Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
beginning has arisen a steady public de -
mand for decorated pianos—a demand
offering employment to many artists
and daily shaping itself into a distinctly
American art development, in which our
greatest artists are more and more eager to
win laurels."
H
r
President McKinley's good judgment in
the selection of cabinet officers—which has
been approved by the public irrespective
of party—is further exemplified in the
selection of a piano for the White House.
As announced elsewhere he has honored
the W. W, Kimbull Co., of Chicago, by
selecting one of their handsomest grands
in mahogany for the Blue Room of his
new home. This unquestionably makes
the Kimball the Administration piano.
Alfred Dolge's ideas upon a system of na-
tional insurance seem to have taken a firm
root. From time to time leading men who
have made a profound study of the labor
question have come to the conclusion that it
is a sensible panacea for existing imperfec-
tions, at all events it is a common sense
plan of keeping men who devote the best
years of their lives to the interests of their
Steinway Agency Transferred. employers and of the nation from ending
their days in the workhouse.
Ernest Urchs & Co., of Cincinnati, have
Last Tuesday night, John Graham Brooks
transferred the agency for the Steinway,
spoke on the subject of "Distributing the
Hazelton, Gabler and Smith & Barnes
Burdens of Misfortune " before the League
pianos in Columbus, ()., from Geo.
for Political Education, this city, and his
Schroeder to T. Longstreth.
conclusions were that they can best be ac-
complished by a scheme of national insur-
Holtzman in New York
ance. As an illustration the speaker cited
Henry Holtzman & Sons, manufacturers the system in force in Germany, and
of stools and scarfs, Columbus, O., have knowingly or unknowingly followed on the
made arrangements to open up New Yoik lines originated and advocated by Alfred
warerooms at 240 West Twenty-third Dolge.
Mr. Dolge's plan of nationalization was
street.
This central location will give
them splendid Eastern headquarters. They made public for just such a purpose, to
will be under the management of Chas. attract the attention of our profound
thinkers and economists to the feasibility
Neppert.
of this scheme whereby the interests of
deserving workers may be bettered.
Krell Interests in New York.
* *
*
Albert Krell, Jr., of the Krell Piano Co.,
Cincinnati, arrived in town on Monday
last. The greater portion of the week has
been devoted to looking up a new location.
Indications point to headquarters on Broad-
way, but up to time of going to press no
place had been definitely decided upon.
Mr. Krell will leave for home to-night,
and return around the end of the month,
when the Geo. C. Crane Co., Eastern re-
presentatives of the Krell Piano Co. will
hold an important meeting looking to the
enlargement of capital to $50,000. It
is safe to predict that Geo. C. Crane will
continue as president with Mr. Herman
Krell in charge of the financial department.
This will give Mr. Crane time to devote
his entire attention to the wholesale trade.
The /Colian Orchestra.
Mr. Harry B. Tremaine of the JEolian
Co. started on Wednesday on a Western
trip. Chicago and Cincinnati will be
among the larger cities visited.
A magnificent addition to the wareroom
exhibits at 18 West Twenty-third street,
just received, is the JEolian Orchestral,
valued at $2,000. It is a wonderful instru-
ment from a tonal standpoint, and as an ex-
ample of artistic skill it is far in advance of
even the most notable of ordinary exhibits.
The traveling men will be interested in
the bill which has just been introduced in
the Senate at Albany as well as in the As-
sembly which intends to re-enact Section
615 of the Penal Code of this State, which
was repealed in 1882, and which prohibits
the sale of passage tickets on vessels and
railroads except by agents specially author-
ized. Should this bill be enacted it
would render operative sections of the
Penal Code which are now not enforceable,
and which make it a State prison offense
for persons other than specially appointed
agents of transportation companies to sell
a railroad ticket or mileage book, the
penalty for violating the law being im-
prisonment for a term of either two or five
years, according to the circumstances. It
is hard to fathom the object of this bill.
It would work a great hardship to the
traveling man and therefore should be
strenuously opposed by manufacturers a s
well as by the "knights of the road."
* *
Mr. Rider, of the Sprague Music Co.,
Chatham, N. Y., is an enthusiastic music
trade man who has some pretty sound ideas
upon how a retail business may be aug-
mented and strengthened. Although not
blessed with the gift of sight he can hold
his own with any of his compeers. The
Review met Mr. Rider in a Fifth avenue
warerooms on Monday, and in the course of
an informal and very pleasant conversation
he said, ' ' I thought we country people
were slow, but I find the piano men in this
town much slower. Now up our way we
expect to do business with a class of people
not at all disposed to buy pianos, neverthe-
less we succeed'fairly well in accomplish-
ing something. Our constituency amounts
to about thirty-three thousand people and is
covered by four travelers. With the same
expense and energy, and a trade field of
the same size, double the results could be
achieved in New York. The business is
here, but it must be looked for; it must be
made. No wonder piano men complain."
The manager of the establishment
wherein the conversation took place, and
who a few minutes before had told The
Review that " there was no business doing,
or none in sight," was apparently shocked
by the radical utterances of Mr. Rider,
particularly so when The Review agreed
with the speaker that success can be
achieved nowadays only by persistent and
intelligent effort. The day has gone by
when business can be built up by sitting
down and waiting for it to come along.
As Mr. Rider so pertinently says, "busi-
ness is here; it must be looked for, it must •
be made."
* *
A. M. Wright, ex-president of the Man-
ufacturers' Piano Co., of Chicago, and a
prominent figure in the piano trade, has
come to New York for the especial purpose
of booming the instrument he so ably rep-
resents. Mr. Wright is still a young man,
although he has been a prominent member
of the piano trade for a number of years.
Mr. Wright firmly believes that New York
offers unlimited opportunities for the man-
ufacturers of fine instruments, and the
John Church Co., makers of the Everett
piano, is one of the richest firms in the
country and amply able to do all the boom-
ing found necessary by Mr. Wright.—Mer-
cury, N. Y., March 8.
" T h e trade are gradually learning that
Chicago is the Mecca for those who want a
thoroughly good cheap instrument," says
the Indicator, "and they are coming here
to buy."
This may be so, dear Indicator, but they
are also buying instruments that are "thor-
oughly good" without being "cheap."
This is demonstrated by the increasing out-
put of the Kimball, Conover, "Crown,"
Story & Clark and Steger factories. Could
you wish for better instruments?
* *
*
Mme. Carrenoand the Knabe grand con-
tinue their triumphant and phenomenally
successful tour through the country. In
Providence, R. I., where Mme. Carreno ap-
peared last Wednesday night, the enthusi-
asm was unprecedented. Knabe & Co.
have good reason to feel proud of the many
tributes paid their new grand by the critics
in all sections of the country.
* *
*
There was a host of callers at the F. G.
Smith branch establishment in Washing-
ton, during Inauguration week, among the