Music Trade Review

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44
THE MUSIC TRADE
He didn't go far enough. It is a star of the West,
star of the North, star of the South—practically
it is a new star entirely.
"To get to the subject of the national asso-
ciation the toastmaster has probably known me
from the time I started in the talking machine
business, a very young man. I am still a young
man. I remember the Hawthorne & Sheble Mfg.
Co. when they were not only jobbers but horn
manufacturers, and they have been through the
time when jobbers were looked upon as an ex-
periment. I started in business with another
man. I have had considerable ups and downs; in
fact I have been up and down all the time, and
it is getting very monotonous, and yet it is a
habit. There is one point I want to bring out
anu that is that a national association at this
time,is not premature, it is ripe. Do you know
why the first talking machine jobbers' associa-
tion that was formed in 1902 did not succeed?
For the very reason that this association would
not have succeeded if we hadn't gone about it
very cautiously, if we hadn't had all the prece-
dents. We tried to do too much. We went
from absolutely nothing into what we thought
was absolutely something great and we went
right back to absolutely nothing. Mow it took
us several years to recover. I think we have
recovered. Then we found that in union there
was strength, but nobody had courage enough
to start the union, but it came to a point in
New York City, where we poor jobbers were held
up, we couldn't get any goods and the outside
fellows were getting them, and the result was
we called a meeting and took the bull by the
horns and formed an association in the East.
Other associations were formed in different parts
of the country. There has been some difference
of opinion as to how we shall now proceed but
I don't think there io any difference of opinion
but that we wanted a national association and
we have it. Now we have it after careful
thought, we have it properly laid out, we have
the benefit of the past mistakes, we have the
benefit of the past successes. Now, are we going
to make use of them? I say yes. I think every-
body will say yes."
REVIEW
We have not been surprised at seeing the forma-
tion of a national association. That is certainly
right and proper, and in the order of the day
that these combinations should be formed. I
know, however, that you must realize with us
that the forming of your association is but a
very small part of the work before you. It would
be very easy to fritter away the time of the
association on very small matters. It will also
be very easy for this association to take up
large matters and secure about what they want
from the manufacturers providing their wants
are reasonable. As I sat here this evening I
jotted down two or three matters that seemed
to me would be naturally interesting to this
association and to the manufacturers. One is,
a suitable margin of profit in handling talking
machines. That is certainly interesting to the
jobber and is interesting to the manufacturer,
because if a jobber has no profit in handling the
line it is not to be pre:umed that he will handle
the line for a very long time, putting his money
into it. Another question that seems to me to
be interesting would be the question of the
amount of competition a jobber should have in
his own given territory. That is, what service
should the jobber have, what rights should he
have in certain territory for the handling of
thought it might be interesting to hear one
comparison which we made inadvertently in our
office the other day. We had closed the business
for the month of August. In looking over the
figures we found that the increased business of
August, 1907, over August, 1906—which was the
largest August we had had up to that time—
was greater than the total first six years of the
American Graphophone Co.'s entire manufacture
and selling of goods. That is, the growth in
one month was more than the six years' total
business. Now I believe that the business Is
still in its infancy. We want to co-operate with
tnis association in any reasonable requirements
or suggestions, and I bring you the good will of
the American Graphophone Co. 'for this new
organization." (Applause.)
Hearty Thanks to Hosts.
Mr. Bowers: "I want to say to the members
of this association, for fear it may be over-
looked, and while the thought occurs to me, I
would like to put it to you. I will ask the asso-
ciation to go on record in a matter of its ap-
preciation of the hospitality shown us by our
host of the evening, and to thank them in the
name of the association for their splendid hos-
pitality and for their kindliness and considera-
Mr. Blackman dwelt at some length upon the
great benefits to be derived from association
and pledged his best efforts in every way to
further the good of the newly formed organiza-
tion.
