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PRESTO-TIMES
ILLINOIS MUSIC MERCHANTS
ASSOCIATION IN CONVENTION
Large Attendance and Well Expressed Enthusiasm Show Vitality of State
Organization of Music Trade Men at Palmer House, Chicago,This Week
The Illinois Music Merchants' Association opened
its annual convention at the Palmer House, Chicago,
on Wednesday of this week with a luncheon spon-
sored by the Piano Club of Chicago. It was a two-
days' convention, which while following the sched-
uled program, also conducted inquiries into several
side issues of more than cursory interest to the deal-
ers in pianos in Illinois.
Treasurer's Report.
The report of the treasurer showed that there was
at the beginning of the year $202.18 cash on hand;
receipts from members during the year, $441.35; dis-
bursements, $522.42; cash on hand this month,
$121.11.
The Replevin Subject.
Henry Weisert spoke of the benefit of state organ-
ization in cases of replevin. Formerly a New York
law or ruling required a five days' notice if a shipper
wanted to foreclose on a piano. "Why, the piano
might be as far away as California in that time," said
Mr. Weisert. The New York association has suc-
ceeded in getting that ruling or law rescinded or
repealed.
Class Teaching
A member referred to the recent remarks of Shir-
ley Walker when Mr. Walker was in Chicago. Mr.
Walker, who is president of the Northern California
Music Merchants' Association, has said in Chicago
that it would have been impossible for an individual
to haveg roup instruction in music put into the
schools, but the association had succeeded in doing
so out there with the aid and backing of the super-
visor of music.
President Hanger said that he is a member of the
Board of Education of the city of Lincoln, 111., as
well as a piano dealer there. In Lincoln the music
teacher of the public schools gives the group instruc-
tion in music before and after the regular school
hours, thereby not infringing on the regular school
day. Lincoln now has 68 music pupils taking group
instruction. "If you haven't group instruction in
your schools," said Mr. Hanger, "institute it at once,
but be sure that you do not make your piano dealer
too prominent in the enterprise."
The Wednesday Luncheon.
The noonday luncheon Wednesday was started by
honoring Harry Bibb, president- elect of the Chicago
Piano Club, which sponsored this session, the whole
assemblage of nearly one hundred bursting into song
with the following line, "He's a Jully Good Fellow."
Welcomes Association to Chicago.
Mr. Bibb welcomed the association to the city,
complimented it on its fair start and introduced its
president, E. E. Hanger, piano dealer of Lincoln,
111., who responded by thanking the Chicago people
for helping to make the association a success. They
had aided in putting to rout any jealous feeling as
between Chicago dealers and the dealers throughout
the state, and all sections could now work harmo-
niously.
Joliet Receives Praise.
Dealer Wiswell of Joliet was called upon and
said that Joliet had a lot of fine piano men and was
proudly the home of this year's "Miss America." In-
deed, his city was famous for many other things
beside being the location of a bog penitentiary. He
alluded to its place on the map as a great manu-
facturing center.
C. E. Byrne on Contests.
Charles E. Byrne, vice-president Steger & Sons
Piano Mfg. Co., Chicago, spoke on piano playing
tournaments and presented some facts that should
serve to increase the sale of pianos.
Piano playing tournament is the best means of
creating future sales. If such tournaments had been
conducted for many years instead of recently, their
cumulative effect would have produced a greater in-
terest in the piano and created a larger volume of
piano sales," he said. The most effective way to
show a mother or father that a piano is a necessity
is by making them realize how ability to play the
piano will serve to insure the social and commercial
advancement of their children. The piano industry
owes its progress to the love of the parent for the
child, the natural ambition to promote its welfare
through education. And the educational factor is the
foundation of the piano trade.
What suggestion does the tournament hold for
the piano merchant? It would be impossible for one
man to conduct so large an undertaking, but several
October 15, 1927
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
C. L. DENNIS RESIGNS
Fact Conveyed in Letter This Week to Presi-
dent Roberts of the National Association
of Music Merchants.
The resignation of C. L. Dennis as executive sec-
retary of the National Association of Music Mer-
chants was conveyed in the following letter to its
competitors might hold a tournament on a small president. C. J. Roberts, Baltimore, this week:
scale
and the results in increased musical interest
Indianapolis, Ind., October 9, 1927.
w r ould be well worth while.
Dear Mr. Roberts:
The average piano merchant is very busy with
It is with a sense of regret that 1 feel compelled
many problems of his own and he is inclined to bury to offer to you my resignation as executive secretary
himself in his store. However, it is important that of the National Association of Music Merchants, to
he widen his activities, participate in various musical take effect November 1. An opportunity has come
affairs and promote such educational movements as to me for service which I feel is well suited to my
group instruction and piano playing tournaments. experience and qualifications, which will maintain
The only way to work for a good harvest of piano my contacts in the music trade, and which 1 hope
sales is to plant the right kind of seeds where they will serve their interests and mine to our mutual
will do the most good.
benefit.
Your personal knowledge of my plans will confirm
Guylee Favors Music Promotion.
my viewpoint of the matter. In no way do I wish
W. E. Guylee, president of the National Piano you to feel that my interest and assistance in your
Manufacturers' Association, spoke, assuring his hear- plans will cease abruptly, although I find it necessary
ers that he was continuing the fight, now nation-wide, to take up my new work at an early date. 1 hope
of promoting the cause of music.
to be in a position to help you carry on in the asso-
ciation work, and I will be glad to do so.
How the Tuners Help.
