21
PRESTO
June 27, 1925.
FOILS OLD VIOLIN THEFT
New York Ticket Agent Saves Instrument Said to
Have Been Used by Mozart.
The alertness of a ticket agent in the northbound
station of the Ninth Avenue elevated at Fourteenth
street New York, last week balked the theft of two
violins belonging to Vlado Kolitsch, Croatian violin-
ist, who made his debut at Carnegie Hall this season.
One of the violins is said to have been used by
Mozart in 1786 and is valued by its owner at $17,000.
Kolitsch, accompanied by his secretary and a
friend, was returning from a concert to the Hotel des
Artistes at 1 West Sixty-seventh street. It was near
midnight when they reached the elevated platform
and no train was in sight. The violins, in one case,
were laid upon a bench. When a train rolled into
the station the men got aboard, forgetting the violins.
At the next station Kolitsch notified the agent of
his loss. The agent, in turn, notified the Fourteenth
street agent. When he left the phone the agent saw
a man carrying a violin case walk briskly toward the
exit turnstiles.
"Just a minute," exclaimed the agent. "Where
did you get that violin case?"
The man ignored the question and went on. The
agent threatened to call a policeman and the man
dropped the case and fled. When Kolitsch arrived
a few minutes later his violins were waiting for him.
RUBBER SCARCE—PRICES RISE
New British Law, Known as Stephenson Act, Pre-
vents Imports from Colonies.
Users of pneumatic tubes in the music industries
will experience price increases in the commodity dur-
ing the forthcoming fiscal year, because of an arbi-
trary law controlling the export of crude rubber from
English colonies into the United States.
During the last five weeks this measure, known as
the Stevenson restriction act, has caused a boost in
American rubber prices from approximately 18 cents
to 74 cents on each of the 56,000,000 pounds of crude
rubber consumed by the nation's automobile tire in-
dustry throughout that period, or $31,360,000.
At the same time the situation is steadily becom-
ing more threatening. With tire manufacturing plants
operating at capacity, the progressive depletion in
rubber stocks and the rapidly advancing prices are
threatening American rubber-using industries with
wholesale curtailment in operations within the next
three or four months. On May 1, according to De-
partment of Commercial reports which predict a
world shortage in three years, only 50,000 tons of
rubber were available to manufacturers in the United
States.
JOINS AEOLIAN RADIO
Frank Elliott Now Represents the Big New York
Company's Forces in Brooklyn Territory.
Frank Elliott, well-known in the music trades and
radio industry, has become a member of The Aeolian
Company's forces to represent the wholesale radio
department in Brooklyn territory.
Mr. Elliott, who has a large following in the trade,
was for some time associated with Oscar Ray, man-
ager of The Aeolian Company's wholesale radio de-
partment. He also spent four years with the Bruns-
wick Company and was later district sales manager
for the National Light Company.
NOTICE TO DEALERS.
The Oliver Ditson Co., of Boston, jointly with
Charles H. Ditson & Co., of New York, has sent out
to the music trade in general an announcement that
A. L. Martell is to be their traveling representative
in the future, taking the place of George W. Furniss,
who has been given another assignment.
MUSIC SHOP BURNED.
Fire of unknown origin early today destroyed the
Princeton University Music Shop, Princeton, N. J.,
the Brick Row Bookshop and other campus shops.
The damage is estimated at $65,000.
The Claude P. Street Piano Company, Nashville,
Tenn., has opened a branch store at Columbia, Tenn.
T. W. Rains is manager.
FAIRBANKS
BIG SUPPLY STOCKS
But the American Piano Supply Co., New
York, Has Other Claims to Favor of
Piano Industry.
The American Piano Supply Co., 110-112 East
Thirteenth street, New York City, prides itself on
its ability to meet the urgent demands of its cus-
tomers and to ship the goods in the shortest possible
time from the moment of receiving the written, tele-
phoned or telegraphed order. "Where the Supply
Meets the Demand" is a phrase in the advertising
of the company of great significance to the repair-
man or tuner as well as the piano manufacturer and
dealer.
There are times in the experiences of the factory
superintendent, repairman or tuner when replacing
a missing part becomes a problem. It may not be
the price of the job that adds gravity to the search
for a necessary part or bit of piano material for the
dealer or repairman. Perhaps it is the character
for reliability in the service of the firm or the inde-
pendent repairman that makes the crisis so impor-
tant. In such a circumstance the American Piano
Supply Co. appears as a friend in need of the man in
search of the urgently required something.
"Our large stock is very seldom depleted, and
your order, whether large or small, will receive im-
mediate attention," is the assurance in an announce-
ment of the company. The house carries a large
stock of felts, cloths, hammers, punchings, music
wire, tuning pins, player parts, hinges, castings and
other requirements of the piano trade.
CLUTTER OF RADIO PATENTS.
Radio patent applications have practically swamped
the Patent Office in Washington, and the situation
delays the development in radio. The courts, too,
are cluttered with suits for patent infringement and
holders of patents are despairing of relief because
of congested conditions existing. Infringers and
"gyps" are emboldened in their operations, knowing
that they can clean up at the expense of the legiti-
mate patent holder before a suit for infringement can
be prosecuted.
DEALERS and TUNERS!
Keys Recovered and Rebushed
THE FAIRBANKS CO., Springfield, Ohio
"SUPERIOR" PIANO PLATES
All work is done by expert workmen
and modern machinery and you are
assured of correct spacing which is so
important. When keys are replaced they
will appear exactly as when the instru-
ment left the factory.
PRICES FOR PYRALIN IVORY
52 h e a d s and tails - . - - . . * . $8.00
5 2 fronts
2.50
88 k e y s rebushed
4.00
Express or Parcel Post to
FRIELD MILLER & CO.
3767 N. Illinois Street
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
HOW TO SEND
Remove from frame, number plainly near Capstan,
wrap or bos •ecurely, and ship Parcel Post or Express.
Manufactured by
SUPERIOR FOUNDRY CO.
Cleveland, Ohio
Please do not remove the old ivories a*
there is danger of the wood being broken.
Ivories will be returned if desired.
PERFECTION
Benches and Cabinets
The line that sells on sight and satisfies always
—35—
Nationally Priced
Size 14x30, in all
finishes
Full size Bench 15x36
Packed two benches in one crate.
Send for catalog and price list
$6.00
7.50
PERFECTION PIANO BENCH MFG. COMPANY
1514-1520 Blue Island Ave.
Chicago, 111.
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