Jan.-Feb., 1937
Arrangements for the musical entertainment have
been carefully cared for by Frank Bennett, chairman
of the entertainment committee, and tentative arrange-
ments have been made for a speaker for the evening.
Every indication points to a wonderfully fine affair
and one that will outdo some of the glory of the
Association's big dinners in the past when they out-
numbered in attendance and entertainment features
the National Music Merchants and the Piano Manu-
facturers Annual Convention dinners.
The subject of music in the Chicago Public Schools
and the Association's contributions toward this in the
loaning of many pianos and presenting to the schools
many more, was gone over by Adam Schneider and
it looks as if progress will be made along this line of
the Association's cooperation with the schools and
School Board.
Eugene Whelan paid a compliment to the value of
the trade press in extending propaganda and dissemi-
nation of coming P. O. Association events, in par-
ticular the Annual Dinner, February 9, when he pro-
posed to guarantee sponsorship and payment for one
copy of a trade paper to be mailed to each member
of the association that they may be sure to learn
what is going to take place at the Banquet. This
was a handsome tribute on the part of that astute
nobleman of the Chicago music trade fraternity.
Presto-Times, too, will try to do its part in get-
ting the bon mot to every P. & O. member as well
as to every music merchant of Chicago and the Chi-
cago district of a hundred miles "around about"
Thanks, Gene!
The speaker of the evening is Mr. Lee Ragsdale,
the Sales Manager of the Western Union Telegraph
Co., a gentleman noted as an exceedingly interesting
banquet orator. Mark Love, noted baritone and
member of the Chicago City Opera Co., will also be
there.
Second Vice-president S. E. Zack had to be called
upon to preside at this meeting as neither President
Duvall nor First Vice-president Harris were in the
city on Friday and V.-P. Zack had to excuse himself
from the luncheon early in order to get to the Piano
Manufacturers called meeting at the Athletic Club.
PRESTO-TIMES
George L. Hall, 1932; *L. C. Wagner, 1933; D. W.
Kimball, 1934; '"Richard O'Connell, 1935; Fred L.
Ryder, 1936.
Names marked with star, deceased.
The use of promotion stamps much in disfavor with
the trade brought up a long discussion and numerous
expressions of opinion on how to get rid of the ar-
rangement by outright cancellation of the arrangement
or shifting the burden to some other responsibility
that will better assimilate with the necessity of deal-
ers buying the stamps which is a big burden of tax.
The cards bearing the sentence:
ANOTHER FACTORY VIEW OF THE SAME
LOCATION
The accompanying photographic view taken at the
Gulbransen Company tracks alongside the shipping
platforms at the Gulbransen factory, is particularly in-
teresting because it shows something; carload ship-
ments ready and being made ready to start for their
destinations.
As the picture shows one carload is ready for ship-
ment and two other cars are on track ready to be
loaded. The waiting cars are of a class known as
specific A class freight, signifying for use of Class A
PIANO MANUFACTURERS MEET
On the same day of the Piano & Organ Association
luncheon a meeting of members of the National Piano
Manufacturers Association was held at the Chicago
Athletic Ciub and a luncheon served at one o'clock.
The proceedings were presided over by L. P. Bull of
the Story & Clark Piano Co. and president of the
Piano Manufacturers Association, who had asked
members oi the association to meet at this time partly
concurrent with the meeting ot the directors of the
Music Merchants Convention at the Stevens Hotel
the following day, Friday, the 15th.
"NEW YORK CITY INVITES YOU"
placed on the table at each chair seemed like an omen
that the ones responsible for the invite knew their
"p's and q's.'
A NEW BOOK OF PIANO
INFORMATION
The new 1936-37 edition of Dealer's Trade Listing, ihat
compact little booklet of facts pertaining to piano owner-
ships, is now ready for distribution to the trade. The
handy little booklet, which made its initial appearance
in 1935, has in the short space of one year's time proven
itself a most useful source of information for the retail
CHICAGO P. & O. ASSOCIATION OFFICIALS, piano salesman. A list of the concerns that are using
the book reads like a blue book of the retail piano indus-
1937
At the annual election of officers for the year end- try, including practically every concern of any conse-
quence in the United States, as well as Canada and even
ing October 30, 1937, the following were elected:
foreign countries.
President, Benjamin Duvall of W. W. Kimball Co.
The Dealer's Trade Listing for 1936-37 contains vrade
First Vice-President, Samuel Harris, Carl Fischer, changes corrected right up to the minute. Its small pocket
size makes it a handy little reference book as to vhe
Inc., Chicago branch.
present owners of piano names. And in this day of
Second Vice-President, S. E. Zack. President of
rapidly changing ownerships of piano names, the manu-
Gulbransen Company.
facturers apparently are anxious that their retailers use
Secretary, S. A. Morrow, of the Schiller-Cable the book as evidenced by the considerable number of
orders for large quantities placed by manufacturers for
Piano Mfg. Co.
distribution to their retail representatives. In addition
Treasurer and Executive Secretary. Adam Schneider. to that, a number of wholesale piano travelers have been
Ways and Means Committee, F. L. Ryder, Chair- instrumental in spreading the gospel of this valuable
little booklet in their contacts with the retail houses.
man, James V. Sill, Hugh Stewart.
The piano industry has never seen a more rapid growth
Entertainment Committee, Frank Bennett, Chair-
of any publication and one that covers a lot of territory.
man, R. E. Fanning, F. L. Ryder.