I do regret the change, however, to the extent
Chas. Deutschman, president of the National that our personal contacts will not be as frequent
Tuners' Association, gave the tuners' side of the and we cannot carry out in official relationship the
story, telling how this class of useful geniuses aided plans which we had developed for the remainder of
indirectly in the sale of many pianos, and of their your administration. I wish also to thank you for
your keen understanding and sympathetic consider-
services to the trade generally.
ation of the association problems, which have made
Roberts Sends Regrets.
it a pleasure to work with you.
With cordial good wishes to you personally, and
Others who spoke briefly included E. C. Boykin,
secretary of the piano manufacturers executive com- for the success of the association work you have
mittee; C. L. Dennis, one of the regular promoters undertaken, I am,
Sincerely yours,
of the cause of music, who presented the regrets of
C. L. DENNIS.
Mr. Roberts of Baltimore, president of the National
Executive Secretary.
Merchants' Association, that he could not be in at-
Mr. Dennis has been identified with the associa-
tendance at this convention.
tion work for ten years. Prior to that he was a
Chicago Offers Glad Hand.
newspaper man in Milwaukee and other cities, doing
Fred P. Watson, expresident of the association, a both editorial and advertising work. He was con-
Mount Vernon, 111., dealer, spoke briefly and Frank ducting his own advertising office when he estab-
T. Whitmore, president of the Chicago Piano & lished the Better Business Bureau of the Associa-
Organ Association, extended greetings to all to come tion under Mr. Gram's administration and took up
to Chicago at any time and welcome. Matt J. Ken- the problems of evils in music trade advertising. It
nedy, president of the National Travelers' Associa- was through this connection that he became ac-
tion, and E. R. Jacobson, ex-president of the Music quainted with the association work. He was elected
Industries Chamber of Commerce gave short inter- secretary of the association at the 1918 convention
esting talks ( and Harry Bibb thanked the club for and was identified with all the activities of the organ-
ization developments, having collected the Music
his election and said he expected many forms of
support trom the members during his term of office. Industries Preservation Fund in 1918, developed the
Merchants' Official tSamp Plan to finance the deal-
Matt J. Kennedy Speaks.
ers' share of association work in 1919, and upon
"Direct mail advertising, properly illustrated and merging of the offices in 1920 extended the stamp
with the right kind of reader appeal, is one of the plan to the piano manufacturers in its present com-
greatest means at the merchants disposal for cre- bination form. He also has had the handling of
ating sales contact that I can possibly think of," the new Merchants' Promotion Stamp, an additional
said Matt J. Kennedy, "and while the promotion means of financing for the special work which the
of such a plan must of necessity be somewhat com- Merchants' Association wishes to carry on, and
mercial, it is the only way it can be put over. The already in the first year has raised about one-third
trade press has given this campaign considerable of what the old stamp produced as the merchants'
space, thereby again proving that it is to the best share.
interests of the retail merchant to use this sort of
Mr. Dennis' new connections will be with the W.
copy in promoting the sale of pianos. I am thor-
oughly convinced it has the punch, and will do a Otto Miessner interests in Milwaukee, but the exact
great deal towards bringing a real message right into nature of his activities have not yet been outlined
the homes, which, in the final analysis, is where we for publication.
deliver our pianos."
Mr. Kennedy, alluding to the work in piano pro- CHEESE HOUNDS HOLD
motion performed by W. Otto Miessner, said:
ANNUAL MEETING IN CHICAGO
"W'hen you stop to consider what he has accom-
plished, with very meager means, it seems almost
impossible. His proposition has had a real human
Many Participators in Cheeseries from Hotel Kitchen
appeal, and there has never, for one moment, been
Get Thrill on Listening to Fans.
any question as to what his purpose has been. He
The Ancient and Honorable Order of Cheese
has, through his Melody Way, and various other
activities, proven the necessity for pianos in the Hounds, in annual session in the Palmer House,
Chicago, Wednesday evening, celebrated by eating
home. Think of the thousands upon thousands of
cheese sandwiches and other delicacies and drinking
dollars' worth of publicity he has secured for the
music dealers all over the country where the Melody half a dozen different decoctions persuaded into ex-
istence in the tee-total years of the world's history.
Way has been used."
The Cheese Hounds told sedate stories (none so very
risque) and adjourned at a late hour for another
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON'S SESSION.
year. Head Cheese Charles Burtzloff was chairman
James T. Bristol dealt with "Financial Problems of and, incidentally, Axel Christensen, who had another
the Music Dealers." His discourse gave rise to a engagement in the same hotel at the same hours,
furnished professional entertainment by performing
discussion as to who should pay the carrying charge
on pianos—the dealer or the purchaser? The discus- on the piano and reciting a poem by James Whit-
sion brought to the surface most of the vexing fea- comb Riley.
The eatables included the latest works of art of
tures of the age-old problems, touching upon a divi-
sion of the carrying charges, evoking some questions the most skillful chef in the great hotel in which
deep enough for a jurist to ponder over. Henry dainty preparations of cheese was the principal in-
Weisert, who lias a judicial mind, made a suggestion gredient. The stories brought out of the cobwebs,
some antique yarns of the road, some experiences
for a split in the charges, which seemed logical.
with "tough guys in de big cities,' an Irish tale or
Association Is Chartered
two, one on a German, a Swede imitated inimitably
President E. E. Hanger (the retiring president)
by Axel Christensen, some stories of the animal
said that the association just reached the necessary world, and one about a patented device put to use
number—twenty—early in summer and secured its by a railroad. The Cheese hounds intend to hold
charter on June 7.
another meeting next year and do some more "lis-
(Continued on page 9)
tening in."
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