Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
From A Traveler's
Note Book.
NIAGARA S WONDERFUL WATER-POWER
PIANO
MANUFACTURER
UTILIZE
IT-—A
CANADA
WILL
PICTURESQUE
ROUTE TO
TRADE CONDITIONS
WITH
ORGAN
GEORGE FOSTER
THE WEGMAN
PIANO
CO.
FACTO-
A
THE
CHAT
PHELPS & LYDDON
MAKES
FRIENDS
LOUIS KURTZMAN, OF BUFFALO, O P -
TIMISTIC
A.
M.
ABOUT
TRADE
FEATHERSTON,
MONTREAL, FAILS.
* *
BE FIRST TO
RIES IN NEW YORK STATE BUSY
WATERLOO
WHAT
Canada has not differed materially from
with us. It is impossible for a long, thinly
settled country to lie adjacent to a nation
of seventy millions without in a certain de-
gree receiving a reflex of the conditions
which prevail in the larger country.
MR.
OF
.
'"''
The factories in New York State are
busy. Take the Waterloo Organ Co. In both
departments of their business, piano and
organ making, they have maintained a fair
degree of activity. There are, of course,
ample reasons for this state of affairs. The
instruments which they manufacture are of
such a character as to create for them a de-
mand—that demand has grown apace, and
to-day, even in July, they are making good-
ly weekly shipments, and their order books
contain a list of figures which interpreted
mean—future orders.
That satisfying
condition bespeaks the excellent analysis
of the needs of the trade which Malcolm
Love and his confreres have intelligently
grasped.
I met my old friend " J o e "
Chamberlain, who resigned his position as
manager of the Boston Piano Co., Marietta,
O., to again resume his old connections
with the Waterloo Organ Co. " J o e " hasn't
grown a day older—in appearance at least
—and looks just as handsome as when he
used to come to New York to invest in real
estate.
HE success of the electric
road from
Chippewa
to Queen ston demon-
strates that electricity
is the coming motive
power.
While travel-
ing over that route I chanced to meet an
old friend of mine—an electrician. As
we were enjoying the magnificent view
of the falls, afforded from our seats
in the car, our conversation naturally
drifted toward the utilization of that won-
derful water power for manufacturing pur-
poses. Said he: " I was present last Tues-
George Foster, of Rochester, seems to
day with about one hundred electrical en-
have
accurately diagnosed the trade situa-
gineers, to witness the starting of one of
the 5000 horse-power dynamos. The dyna- tion, as far as pianos are concerned, and
There were
mo was run at 250 revolutions a minute all has dealt out accordingly.
the afternoon, and 3000 horse-power was people who hinted that Mr. Foster would
developed, but as certain parts of the ma- not make the success of piano manufactur-
chinery were not completed, it was decided ing which results have demonstrated. He
not to go to the full extent of the 5000 has surprised them—his critics—and has
horse-power." That exhibition shows how made a decided success. The Foster piano
near at hand is the commercial realization is called for by the dealers, and its pro-
of the power from Niagara.
Where is the prietor is looked upon as one of the rising
enterprising piano manufacturer who will young men of the trade. Mr. Foster is a
operate his factory from Niagara's power, busy man; besides the superintendence of
and thereby secure an enormous advertis- the affairs of the Foster Piano Co., he main-
tains a personal supervision of the product
ing adjunct?
. .
of the Martin piano factory, which build-
By the way, let me recommend to my ing adjoins that occupied by himself.
* *
friends who intend visiting Canada, to take
a steamer from Buffalo across to Chippewa,
I am always interested in veneers—good
thence by electric road to Queenston.
veneers; and I had the pleasure of accom-
The road skirts the very edge of the Cana-
panying Mr. Phelps, of Phelps & Lyddon,
dian side all the way down the river. From
piano case manufacturers, Rochester, while
the cars may be obtained a charming view
he inspected a large shipment of choice
of the Falls, the spray from which even
veneers which his firm had just received
moistens one's clothing as the train glides
from a large Western house. Phelps &
into the great clouds of mist which are
Lyddon build piano cases—they build
ever floating through the rainbow-tinted
good ones, too — and know how to do
atmosphere where the waters make their
it. They are now supplying some well-
mad plunge.
At the end of the line is
known houses in New York city.
Queenston, from which point steamers
make regular trips to Toronto. A quaint
old town is Queenston. They say that it
At Auburn I passed a pleasant hour with
once contained three hundred hotels. I W. C. Burgess, the general manager of the
question if there are now that number Wegman Piano Co. The long experience
of people there. However, it is a quaint which Mr. Burgess has had on the road has
old spot which links one with the historic stood him well in hand since his assump-
past.
tion of the management of the Wegman
business.
Being in thorough touch with
*
-
Trade up here has suffered; in fact the the dealers, he has been able to maintain
condition of manufacturers and finances in the old prestige of the business, and aug-
*
*
• ' ,
'
•
•
'
•
'
ment it as well—results are, after all, the
most eloquent argument in support of any
position, and the results have been most
pleasing in Mr. Burgess' case. The Weg-
man piano continues to hold old friends,
and at the same time to add to the list of
new ones.
*
Buffalo is a mighty good city for retail
trade, and at the same time it can boast of
being the manufacturing home of a piano-
which has a national reputation. I refer to
the Kurtzman, and I may add further that
it was my pleasure to find in the Kurtzman
office a buoyant as well as genial staff of
men. Louis Kurtzman, who is a widely
traveled man, takes an optimistic view of
the business situation—rightly too, I think.
Mr. Geiger is taking a well-earned vacation
at Belmar, N. J., where he can sniff t h e
salt sea breezes.
I have to record the failure of A. M.
Featherston, 2239 St. Catherine street,
Montreal, on July 3d. The papers stated
that his liabilities exceeded $400,000, but I
think the statement is incorrect. As far as
I am able to learn, this failure does not
effect the manufacturing business recently
formed as the A. M. Featherston Co.,
Limited. In looking over the list of Ameri-
can creditors I find that only a few firms
are down on the schedule, and the total due
them does not exceed $600, while two
banks in Montreal are down for a cool
$40,000.
Have You Selected Your Stock?
T
HE way to get business is to look for it.
Peek & Son, manufacturers of t h e
" O p e r a " piano, Broadway and Forty-
seventh street, are sending out the follow-
ing card to the trade. It will undoubtedly
prove most effective in stimulating their fall
business:
PANIC,
1893 1894.
PROSPERITY,
FALL OF 1895.
A GOOD BUSINESS
is promised us during the last three months
of this year. Are you prepared for it?
Have you selected your stock? Have you
decided upon the make of Piano you intend
to handle and push ? If not, you had bet-
ter do so at once, or not later than during
the month of August. We call attention
to our Style A, " O p e r a " Upright, just fin-
ished and ready for the market. We have
manufactured this instrument with a view
of meeting the requirements of a trade that
has suffered from a protracted business
stagnation.
In price and quality you will
find this piano a very "ready seller," as it
contains only first-class material in its con-
struction, is highly finished, and can be
sold by the dealer at a price consistent
with the times.
This card will be followed by a circular,
asking you for a sample order, and will
contain our lowest possible price for one
instrument only! If you do not receive one
during the next ten days, please notify us,
and it will be promptly forwarded.