MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents a Copy
1 Year
$1.25
10 Months. . .$1.00
6 Months.. 75 cents
CAMPAIGN FOR
NEW MEMBERS
Country Divided Into Eight Districts with
Known Workers Chosen as Leaders to
Round Up Piano Merchants
to Join.
In working out plans for the membership cam-
paign of the National Association of Music Mer-
chants the country has been divided into eight dis-
tricts. President Parham Werlein has appointed
Otto B. Heaton of Columbus, Ohio, the first vice-
president of the association as general membership
promotion chairman of a committee which will be
made up of chairmen, vice-chairmen and members in
the various districts. Mr. Heaton has been supplied
from the executive office with a list of "prospects"
covering the entire country and comprising approxi-
mately 7,000 names. The general membership pro-
motion committee, of which Mr. Heaton is general
chairman, consists of the following:
National Association of Music Merchants, General
Membership Promotion Committee: Otto B. Heaton,
(General Membership Promotion Chairman.
Pacific Western District: Washington, Oregon,
California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona. Commit-
tee:
Chairman, Edward A. Geissler, Birkel Music
Co., Los Angeles, Calif.; vice-chairmen, Royal W.
Daynes, Consolidated Music Co., Salt Lake City,
Utah; R. E. Robinson, Sherman, Clay & Co., Seattle,
Wash.; E. R. Armstrong, Sherman, Clay & Co., Port-
land, Ore.; Aubrey O. Andelin, Andelin Music Co.,
Idaho Falls, Idaho; J. W. Dawson, Phoenix, Ariz.
Northwestern District: Colorado, Wyoming, Mon-
tana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kan-
sas. Committee: Chairman, Charles E. Wells, Music
Co., Denver, Colo.; vice-chairmen, J. A. Poppler,
Poppler Piano Co., Grand Forks, N. D.; C. E, Hay-
den, A. L. Cummings Music Co., Sheridan, Wyo.;
Charles J. Kops, Kops Piano House, Great Falls,
Mont.; George H. Costain, Costain Music Store,
Huron, S. D.; Edward J. Walt, Walt's Music House,
Lincoln, Neb.; J. A. Campbell, Innes Music Co.,
Wichita, Kan.
Southwestern District: New Mexico, Texas, Okla-
homa, Arkansas, Louisiana. Committee: Chairman,
Robert N. Watkin, Will A. Watkin Co., Dallas,
Texas; vice-chairmen, L. A. Chenoweth, Chenoweth
& Green, Enid, Okla.; R. C. Bollinger, R. C. Bollin-
ger Music-Radio Co., Fort Smith, Ark.; B. M. Grune-
wald, L. Grunewald Co., Ltd., New Orleans, La.
Southeastern District:
Mississippi, Tennessee,
Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, No. Carolina, So.
Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia. Committee:
Chairman, S. Ernest Philpitt, S. Ernest Philpitt &
Son, Miami, Fla.; vice-chairmen, J. P. Simmons, The
Music Shop, Lexington, Ky.; Rudolph Siegling, Sieg-
ling Music House, Charleston, S. C ; C. S. Andrews,
Andrews Music Store, Inc, Charlotte, N. C ; J. B.
Gressett, A. Gressett Music House, Meridian, Miss.;
Lynn Sheeley, Clark-Jones-Sheeley Co., Morristown,
Tenn.; Richard A. McKee, McKee Music Co, Charles-
ton, W. Va.; Ben L. Sykes, Lee Piano Co., Inc.,
Lynchburg, Va.; E. E. Forbes, E. E. Forbes Piano
Co., Birmingham, Ala.; W. P. Manning, W. P. Man-
ning Music Co., Augusta, Ga.
Midwestern District: Illinois, Wisconsin, Michi-
gan, Indiana, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri. Com-
mittee: Chairman Jay Grinnell, Grinnell Bros., Detroit,
Mich.; Yahrling-Rayner Music Co, Youngstown, O.;
George B. Wiswell, WisweH's, Joliet, 111.; Edmund
Gram, Edmund Gram, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis.; Frank
O. Wilking, Wilking Music Co., Indianapolis, Ind.;
Grant P. Wagner, Howard-Farwell Co, St. Paul,
Minn.; Miss Mayme Zechfhann, Davidson Bros. Co.,
Sioux City, Iowa; Frank J. Bayley, Bayley Music
House, Detroit, Mich.; P. E. Conroy, Conroy Piano
Co., St. Louis, Mo.
New England District: Maine, Vermont, New
Hampshire,
Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode
Island. Committee: Chairman, Herman C. Spain,
Jr., American Piano Co., Boston, Mass.; vice-chair-
men, Andrew Meiklejohn, The Meiklejohn Co., Prov-
idence, R. I.; A. M. Seavey, A. B. Seavey & Son,
CHICAGO, ILL., AUGUST 15, 1929
Saco, Maine; W. C. W. Marshall, Marshall Music
Co., White River Junction, Vt.; E. J. Mclntire, Piper-
Mclntire Co., Manchester, N. H.; Alvin P. McCoy,
McCoy,s Inc., Hartford, Conn.
Eastern District: New York, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Maryland, Delaware. Committee: Chairman,
Edwin R. Weeks, Weeks & Dickinson Music Store,
Binghamton, N. Y.; vice-chairmen, John J. Glynn,
James & Holmstrom Piano Corp., New York, N. Y.;
George J. Winter, Winter Piano Co., Erie, Pa.; C. E.
Cameron, Jr., Lauter Company, Newark, N. J.; C. J.
Roberts, Chas. M. Stieff, Inc., Baltimore, Md.; Ralph
L. Salter, Salter's Music Shoppe, Wilmington, Del.
District of Columbia: Homer L. Kitt, Homer L.
