Presto

June 15, 1929
P R E S T O-T I M E S
ANNUAL REPORT OF
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Delbert L. Loomis Has Been a Busy Individ-
ual and He Acknowledges the Assist-
ance of Others.
The following were the most interesting points in
the annual report of Delbert L. Loomis, executive
secretary of the National Association of Music Mer-
chants:
Two activities have engaged the special attention
of your executive secretary during the past year,
those of promotion of the industry and increase in
membership. Certain plans have also been outlined
for dealer service.
The first thing which was done after taking over
the executive office, November 1, 1927, was to begin
a re-organization of the executive staff and to give
the most careful attention to the purchasing of sup-
plies and the general business conduct of the office
with a distinct thought in mind of reducing operating
expenses. The office today has a smaller but highly
efficient staff.
Change in Fiscal Year.
The fiscal year has been changed from July 1 to
May 1. In the ten months' period ending April 30,
1928, six months of which time the office w y as under
the direction of the present executive secretary, a
saving was effected in operating costs as compared
with the previous ten months' period totalling
$1,514 42. A further saving was made during the
ten months' period ending April 30, 1929, of $2,600.77,
making a total reduction in operating costs over the
two ten months' periods in the tw 7 o years above men-
tioned of $4,115.19.
During the ten months' period ending April 30,
1928, $4,059.79 was spent for promotional work. The
expenditure of this amount had the effect of reducing
the bank balance to a figure which your executive
secretary felt was beyond what might be called the
danger line.
Keeping always in mind that the association is
a non-profit making organization, run entirely for
the benefit of the members and for the music industry
at large, your executive secretary has undertaken to
spend the funds of the association in the most careful
and conscientious manner, and always after consult-
ing with President Roberts on every item of expense.
Promotion.
The promotional work has been carried on largely
through the closest cooperation with the National
Bureau for the Advancement of Music and also with
the piano section of the Instrumental Affairs Com-
mittee of the Music Supervisors' National Conference.
Communications were first sent to 16,000 music super-
visors and up to May 20, 1929, 6,817 replies had been
received requesting copies of the "Guide for Conduct-
ing Piano Classes in Public Schools." The records
show that the piano is being taught in 708 schools in
528 cities in this country at the present time. It is
believed that there are at least 5,000 piano classes at
present in operation and possibly as many as 7,000 or
8,000, with somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000
children studying the piano by the class method.
The promotion department of the executive office
handles a large amount of correspondence with music
merchants, both members and non-members, further-
ing cooperative work with music supervisors, school
superintendents, parent-teacher associations a n d
boards of education.
Membership.
Wherever visits have been paid to music merchants
not only has an invitation to join the association
"BUSINESS IS STILL SOUND"
('Continued from page 5 )
of the piano much more popular. Every man in the
trade should give this program his moral and finan-
cial support.
The Sales Promotion Committee has been able to
secure one of the largest percentages of dealer co-
operation in the history of co-operative campaigns.
This fact alone is sufficient to justify real optimism
on our part.
This is no time to step aside and let the parade
go on without you. Everybody in this industry must
get in step and follow the band, to what I predict
will be the greatest era the piano has ever seen.
It may not be good policy to single out any work
done by any particular manufacturer, but I can not
help calling your attention to the wonderful piece of
publicity offered to the people of America in behalf
of the piano by the Baldwin Piano Company in their
half-hour on the radio called "At The Baldwin."
This not only helps the Baldwin Piano Company, but
every piano man in the country, because the publicity
was designed to show the value of the piano in the
home. The Baldwin Piano Company surely de-
serves our thanks for this outstanding piece of work.
been extended but it has been the policy to acquaint
the merchant with the promotional activities and an
endeavor has been made to show the merchants just
how the executive office can cooperate with him in
increasing his business through these activities.
Your executive secretary made a trip to the Pacific
Coast in October, visiting the following cities: Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle,
Vancouver and Spokane. In all of these cities, with
the exception of Vancouver, meetings were held and
your executive secretary had an opportunity to tell
the members of the trade collectively and in many
instances individually of the association activities.
