PRESTO-TIMES
OBSERVATIONS IN
NEW YORK FIELD
Indications of Approaching Holiday Increase
in Music Sales Noted in Preparations and
Comprehensive Plans of the
Advertising Forces.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Many Interesting Facts of Varied Character Provide
Material for a Collection of
Trade Items.
Philip Oetting, head of the house of Philip W.
Oetting & Son, American representatives of the
Weickert felts, has returned from a 4,000 mile motor
tour in which he was accompanied by Mrs. Oetting.
Their trip was through New York state and across
to Toronto, thence west and south, returning by
way of the Cumberland, Alleghany and Blue Ridge
mountains. Practically all the Oetting piano trade
customers were visited, which means about all of
them. They had a "grand and glorious time," ac-
cording to Mrs. Oetting's account, and a very suc-
cessful one in the way of business and business asso-
ciations, according to Mr. Oetting.
Shipments of Weickert hammer felt are received
practically every week at the Weickert American
agency, Philip W. Oetting & Son, Inc., 213 East
19th street, New York, and about as fast as received
are sent out on standing orders.
Ludwig Efforts.
• W. T. Brinkerhoff says he is happy in his new
work with Ludwig & Co. and is putting all the "pep"
he can gather into the work. In his efforts he will
have the entire support of the house of Ludwig &
Co. Mr. Brinkerhoff and Frank Edgar look like a
pretty good team and that is the general opinion.
Good Premier Publicity.
The Premier grand piano got two rather influential
boosts in the real estate section of the New York
papers last Sunday. One was in an illustration in
the Herald-Tribune showing the music corner in a
Mamaroneck Model Home where a Louis XVI model
piano "furnished by the Premier Grand Piano Cor-
poration is among the features of this room." The
other reference to the Premier was in a concert at
the newly established Community House at Mamar-
oneck Knolls in which the Viennese pianiste, Hernia
Menth, participated, using "a piano furnished through
the courtesy of the Premier Grand Piano Corpora-
tion." Miss Menth, who is well known in the West,
as well as in the East, did a considerable lot of re-
cording and demonstrating work for the Hallet &
Davis Angeles some years ago.
New Tonk Salesroom.
The William Tonk & Bro. Inc., has newly arranged
display salesrooms and retail parlors which are very
attractive for the retail customer. It is a line of busi-
ness in and around the local centers and environs of
Gotham which is becomir.g an important element of
Tonk activities. The Tonk showroom is also useful
for wholesale customers coming to New York for the
selection of pianos and tl.e inspection of new and
improved models in case designs and finish.
W. P. Haines & Co. has developed an excellent
retail trade since locating its salesrooms and general
offices "down town," at 396 Fifth avenue, a location
which is not only "down town" but is in the very
heart of the central district of retail Manhattan.
Ovington's, the artistic store which now occupies
the former Knabe building at 39th and Fifth avenue,
could not quite efface all the "Knabe Building" char-
acteristics of that old edifice in the reconstruction
they attempted. The semi-mansard roof that always
indicated approach to the Knabe building could not
be eliminated.
J. H. Gettell, Tennis Champion.
J. H. Gettell, general manager and secretary of the
Mathushek Piano Mfg. Co., at 132nd street and
Alexander avenue, New York, who succeeded the
late J. W. Stevens, is one of the champion tennis
players of the slate. He was winner of several
prizes this season at the New York Athletic Club
tournaments, in both singles and doubles. Only a
few days ago Mr. Gette'.l received a $50 "voucher"
for his last prize and has been holding in abeyance
to determine just which one of half a dozen articles
he will select.
Got the Shoppers.
Election day in New York was generally observed
as a half day closing—the afternoon, as a rule—but
Macy's department store let their employees off in
the forenoon to vote and kept open all the afternoon,
thus catching a great lot of the afternoon shoppers.
Mr. Edgar's Trip.
Frank Edgar, the new Ludwig general sales repre-
sentative, made his first trip last week since becoming
associated with Ludwig & Co. He went as far west
as Detroit, returning with a nice bunch of orders for
holiday shipments.
