10
P R E S T O-T I M E S
having made good at that, I put in some small goods
and they also went well.
"Occasionally, recently, I have had calls for pianos:
so I thought, why not sell pianos also? I ordered
two pianos and disposed-pf them two days after they
reached my store. This sale encouraged me, and now
Industrial Life and Tall Buildings Take the I have three good piano prospects that I am work-
ing on.
Eye of New York Piano Man-
"Now I am prepared to sell either a radio receiving
ufacturer.
set or a piano, or both, to suit the vy.him of the cus-
Charles Jacob, president of Jacob Bros. Co., and tomer. The piano has broadened my trade. I do not
its various industries, with Mrs. Jacob, who have been regard the one business as the off-shoot of the other,
touring Europe for the past seven weeks, returned
or even as interfering one with the other. The instru-
on the "Bremen" on October 2.
ments are distinct; they perform different functions,
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob started from Paris and by and I am glad to 1>e able to sell both. : But I must
automobile traveled through Switzerland where Mr. acknowledge that the piano is the essential one. of all
Jacob essayed the climbing of the Jungfrau in the the instruments."
Bernese Alps, but despite pluck, had to desist before
he reached, the pinnacle.
The itinerary continued on to Munich, Vienna,
Budapest, Prague, Berlin, back to Metz, and then
through the battlefields of France.
Asked what made the strongest impression on him
as to the economic and industrial life of Europe,
Mr. Jacob said he was surprised to notice the erection
W. H. Lange, President of the Lange Piano
of so many fine new buildings, some of them of tb,e
Co., of That City, Visits
American sky-scraper type, that were under con-
Chicago.
struction iiivthe towns of France and Germany, and
that in the country districts the industry of the people
W. H. Lange, head of the Lange Piano Company,
appealed to him. It was not unusual in the farming
San Antonio, Texas, was in Chicago on October 4
sections to see a cow and a horse yoked together to and was met at the Baldwin Piano Company's offices
the plow. From what he, could see, there is no by a Presto-Times representative. He has been busy
general unemployment in Europe.
Everybody
selling Baldwin pianos for many years.
seemed contented and industrious.
"I look for better conditions in the piano trade in
Mr. Jacob admitted that this was the longest vaca-
San Antonio soon," said Mr. Lange. "Baldwin in-
tion he has taken in years. When asked how he struments command tfadc Our city has 500 small
explained that, he replied, Hhat he was young enough
factories, and while oil might be said to be the chief
to enjoy a respite from business and that Mrs. Jacob source of income, many other things contribute to the
accompanied him.
wealth of San Antonio. We have a population in San
His many friends who have been aware of his Antonio of 300,000 and are putting-lip 35-story build-
close attachment to business will take pleasure in ings. Two thousand m w families" moved into San
the knowledge that Mr. Jacob had a good time. Antonio in August."
They all know of his devotion to his work and were
glad when they heard that*at last he had started on
BAY CREDITORS' DIVIDENDS.
a vacation trip. Of course, he had made brief trips
Creditors of the H. C. Bay Piano Company, Bluff-
up to his.summer cottage in the Adirondacks, but
those hardly took him away from business. On the ton, Ind., received checks a few days ago for a 5 per
ocean and rambling around in Europe, it is different— cent dividend. This made the second dividend for
Bay creditors, the first distribution having been a
the whole mode of life is changed, and that is just
dividend of \2 l / 2 per cent. There will be further divi-
why Mr. • and • Mrs. Jacob enjoyed themselves so
dends
for creditors, the amount depending to a large
greatly, philosophizing on the differences and simi-
larities of people and their aims and modes of ex- extent on the sale price that may be obtained for the
Bay factory building and other real estate in Bluffton.
istence.
The factory building has been extensively overhauled
and repaired, in preparation for another effort of the
receiver to sell it.
WHAT CHARLES JACOB
SAW IN EUROPE
SELLING BALDWINS
IN SAN ANTONIO
RADIO MAN'S EXPERIENCE
—ADDS PIANOS TO LINE
CONOVER AND BECHSTEIN PIANOS.
October 15, 1929
GLAD TO KNOW
PIANO'S COMING BACK
Veteran Editor in Galesburg, 111., Hearing
Mark Campbell's Letter Read, Gets
Inspiration.