The book contains no advertising so that the author, A
Promotion of Music and Publicity Committee, M. Koch, is enabled to publish the facts relating to the
Eugene Whelan, Chairman, Roy E. Waite, L. P. Bull. various manufacturing concerns in an unbiased manner.
Lawrence Selz, Carlfrederick Kob.
The author, Mr. Koch, is one of the best versed men
Membership Committee, E. P. Williams, E. A. Le- in the piano industry because of his long association with
it as editor of several of the leading piano trade journals,
veille, F. S. Moffatt.
and particularly with Music Trade Indicator. It seems
Judiciary Committee, W. E. Guylee, Chairman, Mar- certain no one in the industry is better qualified to pre-
pare a listing of this kind than Mr. Koch. He is one
shall Solberg, Geo. B. Lufkin.
the best known men in the piano trade paper field,
Executive Committee, F. L. Ryder, Frank Bennett, of
having for more than twenty years been associated with
Eugene Whelan, F. S. Moffatt, W. E. Guylee.
trade papers, most of which was spent with Music Trade
Indicator, the oldest music trade paper up to the time
PAST PRESIDENTS CHICAGO O. & O. of its merger with another publication. As publisher of
Fox's Piano Trade Directory, Mr. Koch came in close
ASSOCIATION
contact with everyone in the industry and he is well
qualified to prepare an accurate listing of piano names
Presto-Times is requested to name the past presi- and their PRESENT owners. This has been his sole
dents of the Chicago Piano & Organ Association. purpose in preparing the Dealer's Trade Listing, as the
The first president of the association on its reorgani- retail piano salesman has often found himself at a loss
zation in 1899 was *E. S. Conway, extending through to know from which factory this or that piano emanates
1900; *J. P. Byrne, 1901; *Charles N. Post, 1902; at the present time. As one manufacturer stated, "The
Dealer's Trade Listing should be in every retail piano
•Platt P. Gibbs, 1903; *George P. Bent, 1904; C. C. salesman's
pocket." The price is nominal, fifty cents, an
Chickering. 1905; W. L. Bush, 1906; *E. V. Church, investment that will pay for itself many times over.
1907; *F. W. Teeple, 1908; *R. K. Maynard, 1909;
This little brochure really fills a need for piano infor-
*Frank Shaw, 1910; E. B. Bartlett, 1911; *H. L. Dra-
per, 1912; *Otto Schulz, 1913; *H. C. Dickinson, 1914; mation, a usefulness which the larger, old established
piano guides fail to do. It is a quick and sure medium
Edward H. Uhl, 1915; *Edgar C. Smith, 1916; *James of
posting up on pianos and piano names of the day.
F. Bowers, 1917, 1918 and 1919; Adam Schneider,
1920; Frank E. Morton, 1921; Eugene Whelan, 1922;
VV. E. Guylee, 1923; James F. Bristol, 1924; Traugott
The December record of clipping service shows an
F. Weber, 1925; W. R. Brinkerhoff, 1926; F. P. Whit- advance in clippings of received, inches of space given
more, 1927; Roger O'Connor, 1928; Roy J. Cook, and circulation of the combined publications in which
1929; James B. Sill, 1930; Henry E. Weisert, 1931; these clippings appeared.
goods. Cars of this character are permitted to be left
idle for only short duration; sometimes limited to a
few hours.
But there is an interesting story in connection with
this shipment to Thos. Goggan & Bros, which is that
22 pianos of this shipment had been sold to the public
schools of Houston and that the pianos in this car
and perhaps in one to follow are to fill that order.
Here is how the order came about. In November
this telegram was received from Thos. Goggan &
Bros.:
"Just received order for 22 Minuet upright walnut
finish for Houston Public Schools. Make up carload
order. .Confirmation by mail. Signed Thos. Goggan
& Bros."
The incident of this sale is not only gratifying to
Gulbransen Company but it is also extremely inter-
esting and important to the entire music trade indus-
try, showing, as it does, the forward march of the
piano business.
While Presto-Times has printed views of this ship-
ping location of the Gulbransen factory numerous
times, the one now shown indicates the life and
vitality of action; pianos going out by the carloads.
ONE TRIP TO THE CONVENTION SETTLED
At a luncheon ten days or so before New York was
selected for the 1937 Convention by the Board of
Control of the National Music Merchants' Associa-
tion at its conference meeting January 15 the vice-
president of a prominent Chicago piano manufactur-
ing company and a publicity man agreed to motor to
New York together if that city instead of Chicago
would be selected for this year's Convention. The
publicity man was to furnish the automobile for the
party and the piano official offered on his part to do
a lot of things. Thus one trip to the convention is
settled. It can be added that they agreed to "go
dutch for beds, eats and extras."
Mr. A. G. Clark, department manager of Emahizer-
Spielman Company, in a reported interview, is much
in favor of music that one reproduces himself or her-
self instead of so much that is sent out merely as
entertainment.
"I don't mean that people no longer enjoy listen-
ing to good music," he continued, "but I do know that
today more and more individuals are playing for their
own enjoyment."
This far in advance of the music trade convention
in New York next August several tentative arrange-
ments have been made for piano exhibit requirements
at the Hotel New Yorker and at least two band in-
strument exhibits. An arrangement for one big deal-
ers' dinner has been concluded.
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