Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
riore Hackley Gifts.
Chas. H. Hackley, president of the
Chase-Hackley Piano Co., Muskegon,
Mich., continues to augment his public
benefactions. Last week he gave $25,000
for the enlargement of the Hackley Public
Library, which he presented to Muskegon
in 1888. To this library alone he has
given $200,000, and endowed it with the
sum of $75,000.
What Concerns Are These?
[Special to The Review.]
[Special to The Review.]
Philadelphia, Pa., March 15, 1901. f
The head of a well-known Western piano
manufacturing establishment, accompanied
by his traveler, has been here for a couple
of days. It would not be surprising if
John Wanamaker should take on another
Western piano in place of the Krell. It
may be that he will include a trio of
pianos.
Slivinski's Success.
The preliminary arrangements for re-
ception and entertainment of guests at the
forthcoming annual convention of the Na-
tional Piano Manufacturers' Association,
to be held on May 15, 16 and 17 in this
city, are now being completed under the
supervision of the competent committees
chosen at the recent meeting held for or-
ganization purposes.
These committees, according to the lat-
est revised lists, are as follows:
Banquet Committee—Charles H. Par-
sons, chairman; Messrs. George P. Bent,
George F. Blake, E. S. Conway, William
D. Dutton, A. H. Fischer, Robert C. Kam-
merer, J. R. Mason, H. Paul Mehlin, Rob-
ert F. Proddow, William E. Wheelock.
Speakers and Reception Committee—A.
H. Fischer, chairman; Messrs. Dutton, J.
R. Mason, Parsons, Proddow.
Dinner and Invitation Committee—Rob-
ert C. Kammerer, chairman; Messrs. Bent,
Blake, H. Paul Mehlin.
Press Committee—William D. Dutton,
chairman; Messrs. Conway, Wheelock.
The plan to devote May 15 to business,
the day following to the annual banquet
and the third day of the convention to an
excursion in specially chartered steamer
to West Point, is subject to change. Pro-
vision is being made to carry about nine
hundred on the trip.
To Tax Business Corporations.
A SUBSTITUTE BILL TO BE REPORTED FAVOR-
ABLY TO THE ASSEMBLY TO-DAY.
CHAS. H, HACKLEY.
L. n. French's Invention.
L. M. French, of Chicago, was this week
granted a patent by the authorities at
Washington on his invention, which bears
on the modification of the tone of a piano
so as to produce various effects, such as
imitating other instruments, etc. Relating
to this invention, Mr. French says: "In
carrying out my invention I made a num-
ber of curved shoes of wood or equivalent
material, one for each hammer, and so
apply them that they may be moved to-
ward and from the strings, and thereby
interrupt the contact of the hammers with
the strings, whereby I obtain different
effects by simply varying the amount of
this movement."
One of the official claims made by Mr.
French is as follows: "In a piano, the
movable hammer-rest rail, a rail pivotally
connected thereto and adapted to rest and
slide upon the action-bolts, a series of
movable rigid shoes connected to said rail
and adapted by its motion to present differ-
ent points for contact with the strings, in
combination with the hammers and ac-
tion-bolts. "
It Hay Be.
Dubuque, la., March 14, 1901.
It is said on the street that two large
New York piano manufacturers have closed
arrangements for the holding of a special
factory sale of pianos here between the
20th and 25th of this month for probably
thirty days. The names of the factories
in the deal were not stated, but from
the names mentioned they are well known
in the trade. Our home dealers will prob-
ably not relish the news.
In defiance of the prognostications of the
local critics, Slivinski and the Leipsic Phil-
harmonic Orchestra seem to be prospering
"on the road." Wherever they have been
heard, in all the smaller cities throughout
New England especially, they have been
successful, while in Boston the critics have
been most sympathetic, if not enthusiastic,
in their critiques. The Transcript, speak-
ing of Von Slivinski, the pianist, says:
"He is an exceedingly tall, dark Polish
musician, who is almost entirely free from
the mannerisms affected by so many of the
pianists whom Boston concert-goers have
heard in the last year or two. He was en-
thusiastically recalled again and again after
the Tschaikowsky Concerto, and finally re-
sponded with a short encore, much to the
delight of the audience."
The piano used by Slivinski was the new
Knabe grand.
Mr. Hackley's gifts to Muskegon now
amount to over $600,000. The objects for
which he has appropriated this money have
been in every case well chosen, all tending
to the education and mental and physical
development of the youthful generation of
his city.
The piano industry is honored in count-
ing among its members Chas. H. Hackley.
The Chase-Hackley Piano Co. and the city
of Muskegon can be proud of this worthy
citizen of our Republic.
U
Albany, March 14, 1900.—The Senate
and Assembly Taxation Committees have
agreed upon a new bill to carry out Gov.
Odell's purpose to secure a larger annual
revenue from business corporations. This
substitute bill will be reported favor-
ably to-morrow by the Assembly Taxa-
tion Committee. It provides that a
foreign manufacturing company which
does not employ within the State 50 per
cent, of its capital stock shall pay an origi-
nal license tax of one-eighth of 1 per cent,
on the capital employed within this State.
It is further provided that all domestic or
foreign laundry, manufacturing and min-
ing corporations, not employing at least 50
per cent, of their capital in this State shall
pay a dividend tax of a quarter of a mill
for each 1 per cent, of dividend declared
based upon the capital employed in this
State. This tax, of course, would not hit
many domestic manufacturing corpora-
tions, as they have nearly all of their prop-
erty in this State.
The theory upon which this bill was
drafted is that if a foreign manufacturing
corporation employs a large portion of its
capital in this State the benefits to the
State through local taxation, labor employ
ments and otherwise, are thought to justify
the exemption. The amount of revenue
which this tax would raise has not been
computed.
Nahum Stetson will probably return to-
day from Florida where he has been so-
journing with his family for some weeks
past.
Association News.
Go With Cable.
George S. Beech wood, of Utica, N. Y.,
has decided to close out his music business,
and has accepted a position with the Cable
Co., of Chicago, for whom he will travel.
Prospecting in Boonton.
A representative of a New York piano
firm has been in Boonton, N. J., the last
week looking for a building suitable for
making use of it as a piano manufactory.
Schwander Popularity.
August Palle, the Schwander action
representative of this city, reports a very
satisfactory condition of trade since the
opening of the year. February was better
than January and the business for March
so far indicates that it will eclipse the
previous months. Mr. Palle, who is wide-
ly esteemed by those who know him, de-
serves all the good things that are coming
his way.
Behr Bros, report trade conditions this
week as encouraging. Horace F. Brown
has returned from a lengthy and successful
trip.