Presto

July 30, 1927.
PRESTO-TIMES
IMPORTANT WURL1TZER
NEWS FROM LOS ANGELES
Big Wurlitzer Factory in Southern California
City a Possibility, According to Belief
of Music Trade There.
A meeting of the Wurlitzer company interests is
scheduled for Los Angeles this week. Our corre-
spondent states that this gathering of Wurlitzer per-
sonnel is an "important meeting"; that Cyril Farny
and probably other Wurlitzer high officials will be
I at?" he asked as the judge nodded permission to present. He also states that it is rumored in and
proceed.
about Los Angeles that a Wurlitzer factory will be
"On the lovely waters of the river Lee," prompted established on the Pacific coast, probably at Los
Col. Potter.
Angeles on the site of the present warehouse, in
"O yes—river Lee, a quality striven after but
East Forty-eight street. The company may add
seldom obtained, of which a thorough trial is all t^j -its present capacity at that location or possibly
that's necessary to convince a musical public of its put up an entirely new structure, in which case prob-
pre-em-in-ence and unrivalled reputation with the ably the Tonawanda, and even the De Kalb, 111.,
world's greatest artists—"
factories would be cut down in output.
"Stop! Stop! !" shouted the lawyer.
Shepard Pond, of the Ivers & Pond Piano Co.,
"And paralleled," proceeded the witness, ignoring Boston, is a Los Angeles visitor this week. Our
the interruption, "only by the ber-ight po-sition it correspondent says Mr. Pond is working on an "'im-
oc-cu-pies in the hearts and homes of citizens of
portant problem" with a leading music house in
ree-fine-ment and culture the universe over not to that city.
mention the nobility and crowned heads of Europe
The members of the Music Trades Association of
and Asia argument to convince judges, juries and
Southern California who have been attending the
dense lawyers that a good article costs more than a convention at San Francisco last week, arrived home
poor one and doesn't lose its value to the owner when last Saturday by train, boat and automobile. They
smashed into smithereens the quality remains ma- are enthusiastic over the hospitality they received
terial workmanship ree-liabil-it-ee are there—"
in the Bay City and from the fact that the conven-
Col. Potter lay back and smiled at the dazed Wed- tion will be convened next year in Los Angeles.
derburn. Billings had arrived at the stage where he They state that no stone will be unturned or no
scorned punctuation and the colonel knew that noth- expense spared to render a return of the courtesies
ing could stop him but physical force.
to the visiting members from the north during the
"Un-sur-passed in power fullness bee-uty and next convention.
ger-r-r-an-jure of tone," rolled out Joe. "World-
E. Palmer Tucker and Ed. H. Uhl both feel the
famed features of construction designed to please the responsibility of the important offices bestowed upon
ter-ue artist the wealthy and pro-fesh-o-nal in an age them at the convention, respectively, secretary of
of progress and advancement when good instruments the Southern California Music Trades Association, and
get due ree-cog-nition for attractiveness unsurpassed president of the Western Music Trades Association,
novelty and,.finished character with a dee-light-ful that they both expressed themselves as highly hon-
sense of grace and charm which no mere description ored by the confidence reposed in them by the inem-
can convey to the eye a correct im-press-ion of the bers and that they promise to give the association
bee-ut-ee the—"
their best efforts during the coming year.
"I must protest judge," pleaded the young lawyer
Frank P. Whitmore, secretary W. W. Kimball com-
whose dignity was powerless to prevent the humorous pany, Chicago, was a visitor at Los Angeles several
aspect of the incident.
days last week, having gone to that city from attend-
"Go ahead. Joe. Tell 'em about the quarter-sawed ance at the convention of the Western Music Trades
billycock and the guts of 'er," prompted a court Association in San Francisco the week before. Mr.
loafer, while the bailiff pounded for silence.
Whitmore made headquarters at the Platt Music Co.
"The pure sci-en-tif-ic and ter-ue math-em-atic-al most of the time while in Los Angeles.
lines and ab-sol-ute rigidity of the sum total which
E. R. Jacobson, president of the Straube Piano
unbiased minds will concede when examining the Co., Hammond, Ind., was a visitor to Los Angeles
indiv-idool parts," bellowed the witness, now under during last week.
full head of gas. "The patent adjustable hewgag the
automatic accumulator the ingenious tectificator the
marvelous emphasizer and general unificator which
interprets and executes and masters the elusive mys-
teries of musical interpretation attaining the personal
conception—"
"And only $500 is asked for the wonderful thing,"
sneered the young lawyer while Joe paused for a Incorporators Are Rockford Business Men
second to fill his lungs.
Who Will Move Industry There
"—dreamed of by the high potentates of art and
take it assunder and what have you? Extry vibratory
About October.
sounding boards grooved and double crossplied to
The Bennett Organ Company, Rock Island, 111.,
the pivot sockets of the patent con-tin-u-ous damper
sags reducing friction to a minimum and fa-cil-itating will move to Rockford, 111., within three months, it
the jigging of the sustaining hard maple gumgee not was announced this week by W. A. Brolin. The
to mention judge and gents of the jury the German Bennett company was recently purchased by Rock-
silver-plated double-swing bearing bar of quarter- ford interests, and papers of incorporation were this
sawed glue and porous pivots in three and one-third week applied for. The incorporators are Mr. Bralin,
Oscar Sundstrand and John Wester.
octaves finished in best Zanibar varnish and—"
The organ company will operate at Rock Island
"The witness is excused, gag him," ordered the
until a building is erected in Rockport. As yet no
court. "The jury will now take the case."
