Presto

February, 1930
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
well entered into a new year filled as we hope with the
promise of better things for our industry.
"The Music Industries Chamber of Commerce is a
federation of affiliated organizations with a few indi-
vidual members.. In this connection the offices of the
chamber are used as the headquarters of a number
of these affiliations, the larger and more important
of which who function from 45 West 45th street, New
York, being- the following:
"National Association of Music Merchants, Musical
Supply Association of America, which also operates
from the chamber headquarters ten or more Credi-
tors' Committees of defunct piano companies; Na-
tional Association of Musical Instrument & Accesso-
ries Manufacturers, National Musical Merchandise
Association, Committee of Phonograph Manufac-
turers.
"The National Piano Manufacturers Association is
the only large affiliated association providing the
major part of the chamber's financial support which
does not maintain its headquarters at the Music In-
dustries Chamber of Commerce and rely upon the
chamber's staff for the handling of its affairs. Other
affiliations of the Chamber who maintain their own
quarters are: National Association of Sheet Music
Dealers, National Piano Travelers Association, Na-
tional Association of Piano Tuners, National Piano
Technicians Association.
Services Rendered by the Chamber.
Mr. Campbell said the affiliated organization
fell into three groups—Promotion of Music, Business
or Economic Services, General Supervision.
Promotion of Music.
"This particular service is rendered by the chamber
under the auspices of the National Bureau for the
Advancement of Music, headed by C. M. Tremaine.
Under general promotions the bureau strives to bring
about nation-wide movements among schools,
churches, lodges, industrial establishments, etc., for
a love of music and as a natural consequence a uni-
versal desire on the part of individuals to express their
love of music by playing instruments. For this gen-
eral work the chamber in setting up its budget at the
last annual meeting provided $49,470, or about 65 per
cent of the total sum of about $76,000 appropriated
for the uses of the chamber.
Specific Promotion of Music.
"In addition to the general promotional work some
of the organizations affiliated with the Chamber have
been appropriating sums of money to be used for the
specific promotion of general widespread desire on
the part of individuals to play the particular instru-
ments which they manufacture. Following are the
associations or individuals who are doing this during
the current fiscal year with the sums of money
pledged in each instance:
National Association of Piano Manufactu-
rers
$30,000.00
C. G. Conn, Ltd. (band instruments)
18,000.00
C. G. Conn, Ltd. (orchestral instruments).. 6,771.45
National Association of Musical Instru-
ments & Accessories Manufacturers (fret-
ted inst.)
4.000.00
M. Hohner, Inc. (harmonicas)
1,800.00
$60,571.45
"As for the appropriations of $60,571.45 set up for
special promotions, these are definite and specific
pledges which mean that even with the reduction of
$12,000 from the expenditures of the National Bureau
for the current fiscal year there still will be left a
total of almost $100,000, which the Chamber and its
affiliated organizations are giving to the cause of gen-
eral and specific promotions for the fiscal year end-
ing May 31, 1930. Let me lay particular emphasis
upon this fact that in the face of widespread decline in
the musical instrument business we are, nevertheless,
during.the current fiscal year raising and spending a
sum approximating $100,000.
"When we come to those business or economic serv-
ices which the Chamber provides its members we are
able to list the following as the more important:
Credit Bureau with Collections, Liquidation Commit-
tee Work, Statistical, Accounting, Copyright Legisla-
tion.
Credit Bureau with Collections.
"This work is under the very efficient management
of our Mr. Dixon who acts as the assistant general
manager and the Chamber has on hand extensive
files running back for years showing the credit ex-
perience of thousands of firms with which manufac-
turers of musical instruments do business. In the
case of the Musical Supply Association very intensive
work is now being done to cull monthly reports of
the credit positions of the firms with which they do
business.
Liquidation Committee Work.