A Gimbel Estey Sale.
The Gimbel department store in New York is spe-
cially advertising a sale of Estey pianos and doing
so in a very in a ver ywidespread characteristic man-
ner. The advertising particularly features the Estey
grands. The Gimbel piano department is a big dis-
tributor of pianos and the manager's report is that
the Estey instruments are selling freely.
November 19, 1927
CHAMBER DIRECTORS
VOTE ON TAX QUESTION
Agree on Form of Referendum of U. S. Cham-
ber of Commerce on Latter's Report
of Federal Taxation.
The directors of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce have cast their votes in favor of the ref-
erendum of the Chamber of Commerce of the United
States on the report of the latter's Committee on
Federal Taxation. The recommendations of the com-
mittee were contained in the following three
Aeolian Artistry.
questions:
The trade owes a debt to the Aeolian Company
1. The committee recommends immediate reduc-
for its part in keeping up the dignity of the business
tion
and repeals in federal taxes which, if made effec-
of music goods selling. Everything in the architec-
ture and decoration is appropriate to the artistic tive, are estimated to amount to $400,000,000 in the
line shown in Aeolian Hall. Even to the visitor to first full year after the changes are made.
2. The committee recommends that the rate of
the Aeolian warerooms and offices unacquainted with
corporate
income tax applicable to net income of
the character of the business, there is the unmistaka-
ble air of a refined business. The manner in which 1927 should not exceed 10 per cent.
3. The committee recommends that Congress
the surroundings harmonize with the instruments is a
triumph in presentation noted in the exhibition of should provide full opportunity for the ojint Con-
gressional Tax Committee to perfect proposals for
Period models now on view.
revision of federal tax laws and their administration.
J. C. Hackenheimer Retires.
A letter from the Music Industries Chamber of
With the retirement of J. H. Hackenheimer as Commerce accompanied the ballots when forwarded
president of C. Kurtzmann & Co., Buffalo, N. Y., the to the directors, which read in part as follows:
"With respect to Question 1, the principal taxes
piano industry loses one of its hard workers. Mr.
Hackenheimer's retirement becomes effective Jan. 1, it is proposed to reduce or eliminate in addition to
the corporation income tax are those on estates, which
on which date he also will retire from the board of
directors. The stock of Mr. Hackenheimer in the are generally considered to be improper for federal
industry has been taken over by three active men taxation and miscellaneous excise taxes which this
who for a number of years have been associated with industry has always been opposed to on general
C. Kurtzmann & Co.: William E. Moessenger, How- principles.
"With respect to Question 2, the arguments of the
ard C. Rice and Alexander Cordes.
Mr. Hackenheimer joined C. Kurtzmann & Co. in committee are convincing that the reduced revenue
1880 as office boy and immediately proceeded to get will not more than offset the anticipated Treasury's
a thorough knowledge of the piano industry. That surplus. There is no question but what the corpora-
he succeeded in his purpose is well known to thou- tion income tax should be reduced as much as pos-
sands in the trade. His keen insight into manufac- sible, inasmuch as ft imposes an unfair burden on
turing problems and breadth of vision in marketing corporations as compared to individual businesses and
the product were amazing. Success marked his partnerships.
"With respect to Question 3, this industry is niter-
management of the C. . Kurtzmann & Co. busi-
ested in revision of the federal tax laws in certain
ness.
In 1902 he bought out the interest of
Louis S. Kurtzmann and in 1915 the interest respects, particularly with reference to reporting in-
of Mr. Devereaux. The company was incor- come from installment sales, and our position would
porated in 1916 with Mr. Hackenheimer as presi- probably be helped by a continuance of the work
dent and Joseph A. Ownhouse as vice-president and of the joint Congressional Tax Committee."
general manager.
~~
The Wuertz Will
Four charities in the metropolitan area receive a
total of $2,000 under the will of Otto W. Wuertz,
filed this week for probate in the Surrogate's Court.