Shirley Walker, of Sherman, Clay & Co., vice-presi-
dent of the association, accompanied your executive
secretary to all but two of the cities and Mr. Walker
and the Sherman, Clay & Co, managers in the vari-
ous cities were extremely helpful in making arrange-
ments for the meetings and assisting in other ways.
In Los Angeles, President Richardson and Secretary
Farquharson of the Music Trades Association of
Southern California and Mr. Geissler, Mr. Platt, Mr.
Boothe, Mr. Mercer, Mr. Byam and other members of
the Los Angeles trade did everything possible to
facilitate the work in that city. A very satisfactory
number of new members were added during the trip.
In January, your executive secretary took his first
vacation since he has been connected with the asso-
ciation and it consisted of five days spent in Mon-
treal and Quebec. Being unable to entirely divorce
business from pleasure, he spent one day calling on
members and non-members in Montreal and also in-
vestigating the convention facilities and obtaining
rates at two of the largest hotels in the two cities,
and is prepared to make a complete report on this
subject should it be desired.
His Southern Trip.
After attending meetings of the General Convention
Arrangements Committee, the Merchants' Convention
Committee and the Banquet Committee in Chicago
the last of January, your executive secretary visited
the following cities for the same purpose as the
trip to the west coast was made in October: Cincin-
nati and Columbus, Ohio; Lexington, Ky.; Knoxville
and Chattanooga, Tenn.; Atlanta, Macon and Colum-
bus, Ga.; Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Tampa, St.
Petersburg, West Palm Beach and Miami, Fla., and
Havana, Cuba. The trip was made as rapidly as pos-
sible, one day being devoted to each city as a rule
and on one occasion two cities being covered in one
day. In Knoxville a luncheon meeting was arranged
by Lynn Sheeley of Morristown, a member of the
board of control. Mr. Heaton of the board, in Co-
lumbus; Mr. Simmons, one of the charter members
of the association, in Lexington; Mr. Phillips in At-
lanta; Mr. Putnam, a former secretary of the asso-
ciation, in Tampa; Mr. Philpitt, state commissioner
for Florida and member of the board, in Miami and
Mr. Giralt in Havana, were extremely helpful and
gave generously of their time. This trip resulted in
an extraordinary number of new members. In a
number of c : ties such as Knoxville, where there
previously were no members at all, the visit resulted
in 100 per cent membership. The visit to Havana
served to emphasize the international character of
the association with the addition of five new mem-
bers, Mr. Giralt having been previously the only mem-
ber in Havana. Mr. Giralt was appointed commis-
sioner for Cuba.
Since November 1, 1927, when the present execu-
tive secretary took over the work of the office, 274
additions have been made to the membership.
Cooperation.
Your executive secretary has had the most whole-
hearted support from President Roberts and the other
officers and members of the board of control as well
as from many individual members of the Association
and it is desired at this time to express appreciation
for this wonderful cooperation and assistance, without
which much which has been accomplished would
have been impossible.
An expression of appreciation is also due for the
very great assistance which has been given to the
executive office by the trade press.
In addition to the business trips already mentioned,
your executive secretary has on several occasions
visited President Roberts in Baltimore and a large
number of conferences have been held with Presi-
dent Roberts at the executive office in New York.
Last July your executive secretary called on both
manufacturers and merchants in Boston and in August
visited Richmond and Indianapolis, Ind.; Chicago,
Detroit and Cleveland for the same purpose and also
to attend the convention of the National Association
of Piano Tuners in the last named city. In Septem-
ber, by invitation, he attended the convention of the
Music Merchants' Association of Ohio in Toledo,
stopping in Albany en route to call on the merchants
and in Buffalo on the return trip for the same pur-
pose. Your executive secretary also attended, by
invitation, the convention of the North Carolina Music
Merchants' Association in Raleigh, in September. At
both of these conventions he spoke to the members
on the promotional activities of the national associa-
tion. Your executive secretary attended the mid-year
meetings of the board of control in Chicago the latter
part of October following his trip to the Pacific
Coast. In connection with a visit to the merchants
in Richmond, Va., and also a visit to President Rob-
erts in Baltimore in March, your executive secretary
attended a meeting of the board of directors of the
Radio Manufacturers' Association at Hot Springs,
Va., by invitation, for the purpose of discussing cer-
tain details connected with the convention and radio
show to be held in Chicago in June, 1929.