Kitt Co., Washington, D. C.
SETTERGREN ACTIVITIES
B. K. Settergren, president of the B. K. Settergren
Company, Bluffton, Ind., who returned some weeks
ago from a honeymoon trip to Sweden, will remain
for the balance of August at the headquarters of the
Settergren Company in Bluffton.
W. C. Hess, secretary of the company, is making a
tour of the Pacific Coast. Mr. Fox, general repre-
sentative, who was in Chicago several days this week,
has started on a tour of the Eastern states. He will
make his headquarters at the offices of the Estey
Piano Company, 127 West 43rd street, New York
city.
E. R. Blanchard, treasurer of the W. W. Kimball
Company, Wabash Avenue and Jackson Boulevard,
Chicago, is now enjoying a brief outing at his favorite
place of recreation, Charlevoix, Mich.
Issued Semi-Monthly
First and Third Saturdays
A. L. SMITH JOINS
C. Q. CONN, LTD.
Former Chamber of Commerce Manager Is to
Be Executive Vice-President of
Indiana Concern.
Announcement has been made from the offices of
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce that
Alfred L. Smith is to be executive vice-president of
C. G. Conn, Ltd., and will begin his duties on
September 1st in Elkhart, Ind., where he will make
his residence in the future.
Mr. Smith, who has acted in the capacity of secre-
tary and general manager of the chamber for nine
years, announced his resignation recently at the
annual convention of the music industries. He is to
be succeeded by Harry Meixell, formerly of the
National Automobile Chamber of Commerce.
TO REPAIR BAY COMPANY FACTORY.
The receiver for the H. C. Bay Piano Company
is preparing to have the factory buildings at Bluff-
ton, Ind., repaired so that they can be sold. The
creditors are still hoping to get something more
than seemed possible a few weeks ago. Information
has been received by Elmore Sturgis, chairman of the
Bluffton Chamber of Commerce industrial committee
to the effect that an expenditure of $14,000 has been
authorized by the receiver of the H. C. Bay Company
for the repairs to the large factory buildings in
Bluffton.
TRADE PAPER MAN'S OBSERVATIONS IN
CIRCLING LAKE MICHIGAN
A thousand miles by auto around Lake Michigan—•
the envied excursion of Western autoists—was com-
pleted last week by a member of the editorial staff of
Presto-Times. Here is something to write about,
and no matter what is written, the half is not being
told. Lake Michigan, one of the four greatest lakes
in the world, with shores of natural grandeur, with
wild waves such as the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean
can produce, bordered by scores of resort towns as
pretty and well-equipped as any on the seaboards,
giving port service to such mighty cities as Chicago
and Milwaukee and many manufacturing towns of
smaller dimensions, is a body.of water of many mani-
festations of • usefulness and impressiveness.
In Seeing America First, one should put this trip
either first or second in his category.
Stores Short of Pianos.
In passing through the larger towns, the traveler
noted, in brief calls at piano stores, that they were
rather low on stocks of instruments, revealing an
encouraging condition for new supplies. Sales were
being conducted along the methods of clean-out
disposals.
Great Crops.
In Wisconsin, he learned that farm productions are
going to be large. Vast quantities of timothy, of
wheat, oats, clover and alfalfa have been cut. Fruit
was of excellent quality and good yield this year.
Wisconsin is known as the cherry state, and that
crop was excellent; mostly picked now. The pickers
were at work as the Presto-Times man drove
through.
Good Trade in View.
Interesting visits were made at many cities en
route—Ludington, Escanaba, Grand Traverse, Man-
istee, Menominee, Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac,
Janesville and others being on the route. At all of
these cities, dealers were found to be in an optimistic
frame of mind, predicting better trade than had been
anticipated by those whose views a few months ago
had been crippled by a fancied downfall in the esti-
mate of the piano. In the entire trip, the tourist
found not a scintilla of evidence of the skunky pres-
ence of the piano scare—the bugaboo with the
scented and busy tail.
As Wisconsin is a dairying and potato-raising state,
a state famous for cherries, oats and clover, as well as
famous for its manufactures, the observer noted a
good outlook in all of its interests, and the conclusion
is that it will be a good state for piano trade.
Regret Otto Schulz' Dealth.
Expressions of sorrow were heard at several of
the Wisconsin stores at the news of the death of
Otto Schulz, both from those handling the Schulz
lines and those who did not. Many of these men had
met Mr. Schulz while in his official capacity as head
of the National Piano Manufacturers' Association.
Many AirPorts Seen En Route.
An attractive feature among the sights on this trip
was the great number of airport fields, either in use
or in preparation for service to flyers. Some seven
to ten of these places of alighting and departure were
soon. They were mostly at some miles distant from
the towns, for which they were named; as for in-
stance, the Appleton Flying Field, the Oshkosh Air-
port, etc., etc., each equipped with proper antenna,
search and beacon lights and towers. Many erst-
while farms have been purchased for this purpose,
and graders and levelers were at work on some of
them, as the trade paper man whizzed by. And
near by were several radio stations for broadcasting.
SCHILLER TRAVELER'S TRIP.
Frank M. Hood, of the Schiller Piano Company,
who recently returned from an extensive trip through.
Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, brought back im-
pressions of a good outlook for fall trade in pianos
in those wonderfully prosperous states. He said to
a Presto-Times representative: "On the whole, the
outlook is very good. Too much rain in parts of
Kansas and Missouri has spoiled the crops. Corn
doesn't look good in Missouri and parts of Kansas.
In the southeast part of Kansas, wheat is not good;
the wetness had spoiled crops around Parsons and
Pittsburg, Kan. I received some very good business
while on the trip and predict a good deal more for
the fall season."
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/