MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
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CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER, 1930
FIRST GUNS FIRED FOR
THE JUNE CONVENTION
Otto B. Heaton and Delbert L. Loomis Making Nation=Wide Trips and
Their Talks Are Radioed Afar
The first big guns for the June convention of the
National Music Merchants Association, which is to
be held in Chicago, have been fired by Otto B. Heaton,
national president, and Delbert L. Loomis, executive
secretary of the association, who have been making
trips together for the purpose of working up interest.
This pair of hustlers recently visited Buffalo, Detroit,
Chicago and other cities.
Representative Men in Attendance.
To summarize their Chicago contacts, the Piano
Club of Chicago heard their proposals at one of the
most largely attended meetings of the year in. October
-—a meeting not only numerically but in quality of
representation surpassingly impressive, including such
representative men as Paul B. Klugh of Zenith Radio,
H. A. Stewart of Gulbransen's, Eugene Whelan of
the W. W. Kimball Co., Otto Schulz, Jr., of the M.
Schulz Co., Fred C. Harlow of Vose & Sons, and
Fred P. Bassett, president of the National Piano
Manufacturers Association.
Preparing for Big Convention.
President Benjamin F. Duvall got down to the
business of the meeting promptly, which was to listen
to Otto B. Heaton tell of the preliminary work that
is being done to make the coming conventions at
Chicago a success. Mr. Heaton had talked over the
radio and his addresses were broadcast at Cincinnati
over WLW, at Buffalo over WGR, at New York over
WJZ, at Detroit over WJR, and at Chicago at 3 p. m.
that day over station KYW. He told of his own
activities in the work of securing members to the
association and of various pians that were working
well despite the rather unfavorable financial condi-
tions existing broadly. He spoke of his contact with
business men at numerous places and especially of a
visit to Huntington, W. Va., and other places—men
whose judgment was reliable, who believed that the
piano trade was staging a comeback, although some
of them expressed regret that the calamity which
reduced piano production came at a time when
between 300,000 and 400,000 pianos a year were being
manufactured instead of manufacture going the other
way.
Piano Club Takes Hold.
Getting an expression from the Piano Club was
no trouble at all for Messrs. Heaton and Loomis, for,
upon motion put by Adam Schneider, the club put
itself on record to do all in its power to further the
interests of the convention.
The plan now is to hold the piano convention im-
mediately following the radio convention, about the
10th of June. The piano convention plans are to be
in the hands of Mr. Loomis, who also talked interest-
ingly at the meeting, telling of the vast amount of
publicity the piano is receiving daily in many hun-
dreds of newspapers.
Adam Schneider said much interest is being taken
in piano playing in the public schools of Chicago.
Sixteen pianos had been purchased by the school
board, and from 35 to 50 pianos can be purchased
through this year's appropriation.
Messrs. Loomis and Heaton are hoping to make a
trip before long to the Pacific coast on this mission-
ary work.
Mr. Heaton's New York Address.
Mr. Heaton's address over WJZ in New York, in
part, was as follows:
"Every feeling except fear finds relief in music.
The piano, violin, and all musical instruments should
be taught in the public schools. I am told by educa-
tors that 90.3 per cent of all the honor students play
some musical instrument, whereas, my investigation
leads me to believe that less than five per cent of the
criminals in our penal institutions play any musical in-
strument. Teach a boy to blow a horn and he won't
blow a safe. Musical training adorns riches and
ameliorates poverty. Music in the home puts sun-
shine in the heart."
Heaton's Letter to Coolidge.
Mr. Heaton last month sent a letter to Calvin
Coolidge, a duplicate copy of which is at the elbow
of this member of Presto-Times' staff. In it the
Columbus piano man—president of the National As-
sociation of Music Merchants—asks the ex-President
of the United States his opinion of the advisability
of creating by law a music and arts portfolio in the
President's cabinet. Mr. Heaton suggests to Mr.
Coolidge that "this matter has been under considera-
tion by our industry for many years and all of us
hope to see the subject given serious consideration
ere long." Mr. Heaton says in the same letter:
"Wealthy parents can afford to employ private
teachers to develop any musical talent their children
may possess. But not so with the average working-
man, farmer, or professional man whose income does
not justify the expenditure. Musical talent should be
developed in the public schools, just the same as any
other."
In Buffalo.
In Buffalo, a representative list of local music mer-
chants met at luncheon at the Statler Hotel, including:
John F. Huber of Denton, Cottier & Daniels; B. E.
Neal, E. M. Stroud, Roy Keine, Hunter L. Darlin of
Neal-Clark-Neal, John G. Schuler of John G. Schuler,
Inc., J. H. Strube of the Wurlitzer Co., George E.
Goold, Floyd F. Barber of Goold Brothers, Charles
F. Hoffman of the Hoffman Piano Co., and F. L.
Cunningham of the Butler Music Shop. Three new
members joined at the close of the meeting: Charles
F. Hoffman of the Hoffman Piano Co., John G. Schu-
ler of John G. Schuler, Inc., and J. H. Strube of the
Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.
At Detroit.