For Department of Fine Arts.
At the invitation of Frederick P. Stieff, chairman
of the committee appointed at the last convention
to investigate the possibilities of the establishment
of a department of fine arts by the United States gov-
ernment, your executive secretary attended a dinner
meeting at the Congressional Country Club, Wash-
ington, D. C, in April, at which time those present,
including the presidents of several national organiza-
tions embracing in membership approximately 4,000,-
000 persons, formed themselves into a committee to
bring about the formation of a permanent society
for the recognition and advancement of the fine arts
with governmental support. Mr. Stieff, who wa?
elected chairman of this committee, appointed your
executive secretary as secretary of the committee.
Having inaugurated this movement and covered the
initial expenses as a part of its promotional program,
President Roberts has indicated that the probable
policy of the association will be to carry on to the
point where it may be deemed wise to withdraw
from active participation so as to remove any thought
of commercialism.
By invitation your executive secretary attended the
annual convention of the New York State Music
Merchants' Association in Binghamton in May, speak-
ing on association activities.
During the past year there have been more, than
70,000 mailings from the executive office.
Forecast
Your executive secretary feels that it may be proper
to state that the coming year holds out possibilities
for very largely increasing the membership in the
association, and also, coincident with this increase
and as the increase in finances permit, of extending
to a considerable extent the scope of both the promo-
tional activities and the dealer service of the execu-
tive office.
TRAVELERS' ANNUAL
DINNER WAS JOLLY ONE
Extraordinary Musical Program, Good, Enjoy-
able Fellowship and Gavel Turned
Over to Henry Hewitt.
The program at the entertainment and annual din-
ner of the National Piano Travelers' Association, held
at the Lake Shore Athletic Club. 850 Lake Shore
Drive, Chicago, on the night of June 3, excelled all
previous occasions as to artistry of talent and democ-
racy of spirit, and that is saying a good deal.
Dignitaries of the trade were there, men of the
largest experience were included, while outside talent
furnished most of the entertainment. A prestidigitator
showed himself much more than that, for he told
funny stories in dialect with the "savor foire" of the
president of a school of declamation and he proved
himself an expert at card tricks.
Then there was Miss Coe Glade, the contralto, who
sang in the role of Carmen in Chicago last season
and received the praise of all the critics, particularly
of Mr. Moore, of the Chicago Tribune. Her con-
tribution to the musical part of the program was
most inspiring. And another musician, a girl pianist
of rare promise, as well as present performance, "the
sweetheart of the Piano Club," as she was character-
ized proudly by Henry Hewitt, who played difficult
music with remarkable skill.
C. J. Roberts was witty in his remarks, but getting
down to seriousness, said the travelers w r ere the life-
blood of the piano business.
The Wurlitzer company furnished a $35,000 violin,
an Antonio Stradivarius, of the year 1690, which was
played by Herman Essak, the violinist, to the accom-
paniments of George Kalnus on the piano. The vio-
lin is said to be actually worth $35,000 and is owned
by the Wurlitzers.
A pleasant part of the ceremonies was turning over
the gavel to the incoming president, Henry Hewitt,
by A. B. Furlong, the retiring and popular president.
Three cheers were given for Mr. Hewitt for his
accomplishments for the association.
Reports were made that Dan Fabyan, veteran trav-
eler, was ill at his home, 91 Central street, Peabody,
Mass., and that former President Butler, of Marion,
Ind., was recovering from an operation in a hospital
in that city. Flowers were ordered sent to both
gentlemen.
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