Mr. Campbell spoke of the value of Liquidation
Committee Work: "At present the customers of the
Musical Supply Association of America are furnish-
ing the most fertile field for work of this sort and
William A, Mennie, president of that association, w!th
many of its members as co-workers is supervising
with the help of the chamber staff and from chamber
headquarters the w T ork in connection with some ten
or more creditors' committees.
Statistical.
"In like manner the statistical work of the Chamber
has been under the direction of Mr. Dixon. Let us
assume a fairly intelligent guess—and under present
circumstances it can be nothing better than a guess—
that 1930 holds in store the sale of 150,000 used and
new pianos of different types. Obviously the poten-
tial demand for used pianos will be supplied by used
pianos which now are or during the course of the
year will be on the floors of music dealers through-
out the country. As for the potential demand for new
pianos during the current year 1930 a certain part of
this demand will also be supplied by pianos on the
floors of music dealers; those in transit to dealers
and by completed pianos on the factory floors of
manufacturers awaiting shipment to dealers.
"Subtracting the sum total of all of these elements
in the picture from 150000 units estimated as 1930
demands we have the measure of the number of new
pianos that must be fabricated during the course of
the present year to meet in full this demand. Pro-
duction in excess of this potential demand means
trouble. Clearly, work of this character must be done
in collaboration with the music dealers who must
tell us of their unsold piano inventory at the begin-
ning of a year or it cannot be done fully and if it is
not done fully it deprives the manufacturer of a sound
basis on which to predicate his decisions with refer-
ence to a program of production for any one year.
Copyright Legislation.
"As you doubtless know the Chamber has for some
time in the past been correlating and supervising the
efforts of important phonograph and music roll com-
panies in opposition to unsatisfactory and indeed
unfair Federal Copyright Legislation. We are still
active in this work.
Conclusion.
"At this present moment we are confronted with
some very delicate and difficult situations which may
require very drastic treatment to bring about solu-
tions which will be to the best interests of the
Chamber. As you know your president as a repre-
sentative of the Music Industries of this country has
been participating in the work of the National Busi-
ness Survey Conference which some time ago was
launched at Washington under the auspices of the
United States Chamber of Commerce for the pur-
pose of stabilizing American business. Looking boldly
into the face of possible disaster, the leaders of Amer-
ican business rallied their forces, threw their resources
into the breach and defeated the forces of economic
destruction that had begun a dangerous attack on
business stability.
"What the American business men have done in
general, we in the Music Industries can do for our-
selves. Let us not take counsel of our troubles and
our fears but let us courageously chart out the sort
of campaign which will bring success and give the
best that is in us to achieve that success."
OPTIMISM DOMINATES
MERCHANTS MEETING
Leaders in the National Association of Music Mer-
chants Cheerful at Midwinter Meeting.
A note of distinct optimism was the dominating
feature of the annual mid-winter meetings of the
Board of Control of the National Association of
Music Merchants held at the Hotel Commodore, New
York, Monday and Tuesday, January 20 and 21. The
attendance represented practically the entire country
and included in addition to President Werlein of New
Orleans, the following: Otto B. Fleaton of Columbus,
Ohio, vice-president; Jay Grinnell of Detroit, Mich.,
vice-president; Edwin R. Weeks of Binghamton,
N. Y., vice-president; William Howard Beasley of
Dallas, Texas, director; Charles H. Yahrling of
Youngstown, Ohio, director; Alex. McDonald of New
York city, director; George J. Winter of Erie, Pa.,
director; Raymond E. Durham of Chicago, 111., direc-
tor; C. J. Roberts of Baltimore, Md., past-president;
Robert N. Watkin of Dallas, Texas, past-president;
E. Paul Hamilton of New York city, past-president,
and Royal W. Daynes of Salt Lake City, LItah, state
commissioner.
One of the members of the board, Robert N.
Watkin of Dallas, Texas, reported the largest piano
business in 1929 of any year in the history of his
company which covers a period of nearly half a
century. Other members made similar optimistic,
reports.
It was voted to hold the next convention at the
Hotel Commodore, New York, the week beginning
June 9.
