Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1927
TRADE TOPICS IN
NEW YORK CITY
Choice of the Hotel Commodore as Headquar-
ters for Convention of 1928 Considered
Admirable for a Variety of Very
Weighty Reasons.
A CUSTOMS APPEAL
Reappraisement of Tuning Pins in United States
Court of Customs Appeal Shows the Immensity
of the Importing Business of Hammacher,
Schlemmer & Co.
The extreme of good service is assured to those
who attend the music trade conventions beginning
June 4, 1928, by the management of the Commodore
Hotel, New York, which has been selected as head-
quarters by the directors of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce. Already alert piano manu-
facturers and manufacturers of band instruments
have applied for reservations for exhibits. It is ex-
pected that this feature of the conventions will be
unusually interesting at the forthcoming convention
and many manufacturers promise displays of products
distinguished by their novelty.
A number of considerations prompted the selection
of the Commodore for the convention of 1928 and
one was its ease of accessibility from the Grand
Central Station at which the greater number of those
attending the convention arrive. The Commodore is
easily reached by subway, surface and elevated line
another fact which added to the desirability of the
hotel.
The appointment of Frank E. Edgar as sales man-
ager of the Ludwig & Co. was announced almost
simultaneously with that of Will T. Brinkerhoff as
general manager which was printed in Presto-Times
last week. Mr. Edgar needs no introduction to the
trade and he counts as his friends a great host of
dealers scattered all over the country.
Interest in Music.
The degree of interest in music in every part of
the country is accurately appraised by C. M. Tre-
maine, head of the National Bureau for the Advance-
ment of Music, and his report and comment are
cheering to the manufacturers and dealers in musical
instruments. Mr. Tremaine reports a remarkably
large number of requests for the books and booklets
fostering musical activity in communities.
L. Schoenwald's Mission.
Like A. G. Gulbransen in Chicago, L. Schoenwald
in New York upholds the doctrine of the limited life
of the piano in constant use in schools, public places
or private homes. Whenever he has the opportunity
he scoffs at the old piano salesmen's argument that
pianos improve with use. He talked on that topic
before the New York Piano Merchants' Association,
of which he is president, last week, and urged the
listeners to encourage the truthful belief that the
average piano only endures about fifteen years. In
that time the instrument usually finished paying divi-
dends of service and should be gracefuly retired and
replaced by a new piano.
E. Paul Hamilton Back.
E. Paul Hamilton has again become associated
with the well known Brooklyn house of Frederick
Loeser & Co., in which he has been appointed general
manager of the entire store. He was manager of the
piano department of the company up to a few years
ago when he allied himself with a prominent western
house. Mr. Hamilton is widely known in the trade
and at one time was president of the National Piano
Merchants' Association.
Appeal in Customs Court.
Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., New York, a wide-
ly known piano supply house, was party to an appeal
before the United States Court of Customs Appeals
over a decision on an appraisement of tuning pins
and zither pins imported from Germany. The gov-
ernment appealed from the decision of the U. S.
Customs Court which was in favor of the importers
and asked reappraisement of the imports on technical
grounds. The hearing showed the importance of
Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., as importers of com-
modities required in the music industry. It was
shown that the house imported as many as 5,000,000
pins annually made by William Wagner, Jr., Pletten-
berg, Germany, for which Hammacher, Schlemmer
& Co. has been American representative for about
fifty years.
This week Alfred L. Smith, general manager of the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, appeared
before the House Committee on Ways and Means in
Washington, as representative of the music industries
at hearing on the individual income tax. Mr. Smith
will also represent the music industry when the tax
on corporations will be considered.
$2 The Year
NEWS OF THE TRADE
AT SAN FRANCISCO
Employes of Sherman, Clay & Co., Hold An-
nual Hallowe'en Masked Ball—Prominent
Manager Killed—Other News.
An important annual event to the employes of
Sherman, Clay & Co., San Francisco, was held on
Monday of this week at the Palace Hotel. It was the
now famous Hallowe'en masked ball in which prizes
were given for the cleverest costumes. The event is
one of the most enjoyable social affairs of the season
and the privilege of attending it is highly appreciated.
The annual Hallowe'en fancy dress ball of Sherman,
Clay & Co.'s employes was inaugurated about seven
years ago.
Humphrey Peel, manager of the Reno, Nev.,
branch of Sherman, Clay & Co., was buried October
25, in Oakland, Calif. Mr. Peel was killed in an auto-
mobile accident October 16 at Truckee. A man riding
Letter from Secretary Behning This Week with him escaped with a broken arm. While rid-
ing along a mountain side road something went wrong
Follows Decision at Meeting Recently at
with the steering gear and the car plunged down the
National Republican Club, New York.
mountain side. Mr. Peel, who had made a large
The National Piano Travelers' Association will number of friends in Reno, is survived by his widow.
