Presto

41
P R E S T O-T I M E S
January, 1930
COMPETITION GROWS KEEN
IN RADIO PRODUCTION
Nearly Ten Million Sets Are in Domestic Use, Sta-
tistics Indicate.
Competition is growing very keen in radio manufac-
turing, and in consequence there is a trend towards
mergers. One of the factors of the year was the
entry of General Motors into the radio field in con-
junction with Radio Corporation of America, General
Electric and Westinghouse.
Sales of radio receiving sets and equipment rose
to a higher level in 1929 than in any other year in the
history of the industry. Throughout most of the
year the factories were working at utmost capacity.
It is estimated that there are between 9,000,000 and
10,000,000 sets in domestic use and the call for replace-
ments will hereafter amount to about 5,000,000 receiv-
ers annually.
The demand late in the fall was stimulated by price
reductions by many of the producers which merely
narrowed their profit margins on this late business.
The mechanical features of the year were the
screen grid and the high-powered tubes. It is esti-
mated that tube production for the year will approxi-
mate 75,000,000 units. The phonograph companies
benefited along with the radio manufacturers because
of the popularity of the combined instrument.
THE SONORA ASSIGNMENT.
Sonora plant at Saginaw is the outgrowth of a claim
of $56,239.98 of the Valley Appliance Co., Rochester,
N. Y., against the Sonora Phonograph Co., Inc., al-
though the principal sum named in the suit is $100,000.
"We are perfectly able to work this thing out by
ourselves," William F. Varin, treasurer of the Sonora
Factory Has Steady Trade in Hand-Carved
Corp., declared. "We have a plant in Saginaw that
Cabinets, Console Tables and Utility
is appraised at $2,000,000 and we have outstanding
Display Cabinets.
accounts of more than $1,000,000 and our liabilities are
less than that. In fact, our assets are greatly in ex-
To find a factory as busy as the Perfection Furni-
cess of all our outstanding indebtedness."
ture Company's works at 2267-69 Clybourne avenue,
Chicago, is a pleasure these days. A call was made
SPECIMENS FOR RADIO MUSEUM.
by a Presto-Times representative just before Christ-
Prof. C. W. Mitman and others are establishing a mas where F. S. Smith, president of the company,
radio museum in the Smithsonian Institution at was met. The chief business of the plant now is
Washington, D. C. As a nucleus of the museum, the manufacturing radio cabinets, yet the other lines of
Radio Corporation of America has offered its collec- manufacture are also busy.
tion of early apparatus which is now displayed at
Forty radio benches were shipped that day; 35 the
radio shows. Much more will be obtained from gov- day before, and these figures give the proportion of
ernment warehouses, where it has been stored as activity. Six of them were big benches and there
obsolete junk.
were 20 piano benches shipped. Mr. Smith showed
the visitor 420 crates ready for shipment of radio
RUM RUNNERS USING RADIO CODE.
cabinets. Also a sample of brand-new console table.
Emmett Dougherty, Assistant United States Attor- His utility display cabinets are very neat. The draw-
ney, testifying in a libel suit at Los Angeles against ers are at the back, toward the storekeeper, while in
a ship seized by the government in southern waters front they are sloping with a glass panel behind which
said that through the radio rum ships were in con- goods, such as lipsticks can be shown. These little
stant communication with their owners. Clarence cabinets are used on drugstore counters and candy
Reeves, special government agent, testified he inter- stores and some are even used at garages.
Another line consists of the telephone sets, a carved
cepted the smugglers' secret messages.
wooden chair going with each. The radio cabinets
STARCK SELLING SPARTONS.
are carved, and are made to fit the Atwater Kent,
The P. A. Starck Piano Co. sells Sparton radio sets the Buckingham, the Crosley, the Stewart-Warner
at all its Chicago stores, and says: "The Sparton is and others. There are some very handsome Jacobean
conceded to be the best radio on the market today, hand-carved cabinets going out.
and is made to give complete satisfaction."
Radio dealers of Flint, Mich., have formed an
The Evansville Radio Dealers' Association, Evans- organization to be known as the Flint Radio Dealers'
ville, Ind., holds business sessions in connection with Association. It will hold weekly meetings at the
Hotel Durant.
its Monday noon luncheons.
PERFECTION FURN. CO.'S
FINE RADIO CABINETS
The involuntary petition of bankruptcy of the
Sonora Products Co. of America, with headquarters
at New York city, was filed in the United States
District Court, at Bay City, Mich. The Sonora Prod-
ucts Co. is a Delaware corporation operating from
Saginaw. The petitioners, all of Saginaw, were
Brady, Judd & Co, Norely Bros., and the Saginaw
Lumber Co., operating as the Booth & Boyd Lum-
ber Co.
Less than half of the broadcasting stations in the
Leonard O. Moburg has opened a radio showroom
at 4753 Broadway, Chicago.
The court action that tied up the activities of the United States are making profit or even expenses.
STARR PIANOS
-
STARR PHONOGRAPHS
GENNETT RECORDS
(Represent the Hic/hert cJttainme.nl in cMnsical
B
)
(Worth
%STARR'PIANO COMPANY'
Established 1872
WHEN
Richmond. Indiana
IN
DOUBT
REFER TO
Presto Buyers' Guide
1930 EDITION NOW IN PREPARATION
RE
HALLET & DAVIS PIANO CO.
ADAM SCHAAF, Inc.
PLAYER
p?fNos CING GRANDS AND UPRIGHTS PIANOS
Established Reputation and Quality Since 1873
OFFICES & SALESROOMS
FACTORY
319-321 So. Wabash Ave.,
4343 Fifth Avenue
New Adam Schaaf Building
Corner of Kostner Avenue
CHICAGO, ILL.
Established 183t—Boston
FACTORIES - - NEW YORK CITY
Executive Offices and Wholesale Warerooms
S East 39th S t (at 5th Ave.)
New York City
TH E CO MSTOCK, C HEIMEY & CO.
IVORYTON, CONN
IVORY CUTTERS SINCE 1834
MANUFACTURERS OF
Grand Keys, Actions and Hammers, Upright Keys
Actions and Hammer , Pipe Organ Keys
Piano Forte Ivory for the Trade
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