MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1928
P. & 0 . ASSOCIATION
ELECTS NEW OFFICERS
Roy J. Cook, of The Cable Company, Is Chosen
President, and Other Business of
Importance Transacted.
A very interesting session, accompanied by a
luncheon, was held on Thursday of this week at the
Great Northern Hotel, Chicago, by the Chicago Piano
& Organ Association, the oldest piano organization in
the mid-western metropolis.
The officers elected at the meeting to serve one
year were:
R. J. Cook, of The Cable Piano Company, presi-
dent; James V. Sill, of the W. W. Kimball Company,
rirst vice-president: Henry Hewitt, of the M. Schulz
Company, second vice-president; Walter Kiehn, of
the Gulbransen Company, secretary; Adam Schneider,
treasurer.
BETTER PIANO TRADE
LOOMS JUST AHEAD
Walter L. Bond, Treasurer of the Weaver
Piano Co., Inc., York, Pa., Urges
Constructive Effort.
If there are any timid souls in the piano business
this fall, they are nowhere in the vicinity of the
Weaver Piano Company's headquarters at York, Pa.
In fact, reporters for Presto-Times who circulate as
widely as the factories and stores are located, fail to
find any of the timidity that characterized some of the
halting manufacturers and dealers at this time last
year. The pre-election fervor is over, and now the
piano men are turning their attention closer toward
their chosen work—the piano business.
Speaking to a Presto-Times correspondent one day
this week, W. L. Bond, treasurer of the Weaver Piano
Company, Inc., said:
''We feel that the crying need of the time is for the
people in the piano business not to be panic stricken,
but to take hold of the situation and work it out con-
structively; and we can see signs now that lead us to
feel sure that everything is going to work out all
right."
FINDS CHILDREN EAGER
TO TAKE PIANO LESSONS
A Chicago School Gets So Many Responses to
Its Questionnaire That the School Prin-
cipal Is Thrilled.
A teacher in a public school of Chicago, located in
the vicinity of Cottage Grove avenue and East 76th
street, has found such a ready response to her in-
quiries as to how many children would like to take
piano lessons after the Miessner plan, that her initia-
tive in the matter might be likened to touching a
match to paper and kindling. This teacher, with only
an ordinary knowledge of music, has been taking the
Miessner instructions at Steinway Music Hall, Chi-
cago, and she has found stimulation there for a plan
to start a class of children to receive the benefits of
the system.
To this end, the school sent out letters of inquiry to
ascertain how many of the pupils of a certain class
would be willing to take such lessons, and the replies
that came from the homes where the children reside
were so numerous as to be considered almost over-
whelming. The children sent in their fees for the pre-
liminary lessons and the equipment that goes with
them, or signified their readiness to do so at the first
opportunity.
This story is broadcast in the news of this widely-
read trade paper to show the piano dealers everywhere
how readily and eagerly the children of school age
take to piano playing under the new method. Here
was an enthusiastic teacher who was able to com-
municate her desire to extend her own knowledge of
an easy and quick way of learning to play the piano;
able to inspire the sparks of genius in a number of
children to spring into life by a mere suggestion, and
who later will take immense satisfaction in teaching
them the rudiments of the technical work that will
give them all a chance to take part in musical expres-
sion and give the more gifted ones their start toward
becoming real pianists.
WALTER LANE DIES AT
HOLLAND, MICH., HOME
$2 The Yeai
NEWS OF MUSIC
TRADE IN DENVER
Le Moine J. Bechtold, Well Known in Trade,
Opens Store—Earle P. Hagemeyer Back
with Baldwin Co.—Dealers of Rocky
Mountain Region Meet.
Le Moine J. Bechtold, for the past eight years in
business with his brother in the Bechtold Music Com-
Prominent Piano Man, Closely Associated with pany, Denver, has opened a new store at 539 Fifteenth
Manufacture of the Bush & Lane Piano,
street in that city, and is now in business for himself.
He will carry a complete line of Columbia and Victor
Regretted by Wide Circle of Friends.
records, portables, musical instruments, Zenith, Ma-
Walter Lane, formerly president of thee Bush & jestic and Crosley radios and radio accessories.
Lane Piano Co., Holland, Mich., died last Sunday
The Ness-Wolfi Music Company, Denver, has in-
at his home in Holland a"nd was buried on Wednes- corporated with a capital stock of $20,000. The in-
day in that city.
corporators are Carl Ness, E. C. Wolff and W. F.
