Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TRADE HAPPENINGS IN DETROIT.
OUR EXPORT AND IMPORT TRADE.
C. A. Grinnell Slated for the Position of First
Vice-President
of
the
National
Piano
Dealers' Association—A Goodly Showing of
Detroit Music Trade Men Will Visit the Con-
vention in Chicago—Kimball Co.'s Effective
Advertising—Snow in the Northern Part of
State Hurts Business—Sale of $3,500 Orches-
trelle
to Russell A. Alger, Jr.—Bayley's
Sales—Starr Ambassador's Active Campaign.
Import Trade of Musical Instruments Shows
Increase—Exports for the Month Are Much
Larger—Player
Shipments
Make
Fine
Record—The Figures in Detail Regarding
the Various Instruments Furnish Some In-
teresting Particulars to Our Readers.
(Special to The Review.)
Detroit, Mich., June 3, 1907.
C. A. Grinnell, of Grinneli Brothers, has been
honored with the nomination for first vice-presi-
dent of the National Piano Dealers' Association,
and his election at the annual convention in Chi-
cago on June 17, 18 and 19 is practically assured.
Mr. Grinnell received a letter last week from the
nominating committee of the national associa-
tion, which bore the news. He will succeed B. B.
Crew, of Atlanta, Ga., who is said to be slated
for the position of president, succeeding James
P. Byrne, of Chicago. Although not having ac-
cepted the nomination as yet, Mr. Grinnell told a
representative of The Review that he would do
so. There is no question but Mr. Grinnell will
make an excellent official. He is active and wide-
awake and considered one of Detroit's liveliest
business men.
Nearly every piano house of importance in De-
troit will have a representative, or two or three,
at the National Piano Dealers' Association con-
vention in Chicago. Both I. L. and C. A. Grinnell,
of Grinnell Bros., expect to attend. The Parrand
Co. will be represented by its secretary, J. A.
Stewart; its road representative, Mr. Devine, and
E. P. Andrew, manager of the retail department.
The Clough & Warren Co. will be represented by
J. B. Mclntosh, general manager, and E. R. Es-
kew, road representative. J. Henry Ling, Milton
A. Van Wagoner and many other dealers will be
present. The opinion is expressed by some De-
• troit piano men that this convention should give
more attention to business and less to pleasure
and sight-seeing than the ones which have gone
before.
The W. W. Kimball Co.'s new Detroit store is
right after business. Manager G. H. Hadley is
using considerable newspaper space to acquaint
the Detroit public with the place, and he has had
eight-page pamphlets describing the goods placed
in every home. A large new sign has just been
placed in front of the Kimball store.
The piano trade in Detroit is somewhat de-
moralized by continued cool weather.
S. B. Smith, of the S. B. Smith Piano Co., says
that he has received word from some of his men
in the northern part of the state that a snowfall
of eight inches on May 27 has almost killed the
spring piano trade. "Farmers haven't got their
crops in, fruit has been damaged, and people who
have money won't spend it owing to the uncer-
tainty of things," said Mr. Srqith.
Russell A. Alger, Jr., son of the late Senator
Alger, last week purchased a $3,500 orchestrelle
from Grinnell Bros.
F. J. Bayley's music house is enjoying a grow-
ing trade. Last week Mr. Bayley shipped one
piano to a Chicago customer and another to a
customer at Ortonville, Mich.
The Clough & Warren Co. report good busi-
ness for May, notwithstanding the general com-
plaint. The factory at Adrian, Mich., is worked
to its capacity.
Col. H. H. Hudson and Harry Thorpe, man-
ager and assistant manager, respectively of the
Starr Piano Co.'s Michigan branch, both made
trips through the state last week.
GUEST'S HANDSOME G-ABLER ROOM.
The handsomest spots in the beautiful new
store of the Guest Piano Co. in Des Moines, la.,
are the Gabler rooms. This concern have handled
the Gabler as a leader ever since they started
business over fifty years ago, and in laying out
the new store thought that line deserved the best
there was, hence the two special rooms, one for
grands and the other for uprights.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, June 4, 1907.