Among those present at the Detroit meeting in the
Hotel Statler were Jay Grinnell and Arthur H. Howes
of Grinnell Brothers, E. K. Andrew and Charles H.
Kesler of J. L. Hudson Co.'s Music Store.
At New York.
Those who attended the meeting of the association's
executive committee meeting in New York where
arrangements were made for trips of Messrs. Loomis
and Heaton were Edwin R. Weeks of Binghamton,
N. Y.; Clyde H. De Acres of Chicago, John J. Glynn
of New York, C. J. Roberts of Baltimore and Alex
McDonald of New York.
CAREFUL OBSERVER
NOTES DEPLETION OF
PIANOS IN STORES
A correspondent of Presto-Times had a most en-
joyable visit a few days ago with H. Edgar French,
president of Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., New
Castle, Tnd., in which that gentleman brought out
strongly and with the knowledge of the statements
he had made concerning the piano trade "as is" to-
day.
Mr. French, speaking with the knowledge resulting
from many visits throughout the country, says that
the stock of new and salable pianos is alarmingly low
and depleted.
He cited four places where he had made calls within
a few days previous to this interview where he found
hardly any salable new stock in the stores. He said:
"It is a fact that dealers generally have very few
new pianos and depend on the factories to make im-
mediate shipments if they handle business, but the
factories have had no encouragement to go ahead and
will the dealers be able to get what they need at the
last minute?"
Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, New York, commends the
Negro national anthem, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing.''
Issued Monthly—
Fifteenth of Each Month
HEPPE & SON ELECT OFFICERS
AND DECLARE DIVIDENDS
The annual meetings of C. J. Heppe & Son, Inc.,
and the Heppe Piano Co. were held last month at their
New Jersey office, Sixth and Cooper streets, Cam-
den, N. J.
The following officers were elected by C. J. Heppe
& Son, Inc.: Florence J. Heppe, president and treas-
urer; Mrs. M. F. McDowell Heppe, vice-president;
David L. Robbins, secretary; Marcellus Heppe, assist-
ant secretary; Albert Wilcox, assistant treasurer.
The board of directors declared their regular annual
dividend of $6 per share on the common and preferred
stock.
At the meeting of the Heppe Piano Co. the follow-
ing officers were elected to serve for the coming year:
Florence J. Heppe, president and treasurer; Mar-
cellus Heppe, vice-president; David L. Robbins, sec-
retary; Albert E. Wilcox, assistant treasurer.
The board of directors declared their regular annual
dividend of $6 plus an extra dividend of $12 per share
on the common stock of the Heppe Piano Co. There
is no preferred stock outstanding of the Heppe
Piano Co.
MORE GOOD FIRMS
GET GOOD AGENCY
The following new dealers have been appointed their
agents by the American Piano Corporation:
Popnia Music Co., Boise, Idaho, handling the
Knabe; A. V. Manning's Sons, Trenton, N. J., the
Knabe; Allen-Johnson Co., Eau Claire, Wis., the
Chickering; Bush & Gerts Music Co., Dallas, Tex.,
the Knabe; Schroeder Piano Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., the
Chickering; Troup Bros., Harrisburg, Pa., the Chick-
ering; Hollenback Piano Co., Spokane, Wash., the
Knabe.
NOTED TEACHERS SELECT
THE GULBRANSEN
The city of Phoenix, Arizona, whose recent census
returns show a population of some 90,000 people, is a
musical center of activity—probably made so by the
old firm of Redewill Music Co., whose slogan has been
for years, "The Firm That Made Arizona Musical."
Among the outstanding teachers is Prof. Walter
Bond of the Bond Studios. Professor Bond just pur-
chased his second Gulbransen grand.
Another fine pianist now located in Phoenix is
Jacques Ferine, formerly of Seattle, and owner of one
of the costliest pianos made. After comparing the
Gulbransen with others he purchased a 5 foot 4 inch
Gulbransen grand for his Phoenix studios, "and seems
to forget that he owns any other make as far as the
playing he gives it is concerned," says Gene Redewill.
THERE IS MUCH IN A NAME.
Yes, there is much in a name! Take the names of
the American Piano Corporation's leaders—the Knabe,
the Chickering and the Haines Bros, pianos—famous
names that were inactive to a certain extent a few
months ago while the big concern was being reorgan-
ized, but now, with a free rein, have been taken on
as leaders by many prominent retail piano establish-
ments. The list of these is constantly growing. In-
quiries are coming in at headquarters in New York
daily from dealers and distributors, and the house is
very particular in making its appointments of repre-
sentatives in the retail field as well as to its whole-
sale men.
NO DEARTH OF TUNERS.
The school board of San Antonio, Tex., recently
found out that there is no dearth of piano tuners in
that city. A stack of bids was received from those
wanting the contract to tune the 62 pianos belonging
to the school system. Mrs. Tim Griesenbeck, director
of school music, and Superintendent Hartley were
authorized to select one of the many bids submitted.
Giving more goods, better goods and improved ser-
vice for a dollar is the way to bring back prosperity.—
Roger W. Babson.
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