Music Trade Review

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THE
NEWARK TRADE IN GOOD SHAPE.
August Proves Quite Lively Month for the Ma-
jority of the Piano Houses—Anniversary
Week at Hahne & Co.'s Store—Growing De-
mand for Player Pianos—Other News.
(Special to The Review.)
:
' Newark, N. J., Sept. 4, 1911.
The general tone of the piano trade in this city
is improving steadily and with the majority of the
piano houses the month of August has proven
most satisfactory in point of sales. The results
for the month just past have shown an increase
over the same month of 1910 but said results have
only been obtained by real hustling, on the part of
the managers and salesmen. The number of player-
pianos sold during the past few weeks comes pretty
dose to equalling the sales of straight pianos and
this is taken as a good indication that the mission-
ary work in connection with the player-piano has
not been wasted in this territory.
Next week will be a busy one for the piano de-
partment of the Hahne & Co. store for they
have planned a celebration of their fifty-third busi-
ness anniversary and Manager Noon of the piano
department has arranged for special player-piano
recitals in the auditorium each afternoon. The
Hardman Autotone will be largely featured and on
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons it
is planned to accompany the voices of the famous
grand opera stars as reproduced by the Victor
Victrola. with the Autotone, at which Le Roy H.
Moon, the talented player-pianist, will preside.
Manager Noon states that the season has opened
up in a most encouraging manner and that the
sales on instruments in the Kranich & Bach and
Hardman lines have been quite plentiful. The an-
niversary celebration is expected to enliven things
considerably.
The Armstrong Piano Co. are quite elated over
the • way the business has come their way during
August, and report that while the opening week of
the month proved rather discouraging the other
three weeks fully made up for any dulness at the
opening. A notable feature of the month was the
fact that the sales of player-pianos equalled those
of straight pianos during the period mentioned. In
one week the company disposed of four of the new
Primatones, the instruments only being on the
floor for a couple of days before they were dis-
posed of. The Haines Bros, and Marshall & Wen-
dell player-pianos also sold well.
The Armstrong Piano Co., who not long ago
took on the line of the Columbia Phonograph Co.,
have given over the entire second story of their
building to -the graphophone department and are
Economy
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
displaying the full assortment of horn machines and
grafonolas. Two separate sound-proof demon-
strating parlors have been installed in addition to
the main showroom.
Secretary Campbell, in charge of the retail de-
partment of the Lauter Co., reports that business
during August showed a substantial increase over
the record for the same month last year and that the
prospects for the fall and winter were excellent.
The demand for the Lauter-Humana is steadily in-
creasing and when the regular recitals are resumed
at an early date it is expected that the sales in that
department will develop rapidly.
H. R. Bauer, who recently became manager of
the wholesale department of the Lauter Co., states
that the demands of the dealers are keeping the
plant very busy and that the company will be glad
when they can move into their new plant after the
first of the year and profit by the increased facil-
ities offered. Mr. Bauer has moved his family to
East Orange and will make that city his perma-
nent home.
At the local branch of the Pease Piano Co. it
was stated that sales were keeping up in good
shape and that the prospects for the coming months
were most encouraging.
The local store of the Hallet & Davis Piano
Co. is a veritable hive of industry these days and
it is said that the stock is going out faster than it
is coming in, which condition naturally keeps Man-
ager Griffith guessing. The widespread advertising
campaign being carried on by this company in con-
nection with their "Virtuolo" player-piano is hav-
ing a good effect on the trade in Newark and
vicinity.
When The Review called at the store of Jacob
Doll & Sons, there were a number of pianos
grouped in the open space in the front section of
the store with several huskies busy moving them
around. "New stock?" asked The Review. "No, just
trying to get them delivered to purchasers" was the
answer. A good proportion of the instruments
were players.
At the commodious quarters of Otto Wissner
and at the F. G. Smith and Steger branches, the
general encouraging report regarding the business
situation was also offered.
A NEW PIANO TRUCK COMPANY.