A communication was received from Jerome F.
Murphy, president of the New England Music Trade
Association, presenting a suggestion regarding the
broadcasting of piano class lessons. The suggestion
met with the hearty approval of the Board but it
was found that just at present it would probably not
be possible to undertake such a plan but it was sug-
gested that the matter be brought up at the next
convention.
Mr. Heaton as chairman of the Membership Pro-
motion Committee reported that the committee's
activities thus far have shown a total of 23 new mem-
bers.
The executive secretary reported various activities
which have been undertaken by the executive office
since the last Board meeting at the time of the con-
vention in Chicago last June, including two long
trips and a number of shorter ones to points near
New York.
His second trip included visits to presidents and
secretaries of local chapters of the American Institute
of Architects, operative builders' associations, better
home builders' associations and real estate boards in
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Columbus,
Ohio, Chicago and Detroit. The secretary reported
favorable action having been taken by many of these
bodies in connection with providing ample wall space
in small apartments and homes for such musical in-
struments as pianos and console models of phono-
graphs and radio sets.
The executive secretary reported that since his
appointment November 1, 1927, up to January 1, 1930,
he has taken by personal solicitation or by letter from
the executive oftice, 350 new members and that records
show a net increase of 125 new active members dur-
ing that period.
CLARK MUSIC CO. GETS
STEINWAY AGENCY
This Agency Covers Nine Wealthy Counties in Cen-
tral and Northern New York.
The Clark Music Co. of Syracuse, N. Y., was noti-
fied by Steinway & Sons that it had been appointed
Steinway representative in nine counties in Centra!
and Northern New York, including the counties of
St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Oswego, Madison, Onondaga,
Cayuga, Seneca, Tompkins and Cortland. The Clark
firm, one of the oldest and largest musical houses in
the state, enjoys an enviable reputation in musical
trades. The Clark Co. also has a store at 6 Public
Square, Watertown, N. Y., which serves the northern
New York territory, and other branch stores in Syra-
cuse. The Clark company was founded in 1858, and
is headed by Melville A. Clark, inventor of the Clark
harps.
LOGS FOR PIANO PARTS
The sounding board plant of Julius Breckwoldt &
Son, Inc., located in Dolgeville, N. Y., is operating a
tractor force both day and night in hauling logs from
the lumber camps in that vicinity. This season's cut
will total one and a half million feet of logs. These
logs are to be sawed at Dolgeville, to be used mainly
in the manufacture of piano parts. Special roads have
to be prepared and built, and there is a great deal of
work to such an undertaking. The company operates
quite a force, sometimes as high as 50 or 75 men in
the woods.
Of all the houses in the piano supply trade, none
is better equipped physically in the matter of being
at first-hand at work of this kind than the great house
of Breckwoldt & Son, Inc. The getting out of its
own timber is one of the things that count very ma-
terially in providing the necessary supplies that piano
manufacturers need—frequently on short notice at
that.
GREAT HOUSE FOR SUPPLIES
In reference to the half-page display advertisement
of the American Piano Supply Co. in this issue of
Presto-Times, we call the attention of repair shops
owners and tuners, as well as piano and radio manu-
facturers to this great house, which is a division of
Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., an establishment cov-
ering the entire field of piano, radio and other musical
instrument supplies, materials and the like. Anything
needed by repair men, repair shops, tuners or manu-
facturers in the line of supplies can be had at the
great house of Hammacher, Schlemmer & Co., 104-
106 East 13th street, New York.
NEW YORK EVERETT OFFICES.
The Everett Piano Co.'s eastern wholesale offices
in New York were moved on February 1 and are now
at 8 and 10 W r est 37th street, under the management
of Walter C. Hepperla. This is a larger place than
was occupied at the old headquarters, 42nd street,
east of 10th avenue, and is close to 5th avenue. Edgar
H. Weeks is assistant sales manager for the metro-
politan district.
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