A piece of publicity appeared recently in a Gales-
burg, 111., daily paper in the form, of an editorial writ-
ten by its editor, Fred Jelliff, a gentleman "75 years
young," two weeks ago. It is entitled "The Piano
Coming Back," and reads as follows:
"We were privileged to hear read the other day a
letter from a prominent official of an eastern company
engaged in the manufacture of pianos and it was
asserted that the piano is coming back into its own,
and that the demand for this instrument is returning.
It indicated that people are thirsting once more to
have real music in their parlors, and to having their
children instructed in music. It is nice of course to
sit and hear the great performers through the medium
of phonographs and radios, but mere listening is not
educating one in music. One could sit and listen
forever and not be able to sing or play a note. It
is something for.one to be able to sit down and play
the music or sing it, and' the piano is a means to
doing this. Perhaps there needs to be a stimulus
applied to education in music, and that means the
developing in one's own self the capacity to play or
sing. One is glad to know that the piano is coming
back."
The able editorial written by Mr. Jeliff was in-
spired by a letter E. A. Francis, piano dealer of
Galesburg, read to that editor from the pen of
Mark P. Campbell, president of the Brambach Piano
Company, of New York.
TRANSPORTING PIANOS ABROAD.
There are still many regions in foreign countries in
which great difficulties are faced in transporting com-
modities such as pianos, and even in cities and col-
onization centers piano dealers are forced to use very
primitive transportation methods, according to an
article in a German export magazine. Besides, the
construction of the piano must be suited for these
means of conveyance, because if, for example, in
Central America a piano must be hauled for many
hours in a cart drawn by oxen over poorly paved
roads, pianos must be more resistant in all their
parts. The same may be said of transportation by
coolies as practiced in British India. Above all, radi-
cal changes are required in the construction of pianos
to be transported on the backs of mules in South
America. Not only grand but also upright pianos
must be built dismountable so they can be transported
in four or six cases, loaded on mules, over the passes
of the Andes. The piano built for loading on a horse
is a very special construction type much in use for
transportation in South Africa.
The Cable Piano Company, Chicago, runs a "side-
by side" advertisement, showing two piano cuts, under
which it says: "Side by side, these leading pianos of
A good deal has been said and written lately about two continents. There is a subtle satisfaction in own-
piano men slackening up on pianos in favor of the ing something really fine, whether it be a rare print,
radio business. A few instances of that nature have an authentic first edition, or a bit of jade. So, Cable
FINANCE COMPANIES MERGE.
come to direct notice, but in most reports the truth presents for your choice two instruments that are out-
,
The
Bankers-Commercial Security Company, Inc.,
standing
in
the
piano
world—the
Conover,
one
of
the
was stretched—these dealers had not given up piano
few really great pianos of today, and the Bechstein. of New York, announces that its London subsidiary,
selling; they had merely added radio.
the Bankers Commercial Security, Ltd., 260 Regent
Now comes a story of movement in the opposite most famous of European instruments.''
street, has acquired by share exchange complete own-
direction—a radio man adding pianos, and his story is
ership of the Mercantile Union Guarantee Corpora-
only one of many such departures. He asked Presto-
DEATH OF JOHN CROMELIN.
tion of London, one of the. pioneer time payment
Times not to use his name, but granted permission to
John Cromelin, aged 49 years, died on October 2 in finance companies of Great Britain, with headquarters
use part of his letter, which follows:
Mount Vernon Hospital, Mount Vernon, N. Y. Mr. in London and branches in Plymouth and Manchester.
-':'*.'..
[Letter.]
Cromelin was affiliated with the Columbia Grapho- The combined institutions bring into being one of the
phone Company for 35 years. He was its general most important time payment financing institutions
"I am a radio dealer and I have been successful
manager from 1914 to 1918.
now operating in England.
at it. I started in selling nothing but radio, and
Writes Interesting Letter Which Contains Sugges-
tions for Other Radio Dealers.
There Is Assurance of Success and Good Profits for Dealers As Well
As Satisfaction for the Customers Who Buy
BECKER BROS.
High Grade Pianos, Player Pianos and Reproducing Pianos.
Order N o w so that t h e Company c a n take care of you.
,.>.„.
Reliability in Construction and Tone is the assurance applying to the Becker Bros. Piano.
" BECKER BROS.
767-769 Tenth Avenue
New York City, U. S. A.
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