The Findlay Piano Truck Co., of Findlay, O.,
has been organized to manufacture a new self-lift-
ing piano truck that they have thoroughly tried out
for the past year. They are putting this new truck
on the market at a remarkably low price and
guarantee it to be satisfactory. They announce
that they are prepared to make prompt shipments
and invite inquiries from the trade.
Murphy
Varnish
Is Good Insurance
Without Premiums
11
OUR EXPORT AND IMPORT TRADE.
Import Trade of Musical Instruments Shows
Increase—Exports for Seven Months Much
Larger—Player Shipments Make Fine Rec-
ord—The Figures in Detail Regarding the
Various Instruments Furnish Some Interest-
ing Particulars for Our Readers.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. G, Sept. 8, 1911.
The summary of exports and imports of the
commerce of the United States for the month of
July, 1911, 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" are as follows:
The dutiable imports of musical instruments dur-
ng July amounted to $117,965, as compared with
$100,732 worth which were imported the same
month of 1910. The seven months' total ending
July shows importations valued at $930,248, as
against $731,370 worth of musical instruments im-
ported during the same period in 1910 and $765,-
590 in 1909. This gives an increase in imports for
the seven months ending July of $198,878.
The total domestic exports of musical instru-
ments for July, 1911, amounted to $215,207, as
compared with $227,984 for the same month of the
previous year. The seven months' exportation of
musical instruments amounted to $2,012,954, as
against $1,810,721 for the same period in 1910 and
$1,599,392 in 1909. This shows an increase in ex-
ports for the seven months ending July of $202,-
233.
Of the aggregate exportations in July there were
583 organs, valued at $40,354, as compared with
588 organs in 1910. valued at $44,628. The seven
months' total shows that we exported 5.056 organs,
valued at $396,369, as against 4,765 organs, valued
at $399,815 for the same period in 1910. and 4.922,
valued at $396,125 for the same period in 1909.
In July. 1911, we exported 437 pianos (including
player-pianos), valued at $94,544, as against 39C
pianos, valued at $86,962 in July, 1910. The seven
months' total exports show 3,401 pianos (including
player-pianos), valued at $783,341, as compared
with 2,659, valued at $603,057, exported in the same
period of 1910 and 2.190, valued at $488,322 for the
same period in 1909.
Of the aggregate exportations in July there were
127 automatic piano-players, valued at $34,412, as
compared with 196. valued at $52,245 in July, 1910.
For the seven months' period 1,528 of these in-
struments, valued at $436,542. were sent abroad, as
compared with 1.562, valued at $429,377 in 1910,
and 1.361. valued at $318,008 in l!)0!>.
The value of all other instruments and parts
thereof sent abroad during July, 1911. amounted
to $45,897, in the same month of 1910 the value
was estimated at $44,149.
The total exports for the seven months under
this heading foot up $396,702. as against $378,472
exported during the same period of 1910, and
$366,937 exported during the same period in 1909.
This shows an increase of $18,230.
INCORPORATED.
The cost of re-finishing pianos on which
the varnish goes wrong is a vexing item:
but a sure item with the use of unreliable
varnish.
We do not say that Murphy Varnish can't
be put wrong, by accident or haste: we do
say that the cases are few and far between
when it goes wrong.
The varn,.h Murphy Varnish Company
That Lasts
Longest
FRANKLIN MURPHY, President
Associated with Dougall Varnish Company, Limited, Montreal, Canada
NEWARK,
N. J.
CHICAGO,
ILLS.
The Pressley Music Co.. of Los Angeles, Cal.,
have been incorporated with the authorities of Cali-
fornia for the purpose of conducting a general
piano and musical business, with a capital stock of
$20,000. The incorporators are C- W. Pressley, M.
W. Lorbeer ind Thomas W. McDevitt.
CORN AND COTTON CROPS GOOD.
According to the reports of the travelers now in
the South and those who have returned from
Southern trips, the cotton and corn crops in that
section of the country are coming along in ex-
cellent shape and the indications are that the fall
and winter trade in that part of the country will
be of a most satisfactory nature. The Southern
dealers are optimistic regarding the outlook and
are preparing to have suitable stocks on hand to
meet the demands.