Music Trade Review

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THE: MUSIC
to do is to let him alone, like we read in the
good old nursery rhyme:
"Little Uo-peep has lost her
And doesn't know where to
Leave them alone and they
Bringing their tales behind
sheep,
find them;
will come home,
them."
Secretary Foster reports that membership and
payment of dues are coming in gradually, but re-
quests the Press Committee to suggest to the
present membership that it would be wise to for-
ward their annual dues at once as the treasury
needs constant replenishing to keep up the work
outlined and authorized at the last convention.
Present members are also again reminded that it
will be an advantage if they will solicit associate
memberships fro,m their employes. The asso-
ciate membership costs only $3 per annum, and
clever salesman will find great advantage in re-
ferring to the fact that they are members of the
National Association of Piano Dealers of America.
The membership buttons authorized at the last
convention are being prepared and will soon be
ready for sale.
SPECIAL SALESJN ST. LOUIS
Are
All the Vogue—Conroy's
Advertising
Automobile—Some Recent Visitors.
(Special to The Review.)
TRADE
RE:VIE:W
PIANO TRANSPORTATION SLOW.
Manufacturers in the Bronx Are Working
Overtime But Shipments of Pianos Are Not
Satisfactory—Railroads
Are Crowded—
Freight Agents Make Plenty of Promises.
An Interesting Chat With Mr. Dalrymple, the
Estey Ambassador, Regarding Possibilities
in Mexico and Cuba—Valuable Pointers for
the Trade.
The wholesale trade in the Bronx district has
been rather featureless during the past week,
owing to Thanksgiving, although all of the fac-
tories have been running overtime in order to
meet the heavy demands made on them. But few
dealers have been in town, and those for most
part from the nearby towns. More or less trouble
with the freight transportation companies is con-
tinually reported, and the difficulty experienced
by some dealers in receiving their consignments
is not altogether due to manufacturers failing to
make shipments when promised. The freight
agents say that the difficulty lies in the West,
as the lines there are using the cars that should
be here to aid them in getting rid of the conges-
tion of freight in that section, and that when
the small shipments reach the large distributing
centers, there is no car room available for im-
mediate forwarding. At the same time the
freight agents are busy among the manufacturers
soliciting business and making all kinds of prom-
ises that they well know it is impossible for them
to keep. The greatest sufferers have been the
small manufacturers.
Good help continues
scarce in all branches.
In speaking of his recent tour through Mexico
and Cuba, A. Dalrymple, the traveler of the Es-
tey Piano Co., of Lincoln avenue and Southern
boulevard, New York, said to The Review on
Tuesday: "I found general business conditions
in Mexico very satisfactory, and did a very good
trade in that country. There is one thing that
the American manufacturers must take into con-
sideration if they ever expect to win the Mexican
trade, and that is, supplying them with the styles
of instrument, that they want, and not what is
pleasing to the trade in the West or East. They
have become so thoroughly fascinated with the
German and French designs that it is impossible
to persuade them to adopt anything so radically
different as those lhat attract the home market.
One thing that has hurt the American trade is
the fact that there has been a lot of trash un-
loaded on the Mexicans in hopes of competing
with the foreign instruments, and which have
failed to stand the test as well as their competi-
tors, that they are suspicious of anything coming
from this market. The only way to regain their
favor is to give them a well-made instrument at
a reasonable price, and educate them by degrees
to our standard. The demand for grands is fair,
but will probably improve.
"In Cuba conditions are different, and the
American-made piano is on a more even footing
with its foreign competitors owing to the recip-
rocity treaty which curtails the duty on our in-
struments. The Cubans buy a better grade of
piano than the Mexicans, but insist on getting
good value for their money, and so long as their
confidence in our goods is not abused, we will
find a gradually growing market. Like the Mex-
icans, they have their own ideas of the design
which an instrument should possess, and any
radical departure meets with disfavor. There
is practically no market for grands, and I do not
believe there are over four or five in the stocks
of all the dealers on the island. The winter
trade there promises to be good.
"Another peculiar feature of the Cuban trade
is the impossibility of selling them organs. They
seem to have a sort of antipathy to that instru-
ment, while in Mexico they meet with a ready
sale in all sections, and of course the Estey is
a favorite. There is one bad feature that our for.
eign competitors have introduced into the Latin-
American trade, and that is the desire for credit
extending over an almost indefinite period, and
is a habit that is a hard one to wean them from."
St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 28, 1905.
We are in the midst of a series of big piano
sales, and it seems as fast as one house an-
nounces a list of great bargains through the
newspapers, they are followed the next week by
another, and one would think from the advertis-
ing that is being done by the piano trade here,
CALLERS AT DAVENPORT & TREACY.
and the bargains they are offering that the deal-
ers had formed a combine to sell pianos at cost.
