Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
English letters," and the size, which must be
Introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate—Most "not less than one-half inch in length."
It will be noted further that the Senator
Harmful to the Interests of the Piano and
Organ Lease Business—Should be Killed. provides that any person defacing or remov-
New York is not the only state where leg- ing the sign shall be guilty of misdemeanor
islators try to outdo each other in conceiving and sentenced to a fine of $500 or imprison-
needless and ridiculous "laws." In last ment for a year.
Why the purchasers of pianos and organs
week's Review we published a synopsis of a
should
be made the victims of such legisla-
bill introduced in the State Senate of Penn-
tion
is
a
puzzle. Why hang a sign on rented
sylvania by Senator Snyder, of Chester,
pianos,
and
not on furniture, and the hun-
which, if it should become a law and en-
dred
and
one
other things purchased on the
forced, would practically ruin the piano and
installment
plan?
organ lease business of that state. As a sam-
It is bills of this kind that have made the
ple of the inane in law-making this bill,
which we quote herewith in full, is entitled assemblies and senates of many of our states
so ridiculous—mere conveniences for would-
to first prize:
be somebodies to air their opinions by intro-
AN ACT
Requiring lessors and vendors claiming property ducing measures that are absolutely unnec-
and ownership in pianos, melodeons and organs by essary, if not harmful, to the citizens in their
them leased or sold upon the installment plan to
give notice of their claims by painting, stamping respective states.
or engraving in a conspicuous place upon the front
We would urge the dealers of Pennsylva-
of every such piano, melodeon or organ the name
of the lessor or vendor preceded by the words nia and the local association in Philadelphia
" property of and owned by," and fixing a penalty
for failure or neglect to give such notice and pre- to take vigorous action so as to kill the bill
scribing a punishment for fraudulently or mali- introduced by Senator Snyder as such a use-
ciously defacing or removing such notice.
Section i. Be it enacted by the Senate and less and objectionable law would entail a dis-
House of Representatives of the Commonwealth tinct injury on the piano and organ business
of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it
is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, of that state.
Another Ridiculous Bill.
That in every case where a piano, melodeon or
organ is hereafter leased or sold upon the install-
ment plan or under any contract or agreement that
the property and ownership therein shall remain
in the lessor or vendor and not vest immediately
in the lessee or vendee it shall be the duty of such
sessor or vendor before parting with the posses-
tion of such piano, melodeon or organ to give no-
lice of his or their claim of property and owner-
ship therein by painting, stamping or engrav-
ing in a conspicuous place upon the front of
every such piano, melodeon or organ in plain
English letters of not less than one-half inch in
length the name of such lessor or vendor preceded
by the words "property of and owned by," and in
every case where a lessor or vendor fails or neg-
lects to give the notice herein specified and re-
quired such lessor or vendor shall forfeit the right
to recover possession of such piano, melodeon or
organ or the value thereof from any other person
who for a valuable consideration may have here-
after either directly or indirectly obtained posses-
sion ©f such piano, melodeon or organ from the
lessee or vendee.
Provided, however, That nothing herein con-
tained shall prohibit or prevent any such lessor or
vendor from taking or recovering possession of any
piano, melodeon or organ feloniously stolen from
such lessor or vendor or lessee or vendee.
Section 2. Any person who shall fraudulently
or maliciously erase, deface or remove the notice of
property and ownership painted, stamped or en-
graved upon any piano, melodeon or organ by the
lessor or vendor thereof shall be guilty of a misde-
meanor and upon conviction shall be sentenced to
pay a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or
to undergo an imprisonment of not more than one
year or either or both in the discretion of the court.
Another Stolen Piano Found.
[Special to The Review.]
Washington, D. C, March 18, 1901.
The detectives have recovered another pia-
no alleged to have been stolen as a result of
the operations of William Grey and Howard
Creighton. Grey is now in jail awaiting
trial on the charge of the larceny of a piano
from William Knabe & Co., 1209 Penn-
sylvania avenue, and Creighton, who was
arrested here by Detectives Brown and Lacy,
has but recently been sentenced to two years
in the penitentiary for a similar offence in
Baltimore. The instrument recovered yes-
terday was rented from H. R. Eisenbrandt,
of 528 South Baltimore street, Baltimore, on
Jan. 28, and was valued at $250. Creighton
said to have rented it and shipped it to Grey,
who was then going under the name of J. P.
