Presto

April 4, 1925.
PRESTO
RADIOS HERE
OWE MILLIONS
Dr. Latour, French Scientist, Is Amazed on
Visit at Wide Use of His Inventions, to
Which Courts Have Granted
Him Ownership.
DECREE CONFIRMS RIGHTS
Agreement Made with Three Concerns Waives Dam-
ages for Past and Other Eastern Firms Are
Already Negotiating.
Dr. Marius A. Latour of Paris came to this coun-
try to discover, according to announcements made
this week, that inventions of his had found such uni-
versal application in radio-receiving apparatus that
millions in royalties, as damages for infringement,
were due to him.
Already comfortable from the proceeds of other
scientific inventions, and more interested in abstract
writings and studies, Dr. Latour forewent his past
profits and contented himself with concluding agree-
ments in the last few days recognizing him as the
inventor of principles which are embodied in most
of the millions of receiving sets in use in the United
States.
Some of Latour's inventions were made more than
ten years ago, but in the meantime he has harvested
no financial benefit because, until recently, he was
not aware of the vast development of radio in the
United States and the general use of his inventions.
Professor Latour said on Monday that he estimated
that the agreements, already made and about to be
made, would have a capital value of more than
$1,000,000.
What Patents Cover.
The corporations which have come to terms with
the French scientist and obtained the legal right to
use his inventions are the American Telephone &
Telegraph Company, the Radio Corporation of Amer-
ica and the Freed-Eisemann Radio Corporation.
The agreement with the Freed-Eisemann Corpora-
tion of Brooklyn, was signed at the offices of former
Federal Judge Julius M. Mayer, 247 Park avenue,
New York, on Saturday. Professor Latour said that
negotiations were in progress with Lee de Forest and
other radio manufacturers who are seeking leases of
his patents.
Professor Latour's rights to fundamental inventions
of value in broadcasting were confirmed by Federal
Judge Augustus N. Hand in a decision on Saturday
in favor of Latour and against the Hazeltine corpora-
tion.
One or more of the Frenchman's inventions are in
practically every vacuum tube set in use. There are
very few makers that do not use a common D bat-
tery such as his patents cover, as well as the tapped
coil, so common in most receiving sets. Other pat-
ents include damping means to avoid self-oscillation,
such as resistance in series, resistance in parallel or
potentiometer, grounding the filament or storage bat-
tery to prevent oscillation—grounding directly or in-
directly, reflexing any tube other than the first,
multi-stage reflexing, coupling before different stages
of the same amplifier.
Manufacturer Received Shock.
Alexander Eisemann of the Freed-Eisemann Cor-
poration, which came to terms with Latour on Sat-
urday, made this statement:
"I confess that at first the knowledge of the exist-
ence of this patent monopoly came as quite a shock
to me, as I realized that our distributers and dealers
might be made the subjects of litigation by the in-
ventor.
"We therefore immediately started negotiations so
that our receivers would obtain coverage under Mr.
Latour's eighty-eight patents and patent applications
so that not only our company but all our distributers
and dealers would be free from possible damages on
these important inventions, one or more of which, I
believe, is used on every receiver manufactured today.
Very Valuable Patents.
"The inventor did not realize until a recent visit to
America that such a tremendous industry existed for
the building of radio receivers to pick up broadcast-
ing. He was amazed to find the manufacture of radio
receivers so far advanced in quality and quantity over
the small French radio industry and immediately saw
that the United States rights to his inventions were
very valuable."
Professor Latour has been consulting engineer to
the large electrical companies of Europe. All broad-
casting stations in France are built under his patents
for transmitting apparatus, which is also used in other
great stations of the continent. He is the inventor of
high-frequency alternators, frequency multipliers, as
used in the Belgrade and Milan radio stations, and
magnetic modulators for any wave length, as used
in the Paris station.
LATE TRADE ITEMS
FROM CLEVELAND, OHIO
Activities of Radio Serve as Stimulant and
Several New Stores Have Recently
Been Occupied.
The Willard Storage Battery Co., owners of
WTAM broadcasting station in Cleveland have made
arrangements with the Euclid Music Co. to have
their studio located in the downtown store of the
company which is located on East Ninth street.
The new studio in the Euclid Music Co.'s store is
in the heart of the downtown district, and is being
fitted up with the finest apparatus. It is expected
that it will be open in about six weeks, and at that
time the general public will be invited to inspect it.
The Euclid Music Co., who have six large stores in
Cleveland, will broadcast concerts during the morn-
ing, and in the afternoon and evenings the studio will
be used for the general broadcasting by the Willard
Storage Battery.
The Wolfe Piano Co. have a window display of
Victrolas that is a bit different from most trims and
catches the eye of the passerby. The machines are
in their crates but the front of the latter is removed
so that they are plainly visible. The company is
located downtown and it is the oddity of seeing
crated goods in a high class store window that causes
people to stop and look for the reason. The display
is part of the campaign, "Have you a Victrola," in
which the Wolfe Music Co. are actively participating.
The Globe Piano Co., located on Woodland ave-
nue, near East Fifty-fifth, is making preparations to
move to a new location.
The Mintz Piano Company, which has a store in
the 1700 block on Euclid avenue, has moved to 1846
Euclid avenue. Their new store is further along
piano row and is a much better location.
The Starr Piano Co. gave another of their enjoy-
able monthly concerts, under the direction of Miss
Rene Burdett, on March 26. Madame Annie Schuller,
pianist, gave a wonderful rendition of several num-
bers of Beethoven and Chopin. There will be two
more concerts, one in April and the last in May.