The factory of Davenport & Treacy of 1905
Commencing to-day the Conroy Piano Co. will Park avenue, New York, had several callers dur-
put an advertising automobile on the streets here. ing the past week. Among them was M. Lee
It will be a large sized one, handsomely lettered Furguson ,ctf Richmond, Va., and Howard S.
on the sfdes and top with the firm's name. The Fritts of Dover, N. J. Mr. Fritts told The Re-
chauffeur will be hidden inside from view. A view that pianos were one of the easiest things
giant electrical man eight feet in height will for any one to sell in his section of that state,
drag the automobile, his hands being attached to and he was glad to say that four-fifths of his
it. This is a new twpe of advertising in this business was being done on a cash basis. He
field, and it certainly appears very unique.
found the trade for the better class of instru-
This firm also announces a guessing contest on ments increasing, and that the Davenport &
the number of a certain Schaeffer piano, which Treacy instruments were his leaders.
they have on exhibition in their window. The u^r-
son who guesses the nearest to its number will CURTAZ'S NEW STORE IN EUREKA, CAL.
be awarded the piano, and there are ten other
prizes ranging from $100 to $10 in allowances on
(Special to The Review.)
new pianos to the ten nearest to the winner in ro-
Eureka, Cal., Nov. 25, 1905.
tation. The contest will end on Saturday noon,
Curtax & Sons, agents for the famous Chicker-
December 16, when the guesses will be examined ing, Vose, Sterling and other pianos, have leased
by the judges of the affair.
new quarters at 413-417 Third street. It is a dou-
R. Preszburg, ambassador for the Wissner ble store and affords them splendid opportunities
Piano Co., spent three days here last week on for the proper display of their very fine line. The
his way West.
warerooms will be attractively furnished.
H. W. Watson, of Fred P. Watson & Bro"., a
well-known piano house of Mt. Vernon, 111., was
A NEWARK INCORPORATION.
a visitor here last Friday.
The Armstrong-Orr Piano Co. of Newark was
The Bollman Bros. Piano Co. have a clever win-
dow display this week that is very seasonable. incorporated this week with the secretary of the
It is styled "The Thanksgiving Hero," and con- state of New Jersey, with a capital of $50,000.
sists of a figure dressed in a football costume, Incorporators, Samuel Orr, H. T. Armstrong and
about to take part in play, while there is another W. B. Armstrong.
figure handsomely costumed as a lady paying ad-
miration to the football figure.
LUDWIG & CO. WORKING OVERTIME.
The Estey Co. report the sale of a large Estey
Mr. Burk, of the firm of Ames & Burk, the
pipe organ to the Doctor Fry Memorial M. E.
Church, of Clifton Heights, a suburb, last week. prominent piano dealers of Norfolk, Va., was a
A. A. Tarbeaux, formerly manager of the piano visitor at the Ludwig & Co. factory, 968 Southern
department of the Shepard store, Providence, R. boulevard, New York, last Saturday. The Lud-
I., has accepted a position with the Jesse French wig factory has been compelled to resort to over-
Piano & Organ Co. as salesman.
time work in order to keep their dealers fully
Visitors here during the week were Mr. Wood- supplied, as their orders have been far in excess
bury, of the Jewett Piano Co., and Mr. Burt, of of any previous season.
the Aeolian Co., who is spending a few days with
The Lechner & Schoenberger Co., Pittsbur^,
the Balmer & Weber Music House Co.
The D. H. Baldwin Piano Co. expect to be Pa., have placed a large order for Starr grands
ready for business in their new store at the south- and uprights to meet their holiday demands. Tin
west corner of Olive and Tenth streets on Wednes- pianos which are now arriving make a very at-
tractive showing.
day of this week.
POOLE
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE.
PIANOS
A NEW BOGART DESIGN.
Style 15 is the newest design offered by E. B.
Bogart & Co., 511-513 East 137th street, New
York. The piano is described as an American
Renaissance, with rococo effects and Empire ex-
pression, and comes in oak and mahogany, and
will be shown for the first time in the firm's
handsome new catalogue, ready early next month.
H. KLEBER & BRO.'S NEW QUARTERS.
H. Kleber & Bro., Ltd., Pittsburg, Pa., who have
leased new quarters a t 513 Wood street for a
term of ten years, will spend $15,000 in altera-
tions. The building, which will be readv for
occupancy about April 1, will be practically re-
constructed, three stories being added.
The Baker music store in Fairfield. la., will
be under the management of Mr. and Mrs. J. A.
Martin.
Appeal to cultivated tastes. They are
marvels of beauty and form at once a
valuable accessory to any piano store
* and 7 APPIETON STREET, BOSTON, MASS,