January 29, 1927.
PRESTO-TIMES
CHRISTMAN
it
The First Touch Tells 9 9
Christman Studio Grand
ing conditions, to make allowance for the restricted
purchasing power of our estimated six million farmers
in this country and to picture a little more vividly
the business that we have not recently been getting
from the rich agricultural communities, particularly
of the Middle West, that have been such good cus-
tomers in the past.
Annual Meeting of the Chicago Piano and Or-
Problem of Market.
gan Association One of Unusual Interest,
"I do not believe that it would be out of the way,"
continued the speaker, "to recognize that this de-
and Largely Attended by Guests
creased purchasing power from this source alone
from Many Cities.
would be sufficient to largely explain the aggravation
and the problem all of • us admit in marketing our
usual production, and I venture the suggestion that
it is probably within reason to expect that we cannot
anticipate a full return to national prosperity until
Hard Work and Efficiency Afford the Keys to Prog- the buying power of this very desirable market has
ress and Answers to Any Challenge to
been restored.
Our Resourcefulness.
"This adjustment relief, it seems to me, is not apt
to come to the farmer through legislation or to our
The annual get-together and banquet of the Chi- indas'try in 'expecting George to do it.' We must
cago Piano and Organ Association at the Union accept this fact as representing an actual condition
League Club last week Thursday night, was decid- to weave in with our plans for the year ahead and to
edly an inter-community affair, inasmuch as more recognize the fact that, with all of the undoubted
than a third of those prese.nt were non-residents of
benefit that we may receive from concerted action,
Chicago and represented all sections of the United there cannot, in the end, be any substitute for indi-
States. It was not only a regular meeting of the vidual effort and efficiency."
Chicago music trade men but the association did
A Successful Event.
honor to those attending the Mid-Winter gathering
of the Music Trade Industries committees.
At the speakers' table, seated with President Whit-
more and Treasurer Adam Schneider, were E. R.
Among Those Present.
Among manufacturers and their representatives Jacobson, president Music Industries Chamber of
and music dealers from outside of Chicago present Commerce; Max de Rochemont, president National
were the following: Mark P. Campbell, M. V. De Piano Manufacturers' Association; Edward H. Uhl,
Forrest, F. B. T. Hollenberg, Herman Irion, Richard president National Association of Music Merchants;
W. Lawrence. C. Alfred Wagner, Alfred L. Smith, Matt J. Kennedy, president National Piano Travelers'
Arthur T. Wessell, Chas. H. Yahrling, P. E. Conroy. Association, and the guest and principal speaker of
C. L. Dennis, Robt. N. Watkin, Alex McDonald and the evening, Dr. J. Paul Goode, of the University of
John W. Boothe, members of the Board of Control Chicago, whose lecture was a most instructive epi-
and directors of the Music Merchants National As- sode of the meeting.
Jn all respects this, the annual dinner of the ven-
sociation; also W. E. Guylee and Henry E. Weisert.
of Chicago, members of those committees., and t'.ic erable Chicago Music Trades and Industrial Associa-
following: E. R. Jacobson, Max de Rochemont, Ed. tion was a great success.
H. Uhl, John H. Parnham, Win. G. Heaton, Frank
J. Bayley, Ed. Kieselhorst. Phil Lehman, Parnam
Werlein. A. H. Howes, Otto B. Heaton. H. W. Ran-
dall, Jas. H. Weibly, W. H. Mennie, O. G. Swanitz.
R. E. Davis, William Betz. W. Cordes, Edmund
Gram, W. Otto Miessner, Jos. Vogt, and a few ovhers
who came late and were not able to register.
Manufacturer Believes That Twelve Months
It was an over-flow event where nearly one hun-
of Constructive Publicity Will Correct Evil
dred and fifty persons were crowded into a space that
Effects of Past Destructive Methods.
it was thought would not accommodate over a hun-
dred. This made it necessary for many 'to find tables
Vice-President and General Manager H. Edgar
where they could only listen to the after-dinner
French, of the Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., re-
entertainments.
turned last week from a visit to the southern
It was the first banquet of the association over branch hojses of the New Castle industry and, in con-
which F. I*. W r hitmore, the newly-elected president versation with a representative of Presto-Times gave
for 1927 has presided. While Mr. Whkmore did not expression to some suggestive results of his observa-
make a set speech his remarks gave him the oppor- tions in that section of the country.