When the jury named $150 as the amount of dam- site for the factory has been picked, but it is planned
ages allowed, Col. Potter admitted that $145 of it to erect a building containing 50,000 square feet of
was gained by the expert testimony of Joe Billings. floor space to house the $250,000 concern. The move-
ment of the plant to its new home will be accom-
* * *
plished within the next three months it is said.
The fit piano man is the useful one. There are
Products of the Bennett Organ Company are na-
several kinds of usefulness, too. The trade, whether
out of its own innate goodness or in response to tionally known. The business was established in 1866
the moral revolution in business, presents a majority in Rock Island. R. J. Bennett, who now heads the
of fittest ones and only a comparatively small repre- concern, will be president and general manager when
the company locates in Rockford. Other officers of
sentation of the foxiest ones. It is an illustration of
the unerring law of adjustment to environment. It the firm will be elected at a directors' meeting to be
couldn't help becoming better. Bait ad piano deal- held soon.
The Bennett company employs 150 persons. Local
ers should notice that public opinion compels the
straight commercial gait. Public opinion is on the employes will be used in its woodworking depart-
side of the guesser who gets the lemon or the pack- ments, though organ experts will move from Rock
age of lemon drops. Even legislation, which is char- Island with the factory.
Despite the purchase of the plant by Rockford in«
acteristically slow, has begun to embody the popular
ideas and already in many states says in plain, legal terests it will still be known as the Bennett Organ
verbiage what is cold fact and what is hot air in a Company. Incorporation papers have been applied
for under the name of the Rockford Organ Company
piano ad.
to comply with incorporation rules, but the name wjll
|i.
* * *
be resumed later.
jj. ^ji.|j-;,^jj
In Willesden, England, recently, Peter Stinkovich,
an organ-grinder, was fined for failing to put his
The Garrett Owen Music Store has been moved to
name on his instrument. He didn't claim his name
a location at South Berkeley, Cal.
was a justification of his neglect.
THINGS SAID O R SUGGESTED
GLUED TO PLATE
Last Saturday afternoon the factory employes of
the W. W. Kimball Company, Chicago, witnessed the
annual baseball game between the married men and
the bachelors, which proceeded according to rule
until Martin Kinealy, a bachelor star proffered by
the retail shipping department, came to bat.
Martin, who landed from Ireland only a year ago,
is big and broad. So is his brogue, a mellifluous
drawl which peculiarly interests Gene Whalen, the
expert in brogues, who has been enabled to acquire
an added effect for Piano Club characterizations, by
engaging the young Irishman in conversation.
With the Ballingarry Gaelic football team Kinealy
did the heavy work in many a well contested game
for the Limerick county championship. In the Rob-
ert Emrhett hurling club in Chicago last fall he was
considered a broth of a boy. But what he doesn't
know about baseball would fill a book as big as the
Chicago Telephone Directory.
The pitcher put over a straight one and Kinealy
knocked the ball clear to the fence. Instead of start-
ing for the first base he braced himself and stood
stock still.
"Run, run, run!" screamed the bachelor fans. But
Kinealy kept his position, shedding genial smiles all
around.
"Get a move on. Scoot! Are you paralyzed?"
howled the enraged bachelor rooters. Kinealy never
budged. "Run, you idiot! Why in thunder don't you
run?"
"Run?" calmly queried the big shipping room man
as he spat on his hands and gripped his bat. "What
the divil would I run for? Haven't I got two more
clouts at it?"
* * *
AN EXPERT WITNESS
A piano owner of Johnson City, Tenn., was suing
the C. C. & C. Railroad for the full price of a piano
destroyed in a wreck and Wm. Silver, the music
dealer, suggested Joe Billings, a piano salesman, as
expert witness for the complainant. He had declared
in direct examination that the piano was the best
made and worth every cent of the $500 claimed and
was then turned over to the lawyer for the railroad.
The general attorney for the road indicated that
his associate, Alex J. Wedderburn, might have the
honor of the cross-examination. This young barrister
believed in getting at the facts. Angels might have
deliberated before adventuring upon the investigation
ahead of him, but he tramped right in.
"You said that the piano was the best made," be-
gan the young lawyer, "how do you know?"
Joe Billings looked him frankly and innocently
in the eye.
"You want to know how I know that the piano
was the best ever?"' he asked.
"Well, yes. I think we're entitled to know what
we're asked to pay $500 for," returned the young
lawyer loftily.
Col. Lige Potter, the counsel for the plaintiff
smiled at young Wedderburn's temerity in unloosing
Joe Billings' descriptive floodgates. The Colonel
knew their inundating terrors. Joe sold him a piano
once.
"Well," said Billings, beginning in a slow assertive
way, "first, I know what every piano dealer and
tuner in the United States knows and one lawyer
in 10,000 knows, that the piano was a reliable instru-
ment particularly rated for durability and for purity,
clearness, sweetness and volume of tone, with a scale
far surpassing any—"
"Stop!" exploded the young lawyer, "that's mere
catalogue poppycock opinion and hearsay. I sup-
posed you were an expert witness."
"So I am," said Billings blandly. "Wait till I get
to the expert part. Where was I at? Yes—with a
scale far surpassing anything else in a distinguished
line of brilliant scales with a touch like a nine-pound
boy baby, soft, resilient and as clear and sweet as the
bells of Shandon that sound so grand on the lovely
waters of the river Lee, a quality striven after but
seldom—"
" 'Bject," shouted the young cross examiner. "This
is nonsense. Nobody knows what he's talking
about."
"That's why I want to talk, judge," exploded Bill-
ings. "When I'm through everyone will be wise. Or
crazy," was the whisper to Col. Potter. "Where was
BENNETT ORGAN CO.
IS INCORPORATED
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/