H. M. HOLLEMAN ON "MAIL ORDERS."
Mr. Holleman, speaking of the mail-order busi-
ness, stated that it is a serious problem, both
interesting and fascinating, because it obliterates
all territorial bounds, which is not the case
in any other line of business, even extending to
foreign countries. The first requisite of the mail-
order business is the proper article; the next
is the proper way of handling it. In the first
place, after you have secured your article it has
been demonstrated that it is best to get thor-
oughly prepared for your proposition, issue your
literature, formulate your follow-up letter, at
least three of them, and complete all arrange-
ments before you ever put your first advertise-
ment in the paper, because after your orders
begin to come in you are not prepared then to
write your second or third appeal to that party,
you have changed the complexion of the proposi-
tion entirely if you attempt to do. The last
thing to do is to formulate an advertisement
and get the best advertisement you can and then,
when the ads. bring in the results, then follow
them up with this system; follow your system
and keep hammering at it and success will crown
your efforts every time.
MR. LYLE'S INTERESTING TALK.
George W. Lyle being called upon by the Toast-
master, said: "Mr. Toastmaster and friends—I
notice that my name is not on the menu, no
toast has been assigned to me. You have already
heard the valedictory and I am certain you don't
care to hear to-night much from me, and I am
certain I have sense enough to appreciate that.
There are one or two matters I would like to
refer to. The first is that as a representative
of one of the manufacturers we have been
watching the growth of the jobbers' association.
THE BANQUET TO THE LADIES OF THE TAHTY.
the goods which he purchases and sells. Another
is, some arrangement by right for the return
of surplus stock which accumulates on a job-
ber's hands because of a monthly list of rec-
ords—how could that matter be disposed of?
"As representing one of the manufacturers
I want to say—consider these matters, consider
them fairly, come to us with your suggestions
and see how near we can come to meeting your
wishes. That is, I think, a fair statement
of the feeling, speaking for one company.
"In a lighter vein I want to say that I was
interested in Mr. Bowers' statement in reference
to the introduction of talking machines at Lyon &
Healy's. I want to make one or two corrections,
however. I want to state that Mr. Bowers did
not go quite back to the start, as the question of
consigning goods is a question that interested
jobbers a good deal, and I suppose interested
manufacturers. I want to say that at the time
Lyon & Healy put in their goods I was fortunate
enough to be the manager of the Columbia Pho-
nograph Co.'s Chicago store, and I want Mr.
Bowers to hear that there would never have
been a talking machine in the house of Lyon
& Healy if the goods had not been consigned—at
least, I won't say never would have been a
talking machine; there never would have been
a talking machine at that time—the house of
Lyon & Healy refusing to put them in until the
goods had been consigned on six months' trial,
Mr. Gregory stating to me that the talking ma-
chines belonged to saloons and other places
of that description and not to musical houses.
That was but nine years ago, and you know
the growth of the business since then. And on
the subject of the growth of the business I
tion in winding up the first session of our or-
ganization with such a highly enjoyable, highly
interesting and highly creditable affair as this
dinner. I am reminded of the beautiful lines of
Miles O'Reilly—I am very fond of the Irish poets.
Perhaps you have discovered that. O'Reilly says:
" 'There are bonds of all sorts in this world of
ours,
Ties of friendship and fetters of flowers,
And true lovers' knots, I ween.
The boy and the girl are bound by a kiss,
But we've a stronger bond, old friend, than
this—
We've drunk from the same canteen.'
"And, gentlemen of the association, from the
same canteen which has passed around the festal
board in the form of this beautiful crystal I beg
to pledge on behalf of our national association
the health, the wealth, and the future prosperity
of the Hawthorne-Sheble Co., and I will ask
the association to drink the toast standing."
(The toast was drunk standing.)
The Toastmaster: "In response to Mr. Bowers
all that I can say in reply is, you know where
our heart lies.
"Gentlemen, in closing I would refer you to
the back of the menu card where you will find
a verse of that familiar song, 'Auld Lang Syne,'
and we will close by singing this verse standing,
gentlemen."
Whereupon the guests rose and sang, after-
wards dispersing.
* * * *
Many of the visiting jobbers added a social
feature to the convention and brought their better
halves along. The ladies, during business hours,
visited various points of Interest in the vicinity.