The summary of exports and imports of the
commerce of the United States for the month of
April, 1907, the latest period for which it has
been compiled, has just been issued by the Bureau
of Statistics of the. Department of Commerce and
Labor. The figures relating to musical merchan-
dise, including pianos, organs, piano players and
miscellaneous "small goods" in the musical field
are as follows:
The dutiable imports of musical instruments
during April amounted to $132,412, as compared
with $96,148 worth which were imported the
same month of 1906. The ten months' total end-
ing April, shows importations valued at $1,215,-
417, as against $1,071,242 worth of musical in-
struments imported during the same period of
1906. This gives an increase in imports for the
ten months ending April of $144,175.
The import figures for the ten months' period
for the three years are as follows: 1905, $1,079,-
825; 1906, $1,071,242; 1907, $1,215,417.
. The total domestic exports of musical instru-
ments for April, 1907, amounted to $270,531, as
compared with $231,465 for the same month of
the previous year. The ten months' exportation-
of musical instruments amounted to $2,632,076,
as against $2,649,302 for the same period in
1906. This shows a decrease in exports for the
ten months ending April of $17,226.
The export figures for the ten months' period
for the three years as follows: 1905, $2,710,-
152; 1906, $2,649,302; 1907, $2,632,076.
Of the aggregate exportations in April there
were 864 organs valued at $57,429, as compared
with 928 organs in 1906, valued at $57,013. The
ten months' total shows that we exported 10,765
organs, valued at $735,725, as against 11,119 or-
gans, valued at $773,801, for the same period in
1906, and 11,072, valued at $797,583 for the same
period in 1905.
In April; 1907, we exported 341 pianos, valued
at $80,579, as against 167 pianos, valued at $37,-
429 in April, 1906. The ten months' total ex-
ports show 3,209 pianos, valued at $729,369, as
compared with 2,279, valued at $520,278, exported
in the same period in 1906, and 1,888, valued at
$430,640, for the same period in 1905.
Of the aggregate exportations in April there
were 196 piano players, valued a t $44,463. For
the ten months' period, 2,047 of these instru-
ments, valued at $466,424, were sent abroad.
The value of "all other instruments and parts
thereof" sent abroad during April; 1907, amount-
ed to $88,060, in the same month of 1906 the value
was estimated at $75,405.
The tota.1 exports for the ten months under
this heading foot up $700,558, as against $697,008
exported during the same period of 1906, and
$768,258 exported during the same period in
1905. This shows an increase of $3,550.
COSTS MORE TO INCORPORATE IN MAINE.
The last Maine legislature increased the fran-
chise tax for companies incorporated in that
state to almost double the former assessment, and
it is believed that,the action will cause a large
falling off in the number of foreign incorpora-
tions and thereby lose to Maine much of the in-
come derived from both the incorporation and
franchise taxes. For the last few years the state
has received considerable aid in paying current
expenses from the big taxes paid by foreign cor-
porations, which have taken advantage of Maine's
liberal incorporation and franchise laws, to or-
ganize there. The last legislature, however, al-
most doubled the franchise assessment, raising
the tax from $275 to $525, although the rate of
$1 for each $10,000 of capital still'stands as the
assessment for incorporations.
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
Don't Be Last
Four years ago Piano Dealers
were afraid to sell Victors.
The situation is just the op-
posite now.
It is a race not to be last.
You needn't be last. You
know by this time that the
Victor
and Victor Records
are better money makers than
pianos and help the piano bus-
iness besides.
The Victor is a high-grade
musical instrument.
The 56,000,000 people who are
reading about the Victor regu-
larly every month in our maga-
zine advertisements are ripe for
buying and are buying the Victor.
They will buy from you if you
don't allow your competitor to
get there first!
There's no worry with the
Victor—no price cutting by the
other dealer*—no finicky adjust-
ment of mechanical parts—no
expensive extras.
Nearly every purchaser buys
records to five times the price of
his instrument, sometimes more.
Before you know it, you have
built up a tremendous business.
The other dealer may be think-
ing of these things too. Don't
let him get ahead of you.
Grasp the opportunity now.
Don't be last.
Victor Talking Machine
Company,
Camden, N. J.