Few men in the piano industry were as widely W r olff. The business has been operated for a num-
known as Mr. Lane, a n d f o r many years his name ber of years in Denver by Carl Ness and was known
was associated with the production of fine pianos. as the Carl Ness Music Store. The business is lo-
His entire business life was spent in piano making cated at 528 Fifteenth street.
in the technical understanding of which he had
Earle P. Hagemeyer has resumed the position of
achieved great fame.
district wholesale manager for the Baldwin Piano
Mr. Lane had a breakdown about a year ago and
Company, with headquarters in Denver. He recently
was advised to travel. This he did and on his return resigned his position with the C. S. Norton automo-
some months ago it was expected he would re-enter
bile agencies in Denver. Mr. Hagemeyer, before en-
the manufacturing end of the piano industry. But tering the automobile field about a year ago, had been
he declined the suggestions, awaiting a more complete with the Baldwin people for twenty-one years. He
return to health. To the trade who were aware of
succeeds Fred Thunell, who has been transferred to
his return from abroad in a fairly good state of health the Baldwin branch in Salt Lake City, headquarters
the report of his death this week came as a surprise. for Utah and Idaho.
L. W. True's Enterprise.
L. W. True has purchased the Laman & Johnson
Music Company, Denver, and is now operating the
business, which is located at 64 South Broadway,
under the name of the True Musical Instrument Com-
Story & Clark Wholesale Man Finds Good Trade pany, Inc. Fifteen years ago, G. A. Laman and
at Many Points.
Albert S. Johnson, organized the company and were
R. A. Burke, wholesale general traveler for the active from the first in Broadway business circles. Mr.
Story & Clarke Piano Company, 173 North Michigan Johnson, who for years has specialized in tuning and
avenue, Chicago, has just returned from a trip which repairing pianos, will remain with the new company.
took him over the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Mr. True has had a lot of experience in the musical
North Dakota, South Dekota, Nebraska and Kansas. instrument business and was lately connected with
He was absent for a month.
The Cable Company of Chicago.
Mr. Burke found business good in North Dakota,
C. E. Picklum has entered the musical instrument
pretty good in Nebraska, and improving in Kansas. business in Ordway, Colo., and just recently opened
Altogether, he said, his trip was quite successful.
a retail store there.
Conditions in Minnesota, South Dakota and in some
Knight-Campbell Has 200 Guests.
spots elsewhere did not show the number of piano
Nearly
200 music dealers of the Rocky Mountain
sales to be startlingly large, but Mr. Burke found
region attended a luncheon in the Cosmopolitan Hotel,
some of the dealers to be waiting for the result of
the election before ordering their bigger supplies for Denver, recently to witness a demonstration of the
new Radio-Victrola combination by officials of the
Christmas trade.
His next trip begins on Sunday night of this week. Victor Talking Machine Company. The dealers were
He expects probably to go into Arkansas. Louisiana, the guests of the Knight-Campbell Music Company
of Denver, with George P. Hopkins, head of the
Texas and Oklahoma.
wholesale department of the firm, in charge. The
machines were demonstrated on a special stage setting
A FEW NOTES.
by A. C. Love, district manager of San Francisco,
The Cable Piano Company, Wabash avenue and
Calif. Miss Madelein Da vies, record promotion de-
Jackson boulevard, Chicago, announces: "At Cable's partment, Camden, spoke following the demonstra-
you can purchase any Cable-made piano on our
tion. The other member of the party of three touring
famous try-it-before-you-buy-it plan."
the west displaying the new models to dealers was
B. F. Harbaugh Piano Co., Akron, O., has added a W. F. Sullivan, engineer from the factory at Camden.
radio department, of which Thomas J. Reese will be
The Charles E. Wells Music Company, Denver,
manager. In harmony with the long established pol- furnished a loving cup for the winner of the El Jebel
icy of the Harbaugh Co. in selling high grade pianos, Shrine golf tournament held in Denver.
the radio department may be looked to for high
Moe Slohm and William E. Conry, both expert
grade instruments and materials. E. M. Harbaugh is radio men, just recently opened a new radio store and
president of the Harbaugh Piano Co.
service station in Denver.
In a folder just sent out by the Bremer-Tully
J. W. Dietz has resigned his position as secretary of
Manufacturing Company, 656 West Washington the Colorado Radio Trades Association and has as-
boulevard, Chicago, reference is made to the growth sumed his new post as wholesale manager of the
of the company as follows: "In seven years Bremer- radio department of the Knight-Campbell Music Com-
Tully's radio department has grown from 2,000 square pany, Denver. George A. Flanigan is the new secre-
feet of floor space to two acres. Their assets in- tary of the radio trades organization.
creased over 250 times, with never a penny borrowed
or a discount lost; because every single product was
the kind that don't come back."
MOVES IN DAYTON, O.
The Amplograph Company of America, not incor-
First floor storeroom space in the Cappel building,
porated, which some months ago had desk room at
129 South Ludlow street, formerly occupied by the
1223 West Lake Street, Chicago, and manufactured Wurlitzer music store, which has been removed
the Amplograph, consisting of a phonograph motor across Ludlow street to the Wurlitzer building, has
and turn-table and pick-up unit all in one, is no longer been rented temporarily by the Forster-Hegeman Co.,
to be found there and is reported to have gone out whose lease on their store at 33 North Main street
of existence.
expired Nov. 1.
R. A. BURKE'S SUCCESS
ON HIS RECENT TRIP
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