Shirley Walker, of Sherman, Clay & Co., president
hold its annual convention for 1928 at the Hotel Com-
modore, New York City, the evening of June 4, 1928, of the Western Music Trades Association, was
elected a director of the Pacific Radio Trade Associa-
following a dinner.
This is according to plans determined upon at a tion at a meeting last week. The association is one
meeting of the executive committee of the association of the prominent trade organizations in the west and
at the National Republican Club, recently, at which its importance is judged by the personnel of its offi-
the following were present: Gordon Laughead, pres- cers, all of whom were reelected: President, Ernest
ident; William J. Keeley, W. B. Williams, "Jack" Ingold, Northern California distributor for Atwater
Bliss, Calvin T. Purdy, A. Dalrymple and Albert Kent; vice-president, \\ . J. Laughlin, and treasurer,
W. J. Aschenbrenner.
Behning, secretary.
In a special letter mailed to members this week
The National Piano & Radio Co. is the new name
by Secretary Albert Behning this is said:
of the National Piano Co., which has been building
Dear Friend: There are two reasons why every up an active business for some time at 822 Mission
wholesale piano man should hold a membership in street, on the second floor. The first floor space has
our association.
now been taken by the company in which the Victor
1. The Business Reason: A, we are one of the and radio lines will be carried. More space has thus
units of the National Council Traveling Salesmen been made available for the piano department which
fighting to abolish the Pullman surtax; B, to reduce
local hotel phone rates with hotel associations; C, the has been decorated in a very tasteful manner.
mileage bill is still an issue. All this is to help
reduce traveling costs.
2. For twenty years this has been an organization
promoting friendship. Our annual dinner in New
York next June is to be the social high light of the
convention. Plans are now in preparation for this
great party. Only members in good standing who Arthur B. Merry, Wounded Veteran, Uses Instru-
are piano traveling men will be admitted to this din-
ment at Presentation of Song.
ner in accordance with our time-honored and iron-
Arthur
B.
Merry, who was wounded while serving
clad rule.
Here is an application. There is a special presi- with the A. E. F., is a writer of lyrics, and what
dent's prize to the member turning in the most mem- more suitable subject could he be expected to choose
bers this year. Five dollars and your fellow piano for his first big song than an incident in his over-
traveler is a member. The only thing wrong about it seas experiences. "We Said Good-Bye to Love in
all is the price is too cheap.
Flanders" is the title of romantic verses which were
set to music by Mark Silver, who won the Pulitzer
prize for musical composition in 1917.
When the song was sung by him for the first time
before a group of ex-army men, he insisted that
he be allowed to bring with him his new Little
Bacon piano. This tiny instrument will be used in
Successful Young Wholesale Man for Wurlitzer Co. a vaudeville act featuring Merry's song. When asked
why he chose the Bacon piano, Merry replied:
Falls to His Death Near Atlanta, Ga.
"I have known of its high musical quality for years
Officials of the Wurlitzer Grand Piano Company
and of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company were shocked and besides I was all pepped up on Americanism
to learn of the tragic death of Roy C. Burgess, trav- when 1 bought it. Since all my songs are 100 per
cent American, I thought I would get a 100 per cent
eling representative for the Wurlitzer factories in the
American
piano to present them on."
South, who was killed in an airplane accident on
October 27 near Atlanta, Ga. Another young man
who was flying with him was also killed.
P. T. STARCK MAKES EASTERN TRIP.
Mr. Burgess had been with the Wurlitzer Company
P. T. Starck, president of the P. A. Starck Piano
but a short time. He was highly respected and re- Company, Chicago, has been making a trip through
garded and was making notable progress for the the East this week, looking after the eastern stores of
Wurlitzer Company in the Southern territory. The the company. Among the piano stores he visited
officials of the company were stunned at the tragic were the Starck stores in New York and Brooklyn.
news.
Starck salesmen everywhere are aggressively going
Mr. Burgess is survived by his widow, Mrs. Roy after business, and getting a goodly share of
C. Burgess, of Chicago, his father, Robert Burgess, trade, too.
and his brother, Ray Burgess, of the W. W. Kimball
Company.
A LYON & HEALY PARTY.
From office boy to the chairman of the board, all
R. P. Dunlap, the progressive music dealer of of the 838 employes of Lyon & Healy, Chicago, wit-
Peekskill, N. Y., is broadcasting a series of radio nessed a performance of "Hoosiers Abroad" at the
announcements, telling the people of the community
Blackstone Theater, one night this week. Theater
about the Gulbransen small grand and Gulbransen parties have become an annual event of the Lyon &
registering pianos.
Healy Company for its employes.
MORE MEMBERS FOR
PIANO TRAVELERS' ASS'N
SOLDIER SONG WRITER
PREFERS LITTLE BACON
ROY BURGESS KILLED
IN AIRPLANE CRASH
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