"BAIT" ADVERTISING
IS UP FOR TRADE VOTE
Ballot Mailed to Dealers by Which to Secure Gen-
eral Feeling on the Subject.
A vote by mail is being taken by the National
Piano Manufacturers' Association on the resolution
against "bait" piano advertising recommended in
January by the board of directors of the Music In-
dustries Chamber of Commerce.
A similar vote by members of the National Asso-
ciation of Music Merchants will be taken as soon
as the subject has been approved by the advisory
board of that organization, a formality required by
its constitution and by-laws. President W. W. Smith
has approved the resolution for submittal to mem-
bers by Secretary M. J. Kennedy, both in his capacity
as head of the music merchants and previously as a
member of the advisory committee of the Chamber's
Better Business Bureau.
The vote of the Piano Manufacturers' Association
was authorized by President E. R. Jacobson and sub-
mitted by Assistant Secretary Herbert H. Hill in
regular ballot form.
NEW HENRY F. MILLER BRANCH.
The Henry F. Miller store at 295 Boylston street,
Boston, recently opened a branch in Salem, Mass.,
the branch to be in charge of C. S. Berry, who has
been a salesman at the Boston store. In the branch
will be the complete line of pianos, talking machines
and radios shown in tfye main store in Boston.
MR. GULBRANSEN RETURNS.
A. G. Gulbransen, president of the Gulbransen
Company, returned to Chicago Saturday after a vaca-
tion in Palm Beach, Florida. Mr. Gulbransen had a
good rest, and returns re-enthused with the outlook
for an even greater volume of Registering Piano busi-
ness during the present year.
A CANADIAN VISITOR.
S. C. Thornton, of Dundas, Ontario, Canada, was
a visitor to the big Gulbransen plant Monday of this
week. Mr. Thornton's hobby is playing the cornet,
and on Tuesday evening he broadcast from GN, the
Drake Hotel station, at Chicago.
MANHATTAN AND
OTHER POINTS EAST
(Continued from page 3.)
merits only when orders came through brokers, with
payment assured in advance, are now doing business
direct and with new terms to win trade.
Adieu to Herrburger.
Jacques Herrburger, son of Joseph Herrburger,
head of the French piano action house of Herrburger
& Schwander, Paris, who has been in this country for
nearly a year, sailed for home on the "City of Paris,"
of the French line of steamers, last Saturday morn-
ing. Several friends were at the docks to see the
young man off. and bid him a bon voyage, among
them August Palle, formerly connected with the
house in Paris, and now the superintendent of the
action department of the Knabe piano factory at
Baltimore; Mr. Rouvet, trie American representative
of the Herrburger-Schwander actions; William Tonk,
and F. D. Abbott, old friends of the Herrburgers, and
others. Wireless messages were sent to the City of
Paris Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
Now Furniture Traveler.
W. R. Gulett, formerly general traveller for Lud-
wig & Co., is now traveling for the Irving Fur-
niture factories of New York, with general offices at
469 Seventh avenue. Mr. Gullett's special territory
is the New England States. He was a Boston visitor
last week.
Estey Organ Manager.
Martin A. Austin, of the Estey Organ Co., Brattle-
boro, Vt., was on a trip last week covering Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Richmond, and Pittsburgh. The
organ business—and especially deals in the large
pipe organs and automatic instruments—is remark-
ably good and conditions in this line of manufacture,
as concerns the Estey Company's business, are ex-
cellent. Mr. Austin informed a representative of
Presto last week that the business of his house for
the first two months of this year was ahead of that
of the corresponding period last year.
New Piano Store.
It is given out in New York that the phonograph
house of Landay Bros., which is reported to have
leased premises at Sixth avenue and Forty-second
street for phonograph and record salesrooms has
also taken large space on the second floor at the same
location to be used for a piano salesroom. It is said
that this show room will be an extensive establish-
ment and will cut quite a figure in the retail piano
business of New York.
A Narrow Escape.
M. R. Bauer, president of the Spencer Piano Co.,
338 East Thirty-first street, New York, had a nar-
row escape from a fatal accident when his automo-
bile turned over on Long Island last Friday. As it
was, Mr. Bauer escaped with a bad shakeup and some
minor injuries which kept him from business a few
days.
C. J. HEPPE & SON CELEBRATES
SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Voting Contest for School Children Made Interesting
Feature of Event This Month.
The sixtieth anniversary celebration of C. J. Heppe
& Son, 1117 Chestnut street, Philadelphia, to be
observed this month, will have features to interest
every boy and girl in the schools of the city. The
celebration, beginning this week, will extend through
the month and will have a voting contest feature
of an interesting kind.
An announcement has been made in the news-
papers informing the school children that C. J. Heppe
& Son will give away absolutely free two pianos—an
upright Eduard Jules and a grand of the same make
—to the boy or girl securing the greatest number of
vote certificates which the firm will issue. These
certificates may be had upon application signed by
a citizen of the city who is listed in the directory
and the child securing the greatest number of votes
will be awarded first prize with the second largest
number allotted the second prize.
GOLF CLUB PLANS.
Plans for tournaments for the new season were
outlined at the annual meeting of the Chicago Piano
Golf Association was held at a luncheon last week
at the Illinois Athletic Club. A tentative list of dates
for the 1925 playing season is as follows: May 6,
May 20, June 12 (national tournament), June 24,
July 8, July 22, Aug. 5, Aug. 19, Sept. 10, Sept. 24,
Oct. 8. The folowing new officers were elected:
President, R. E. Waite; vice-president, R. D. Hibsch-
man, and secretary-treasurer, James T. Bristol.
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