August 15, 1925.
PRESTO
PIANO MAN TELLS
ABOUT TACOMA
Pays Tribute to Beauty and Homelike Char-
acteristics of the City That Gives Promise
of Being One of the Great Centers
of the Northwest.
LETTER FROM I. N. RICE
Tourists Who Left Chicago and Covered Twenty-five
Hundred Miles by Auto Advise Others as
How Best to Do It.
Tacoma, Wash., August 3, 1925.
Editor Presto: We are here—well and none the
worse for over a 2,500-mile trip, without a puncture,
blow-out or even a quarrel or fight over evolution,
monkeys or other topic of thrilling ecclesiastic con-
cern, which is remarkable in a three weeks' continu-
ous association of two piano men and their wives!
Our plan was to make San Francisco our objective
point, but we were advised to avoid Nevada roads
and desert, so we headed for Portland. And we found
that energetic city by way of, with very few excep-
tions, good roads and some wonderful scenery. Ex-
cellent crops in all of the states, but business "bad."
Still, all are hopeful and convinced of a fine fall and
winter trade.
Camp If You Can.
I would advise tourists making the trip to camp, if
they can, as almost every town or city provides good
facilities—many of them excellent—at free or nomi-
nal charges. If not campers, plan to stop at the
smaller towns, as the important hotel towns and
cities are considering tourists as millionaires and
charging them accordingly.
We went to Seattle and viewed the Knights
Templar parade, which was a surprise because so
far from the center of the nation's population, and
yet it was more than three hours passing. The city
did wonders in the way of decorations and enter-
tainments, but, like the usual spirit of coast hotels,
prices of accommodations were boosted beyond rea-
son. I think, when the Grand bodies arrange with a
city for the conclave, they should not consent until
they were guaranteed against such hold-up practices.
Hotel Hold-Ups.
It is not the first class hotels. Their prices are
always high. But the cheaper hotels and rooming
houses which, in the West, are numerous and good,
that demand exorbitant prices. The visitors, and a
large percentage of the Knights, are not wealthy,
and have to consider expenses. A better welcome,
in the matter referred to, would increase the num-
bers. For one instance, a friend stopped at the same
apartment house at which we stayed for a month
last fall, at a charge of $60 per month. My friend
had to pay $6 per day for the few days there.
The first w r eek of our trip was hot—nights also,
including Denver. But when we reached Utah and
Idaho it was much better. The weather is fine here,
and we have a lovely apartment where we expect to
stay two or three mouths. We will make several
short trips, possibly to Vancouver, B. C, also. Mr.
and Mrs. Jordan have already headed for California.
Tribute to Tacoma.
Tacoma is a beautiful home city. I hope you will
let me repeat the following extract from an article
by Marco Hellman, of Los Angeles, which is better
than I can tell it. He is one of the broadest-minded
bankers in the West—an excellent man in every way:
"It is easy to predict a great future for Tacoma.
I have been impressed more by Tacoma than any
city on the coast since leaving San Francisco. I feel
that the people are the right type to make the city
grow.
"I find here a friendliness and a courtesy that is
like what we used to have in Los Angeles before we
grew so big. We have made the trip to Mount
Tacoma and enjoyed that. We go on to Seattle,
Vancouver and Victoria, and then we expect to return
to Tacoma to make some more side trips. I would
like to make my summer home here on the Sound."
The Knights here did very much towards enter-
taining the visiting Knights. This Northwest is a
wonderful country, but like Chicago, is much abused
about its climate, most of which abuse it does not de-
serve.
I. N. RICE.
FRANK HOOD SEES BIG
FALL SCHILLER TRADE
After Visiting Trade in Different Sections and
Getting an Insight on Conditions Sales-
man Has Optimistic Viewpoint.
Frank M. Hood, vice-president of the Schiller Piano
Co., Oregon, 111., and with offices at 209 South State
street, Chicago, recently returned from a tour of the
trade through the Central States and left this week
for a trip through the Middle West States.
After returning from the trade centers of Indiana,
NEW STORE AT LA FAYETTE.
The new Music Shop, at 523-25 Jefferson street.
La Fayette, Ind., was recently opened. It is owned
by Frank R. Mutz, of that city, and H. T. Ventry, of
Opelousas, and will be managed by Mr. Mutz. The
business has been established in a new building, and
everything pertaining to music will be handled.
Howard Voorhies, of New Orleans, southern distrib-
utor of the C. G. Conn Co., assisted at the opening of
the business and had charge of a special display of
Conn band instruments and saxophones which are
being featured at the Music Shop.
BUYS OUT HIS PARTNER.
J. O. Geeseman has sold his interest in the Geese-
man & Lorance Music Store at Robinson, 111., to his
partner, M. G. Lorance, who is now in charge.
Geeseman retires to assume management of his farm.
The partnership has existed for two years, and the
store has enjoyed a growing business. Mr. Lorance
was in the employ of a former owner, John Vande-
veer, and thus has had four years' experience in the
music business, and he expects to make the store
better than ever before.
WINDOW DISPLAY OF E. BLOUT & SON, NEW YORK
FRANK M. HOOD
Ohio and Illinois, Mr. Hood was optimistic of future
trade conditions, as dealers were clearing their sum-
mer stock and preparing for their fall requirements.
Before leaving Chicago this week Mr. Hood an-
nounced that his plans would carry him through all
the mid-west states and that he anticipated a good
business in the fact that the condition of the farm-
ers has improved and the report of bumper crops
has increased their purchasing of pianos.
SIDELIGHTS AT THE
TUNERS' CONVENTION
Several Incidents of Interest at the Detroit
Meeting Lifted, by Permission, from the
August Gulbransen Bulletin.
After the banquet at the tuners' convention in De-
troit, August 3-6, and just as the guests were getting
ready to dance, one of the ladies distributed hun-
dreds of Gulbransen balloons, all bearing the Gul-
bransen trade-mark of the Baby-at-the-Pedals. The
various colored balloons and similarly vari-colored
gowns worn by the ladies made a very interesting
picture.
The Peoria, 111., division of the National Associa-
tion of Piano Tuners seemed to run off with all the
honors at the convention. One of the most active
members of the Peoria division is George Steger, the
Gulbransen dealer there.
H. A. Stewart, salesmanager for the Gulbransen
Company, drove from his home at St. Charles, 111.,
as far as Kalamazoo, Mich. A good part of the way
he was playing tag with another machine from
Bloomington, Ind., carrying a tuner also named
Stewart—Ed Stewart. While the two Stewarts were
conversing, after reaching Detroit, another tuner
named Stewart—J. L. Stewart, from Mannington,
W. Va.—walked up. Hope the "Stewarts" don't get
as common as the "Smiths"—there will be too many
initials to remember!
The Tuners' Association was the first music indus-
try body to recognize woman's place on a program
of this kind. This was widely and favorably com-
mented on.
HE PLAYED A HORN.
Here's a nice window of one of the stores of the
Emanuel Blout Company, at 2786 Broadway, New
York, N. Y. Murray Luchow is in charge of the
Q R S player roll department at this store and the
window shows that he is master of window effects to
get business.
Every Blout store is a gem of completeness and
they all carry complete stocks of Q R S player rolls.
They all believe in window displays and each store is
an ornament and credit to the music trade.
If the tuners' convention did nothing else (and it
did) it at least brought out one fact. This is that
A. G. Gulbransen, president of the Gulbransen Com-
pany played a horn in a community band in his
younger days. We haven't asked Mr. Gulbransen
about it, but we'll wager that he registered "touch"
(if it is possible to register "touch" on a horn) time
and expression.
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