Carroll, at 813 Sixth street, northwest. Grey
sold it to Mrs. Alice Tracey, of 406 New Jer-
sey avenue, northwest, for $125 cash. The
instrument was taken from the premises of
Mrs. Tracey.
Immediately after this bill was introduced
Corporation Bills Passed.
the Weaver Organ & Piano Co., of York,
[Special to The Review.]
Pa., with their usual enterprise, communi-
Albany, N. Y., March 20, 1901.
cated with the Senators of their district, as
Bills amending the stock and general cor-
well as with a number of prominent dealers poration laws with a view of liberalizing
throughout the state, requesting them not their provisions in accordance with Gov.
only to write the Senator of their district, Odell's recommendations in his annual mes-
but also to confer with the other dealers in sage, have been passed by the Senate.
their locality and take such further action
The Assembly to-day passed Mr. Fishe's
as would defeat the passage of this bill.
bill liberalizing the stock corporation laws
A perusal of the act as introduced would of the State. This bill is similar to the Brack-
suggest at first thought that Senator Snyder ett bill in the Senate and was suggested by
was engaged in perpetrating a joke or "jolly" Gov. Odell. The provisions of this bill, it is
on the members of the music trade of Penn- expected, will prove attractive to large cor-
porations that now go to New Jersey and
sylvania.
other States where the corporation laws are
The fact is, however, he is deadly in earn- not so stringent as in this State, and the rev-
est, so much so that he not only wants a label enues will be materially increased.
or sign of some kind conspicuously placed
In Bankruptcy.
on the front of every instrument used in a
private house, to show that the instrument
A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by
has not been paid for, but he actually defines John F. Luscomb, of Boston, musical instru-
the style of type, which must be "in plain ment maker. Liabilities, $2,060; assets none.
A Literary Theft.
Creates a Peculiar Condition—That "Blrkel
Brochure."
The subjoined appeared in the last vaude-
ville edition of the Musical Courier:
STEINWAY RECOGNITION.
A CLEVER PAMPHLET ISSUED BY GEORGE J.
BIRKEL OF LOS ANGELES, CAL., WHICH
IS WORTH THE READING.
George J. Birkel, of Los Angeles, Cal., is
a clever advertiser. Several of his news-
paper advertisements have been reproduced
from time to time in this paper, and they
have attracted much attention from the stu-
dent of publicity, not only on account of the
clever wording of the advertisements, but of
the artistic typography.
There has just come into this office from
Mr. Birkel a beautiful pamphlet, entitled
"Recognition Steinway Has Won." This is
printed upon heavy brown paper, in a brown
ink, and is unusually artistic in its typo-
graphical appearance. The story told of the
"Steinway recognition" is far above the aver-
age piano literature of the day, and displays
so much thought and care in its construction
that it is reproduced herewith in its entirety.
It will pay every Steinway representative
throughout this country to read this through
carefully, and we are sure that Mr. Birkel
will have no objection to any Steinway agent
reproducing this if it is so desired. It is sel-
dom that literature of this character is evol-
ved from the brain of the piano dealer, and
it is well worth the reading by all piano men.
The text of this pamphlet is as follows:
Here follows the lengthy article later re-
ferred to.
It will startle our vaudeville contemporary
to learn that in reality it was not praising
the literary powers of Birkel, but the work
of The Review, that, too, with a gushing
loquaciousness that positively embarrasses
us.
The article which was reproduced was
written and arranged in The Review offices
and was published in The Review of July
14th, 1900. In appropriating the product of
this establishment, Mr. Birkel included the
original illustrations and even preserved the
caption, nor did he change a single line, but
in some mysterious way, best known to him-
self, he omitted to credit to The Review that
which must have impressed him as being
worthy of reproducing in an expensive form.
He will probably experience that strange
buzzing sensation when he reads of the warm
praise being bestowed upon his literary ef-
forts. In this connection, we may state that
we do not question the sincerity of the crit-
icism—without price—of the Courier in
praising the "Birkel Brochure," but, ye gods,
praising The Review is almost as startling
as lauding association work.
Creditor's Petition Filed.
[Special to The Review.]
Providence, R. I., March 18, 1901.
In the United States District Court here
a creditor's petition in bankruptcy has been
filed by Frederick Radle and Hattie Bau-
meister, of New York, and the Schomacker
Piano Co., of Philadelphia, against Sutcliffe
N. Widdup, a piano dealer of this city.
S. W. Raudenbush & Co., St. Paul, Minn.,
have taken the Mason & Hamlin agency.
During E. P. Mason's recent trip he secured
a large order from them.