Mr. Wuertz, a retired piano manufacturer of 1136 Gulf Coast Music Company Features Kohler & Camp-
Fifth avenue, died a week ago. He was born in
bell During Greater Gulfport Week.
Germany and came to this country when 13 years
During the week of October 7 to 13 Gulfport, Miss.,
of age. He had always been engaged in the piano
business and established his own company about held a civic celebration known as "Greater Gulfport
1893. The factory is at 1901-1907 Park avenue. The Week," and one of the features of the occasion was
retail wareroom is at 1504-1508 Third avenue, corner an entertainment at which the Gulf Coast Music Com-
of 85th street. To the Wartburg Orphans' Farm pany provided the music. A street dance was organ-
School of Mount Vernon, the Bethlehem Orphan and ized and these wideawake music merchants added
Half-Orphan Asylum of St. George, S. I., and the novelty as well as melody to the evening.
Lenox Hill and St. Mark's Hospitals, Mr. Wuertz
An instrumental trio and an Electrola were placed
left $500 each.
upon their truck and alternated with each other and
Mr. Wuertz is survived by his wife, whose maiden with the Gulfport Municipal Band in providing the
name was Ida Kratkie, and two daughters, Miss Jean dance numbers. The piano used was a Kohler &
Campbell BB model and many of the 3,000 people
Wuertz and Mrs. Ida Washburn.
who were entertained became prospects for such
G. Winkler Dies.
instruments.
G. Winkler, head of the Winkler Music Co., Tren-
Though the Gulf Coast Music Company is less
ton, N. J., died last week at the age of 78. Mr. than six months old, it has done a volume of business
Winkler at one time manufactured pianos in a limited
which is indeed gratifying. Its president, J. C. Rich-
way.
ard, E. L. Staples, the treasurer, and their staff are
He was born in Philadelphia, in 1850, and at the to be congratulated upon their clever and effective
age of 14 entered the employ of Albright, Ricket publicity stunt.
& Schmidt, noted piano manufactureres.
About
twenty-two years ago the Winkler Piano Co. was
founded and incorporated Surviving Mr. Winkler
are his widow, Mrs. Emma Winkler; three daughters,
the Misses Clara F. and Caroline Winkler, and Mrs.
William Gloeckner, all of Trenton; two sons, George
G. and Harry E. Winkler.
Corinne Rider Reed (Mme. Rider-Kelsey) Writes
Opinion of Piano to Toledo Dealers.
New Chase and Emerson Offices.
The B. Settergren Co., Bluffton, Ind., has prepared
With the location and headquarters of the A. B. new catalogs devoted to Period designs which will
Chase and the Emerson pianos in New York city, be mailed to the trade.
probably about to take place, it is said that the high
An interesting letter from Mme. Rider-Kelsey, the
standard of quality which each of these instruments
has maintained in their spheres of attainment will famous singer, to the Whitney, Blaine, Wildermuth
be kept up under the new maagement now contem- Co., Toledo, O., praises the Setterkren grand:
"Dear Sirs: The new Settergren grand which was
plated.
recently installed in my studio is proving even more
E. R. Jacobson in the East.
satisfactory than I had anticipated. The tone quality
Presto-Times correspondent had the pleasure of
is ideal for my needs and the size entirely adequate
meeting E. R. Jacobson, president of the Straube and more desirable for the home or small studio
Piano Co., Hammond, Ind., in New York at 2:30 than alarger size."
p. m. on Wednesday of this week. Mr. Jacobson
had come east to visit his Newark agency, and after
The remodeled warerooms of the Christiansen
visiting other representatives of his instruments in Bros, music store at 316 Main street, Racine, Wis.,
Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, he expected to be at were formally reopened recently with a new store
home Saturday.
NAK TOBA,
tront and other improvements.
MUSIC BY THE TRUCKLOAD
AT GULFPORT, MISS., FETE
TONE OF SETTERGREN
GRAND PLEASES ARTIST
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