tunity to express his convictions on conditions in the
"I found the boys down south very enthusiastic
music trade, which he considered to be favorable,
even exceptionally good in most other lines of trade over last year's business," said Mr. French, "as well
as over the 1927 prospects. They have taken on
and industry.
more salesmen and propose to work harder than ever
He said that, in the entire history of the trade, to make 1927 the banner Jesse French year.
there had been only two years, immediately follow-
"There is one thing sure, whatever business they
ing the last war, when there existed what we could do there will be on the high grade order. Both H. E.
properly designate a seller's market, with not enough
Poston, manager at Montgomery, and J. H. Resch,
goods available to go around. During all the remain- manager at Mobile, are firmly convinced that adver-
ing years the problems presented in looking ahead tising music and quality produces more, as well as
were identical with those we are confronting today, more reliable, business, than advertising price and
varying only in- degree and not in any of the essen- terms.
tials involved.
"I sincerely wish that all of the piano advertising
Cars and Radio.
during the year 1927 would be spent in the same
Mr. Whitmore suggested that we might become manner, because there is not the slightest doubt but
reconciled to the thought that the saturation point in what 1928 would be a real-for-sure piano year if the
automobile production might eventually be repre- trade were given twelve months' relief from the de-
sented by the limitations of our roads and highways strwetive advertising which has been so prevalent in
to carry the traffic, and that we were no longer sur- the past."
prised with 'the thought that radio installations might
soon become as commonplace and accepted in our
THE BLIND TUNER.
homes as telephones and electric lights; and that,
A
totally
blind
tuner is engaged to tune the pianos
while we might feel some jealousy toward these
activities that have been riding on such a high wave in the Chicago schools. He is Mr. Mayor and'
of public approval, they were not, in the end. really he is employed by the Board of Education. He goes,
from one side of Chicago to the other without the
competitors with our product.
aid of anyone, although he cannot see at all. Mr.
Rather than admit that they are competitors, our Mayor climbs the stairs and gets around, using his
point of view should be that of taking them as a cane very little. It seems as though he can tell when
challenge to our own resourcefulness. He spoke of
he is coming in contact with something by the air
how, through competition and rapidly increasing cosis pressure or in some other way and he locates the-
in overhead, both the dealer and the manufacturer pianos in the various schools with unerring accuracy.
have had to wage a constantly endless battle to He is furthermore an exceptionally good workman.
reduce expenses, in order to be able to show a decent
profit, or any return, at all, on their investment.
CAUSES AND CURE OF
TRADE DEPRESSION
WHITMORE'S VIEWS
(Only 5 Feet Long)
The year now started will be a good
one for representatives of this famous
little Grand. In everything that wins
trade the Studio Grand is positively
unsurpassed and stands in a field of its
own. It is an instrument of such pre-
eminence that it almost literally "sells
on sight."
THE CHRISTMAN
Reproducing Grand
This Remarkable Instrument is
equipped with the
Has no Superiors and Few Equals in
Tone, Construction or Beauty
Write for full particulars and illus-
trated catalogues.
"The First ToaxJi Telia"
Her. U. S. Pat. Off.
Chrbtman Piano Co.
597 East 137th St.
New York
ADVERTISING METHODS
AND THIS YEAR'S TRADE
Remedy Suggested.
The remedy, Mr. Whitmore believes, must be in
harder work and greater efficiency. He observed that
it is a generally accepted proposition that a varia-
tion of only fifteen per cent in the production sched-
ule of an industry marks the difference between a
period of prosperity and of depression.
With this relatively small margin of reserve it is
jn order, said Mr. Whitmore, in our analysis of gxist-
CHAS. STANLEY VISITS CHICAGO.
Chas. Stanley, expert piano maker, now eastern
traveler for the Bush & Lane Piano Co. of Holland;
Mich., was in Chicago several days last week. He is
doing fine work on the road for the Bush & Cane",
and Victor instruments in which he is now exclu-
sively concerned. His territory for the Bush & Lane
Piano Co. covers the eastern states, aivd Mr. Stanley
told a Presto-Times man that he was finding plenty'
of business,.
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