening meal Mr. Hanson talked piano and be-
fore bed time sold them a beautiful Hobart M. Cable
and allowed his customer $40.00 for their beautiful
organ they had just traded for. Mr. Hanson had to
find another customer for his organ, but the two
roosters were brought safely home.
In 1910 Mr. Hanson left Centerville and opened
a music store in Bridgewater, S. D., his old home
town, and was very successful in his business until
the war broke out. In 1916 he was elected sheriff of
McCook county and the piano business suffered, as
war work occupied his time.
Mr. Hanson received recognition from the govern-
ment for his fast work in making his quota. At one
time he had to raise $24,000 in McCook county for
the United Welfare Association, and the campaign
was to commence at noon of a certain day. He
wired the state headquarters at 11:30 the same morn-
ing that McCook county had made its quota and
the draft was sent the same day, giving McCook
the honor of being the first county to report.
After the war Mr. Hanson accepted a position with
the Hobart M. Cable Co., as field manager for
North and South Dakota and moved to Sioux Falls,
where in nine months he retailed 100 pianos.
In 1923 he became manager of the Dependable
Music Stores, Inc., at South Bend, Ind., owned by
the Hobart M. Cable Company and was successful,
as the sales jumped from $10,000 per month to $25,000
and $30,000 per month. On January 1, 1924, Mr.
Hanson took over the territory of Illinois and Mis-
souri and moved to Danville, 111., his present home.
He is a booster for the Illinois State Piano Men's
Association and is going to try and have all of his
dealers at the convention in Rockford this summer.
He has been a Presto reader for eighteen years.
Mr. Hanson recently returned from a trip through
Iowa and Minnesota and the Dakotas, and reports
conditions improving in the agricultural sections.
J. W. CARTER MUSIC HOUSE
CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY
Founding of the Company Forty-eight Years Ago
Recalled in Pleasant Manner.
On Thursday of last week the J. W. Carter Music
Co., 819 Main street, Houston, Tex., celebrated the
forty-eighth anniversary of its founding by J. W.
Carter, Sr., now in his seventy-fifth year, but still
active in the business. Two sons are associated with
the father in the prosperous firm which had a begin-
ning at Beaumont street and Broadway, Brenhan,
Tex., where a branch is now operated by the com-
pany.
The J. W. Carter Music Co. lays claim to the pat-
ronage of appreciative musical people on the high
quality of the goods sold. The Steinway piano is the
leader of a fine representative line of pianos. The
Steinway business of the house has been constantly
growing since representation was required ten years.
The sales for 1924 were the biggest in the history of
the company, and the management is looking for
even better results this year.
STRAUBE PIANO CO.
REPORTS BIG SALES
All Records for January Business Smashed by
Sales and Shipments of Month
Just Closed.
The Straube Piano Company, Hammond, Ind., has
broken all records for January shipments in its busi-
ness for the 31 days ending last Saturday, and
achieved results that made it one of the best months
in the history of the house. The month started off
with a rush, and in spite of the fact that January is
always considered more or less a trial from the
standpoint of business in the industry at large, car-
ried through to a record finish.
Last summer the Straube Company added two new
models to its line, a four foot player and a companion
straight, and started business this year with a line
complete in every respect. The January demand was
for instruments of every type and is conclusive proof
of the general popularity of Straube products.
In addition to its unprecedented domestic business,
the Straube Company is beginning to enjoy an en-
viable foreign trade. C. H. J. Thorby, vice-president,
stated to Presto that hundreds of inquiries have come
from foreign countries during the last year, and that
Straube instruments are being enthusiastically re-
ceived across the water. According to Mr. Thorby,
the Straube player is meeting with special favor at
the hands of foreign buyers. The Straube valve, due
to its special patented features, is immune to friction
and corrosion, and is ideal for use in climates that
tend to corrode the valve mechanism of players.
Numerous prominent piano houses have recently
been added to the Straube list and every indication
is for a banner Straube year, according to Mr.
Thorby. The unusual domestic demand with the pros-
pect for large foreign shipments is taxing the capac-
ity of the present Straube plant, and it is expected
that a large addition will be made this year. The
present Straube factory, with a capacity of six thous-
and instruments, is considered one of the most mod-
ern in the country, and the contemplated addition
would put Straube in the front rank from the stand-
point of facilities.
The Straube plant is ideally located and the large
grounds provide ample space for expansion.
HURT GERMAN ORGAN INDUSTRY.
Ludvvig Sauer, in the Deutsche Instrumentenbau
Zeitung, deplores the fact that the German organ-
building industry is not able even to approach the
pre-1914 level of workmanship. The increased cost
of raw material and the enormous rise in workmen's
wages make new organs beyond the reach of either
church or concert enterprise. This is also largely due
to the indifference of the masses to religious or
aesthetic influences. Those who used to buy organs,
now in many cases buy motor cars.
THE LONDON TRADE SCHOOL.
The Music Trades School of London recently
issued a report which detailed the activities of a year.
Figures showed 160 apprentices were in attendance,
66 fall-time students; 260 evening students. Alto-
gether 120,000 student-hours were made. In the Lon-
don training center for disabled ex-service men over
200 men have been trained and absorbed by the trade.
The centers at Glasgow, Newcastle, Belfast and Bris-
tol have also been supervised by the school.
W. M. Baynes, engaged in the music business at
Metropolis, 111., has moved to new quarters.
New Edition for 1925 Ready—Order Now
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
It Contains Full Lists with Concise Classification and Description of all
American Pianos, Players and Reproducing Pianos, with Sketches of their
Makers. Edition for 1925 is now ready. Price 50 cents, post paid.
NO PIANO DEALER OR PROSPECT CAN AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT IT.
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.
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