Music Trade Review
Issue: 1917 Vol. 65 N. 25 - Page 9
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU REPORTS
WAR WORK FOR PIANO FACTORIES
Secretary C. L. Dennis Issues Comprehensive
Statement of the Activities of the Bureau
During November—Eight New Cases Taken
Care of and Many Complaints Investigated
Geo. W. Pound Secures Assurance From Gov-
ernment Officials That Survey of Factories in
the Trade Will Be Made With a View to
Utilizing Their Facilities for War Needs
MILWAUKEE, WIS., December 17.—C. L. Dennis,
secretary of the Better Business Bureau of the
National Association of Piano Merchants, has
just issued a most exhaustive report of the ac-
tivities of that bureau during the month of No-
vember.
During the month the bureau gave direct at-
tention to eight new cases, and two old cases,
growing out of charges of misleading advertis-
ing and also investigated a number of miscella-
neous complaints. The work was carried on
where possible in co-operation with the secre-
taries of local Vigilance Committees. Of the
eight new cases handled two were due to over-
pricing, two to "explosive" advertising of spe-
cial sales, one to "factory prices' advertised by
a "gyp" dealer, one to questionable special sale,
and one to the efforts of the manufacturer to
protect his rights against encroachment by a
dealer. Price comparisons were the cause of
the trouble in most cases.
The report emphasized particularly the ac-
tivities of "gyp" dealers in many cities, and it
was found that the present situation in the coun-
try is being taken full advantage of in forward-
ing this class of operation. It is suggested that
complaints regarding "gyp" dealers be for-
warded to 'the bureau as soon as possible with
full information in order that prompt action may
be taken.
Of the eight new cases taken up by the bu-
reau during November two were in Indianapolis,
one in Chicago, two in Davenport, la., one in
Peoria, 111., one in St. Louis, Mo., and one in
Stroudsburg, Pa. The miscellaneous complaints
taken care of came from a score or more cities
in all sections, including New York and Chi-
cago.
The trade has been much interested in the re-
port of the bureau's work being sent out by Sec-
retary Dennis, and the members have expressed
themselves in complimentary terms. A full re-
port of the bureau and its work will be made
at the meeting of the executive board, commit-
tees, and State Commissioners of the National
Association of Piano Merchants, to be held at
the Biltmore Hotel, New York, January 30 and
31, 1918.
Geo. W. Pound, counsel and general manager
of the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce,
who returned to his office late last week from
Washington, where he attended the opening ses-
sion of the War Service Conference called by
the Chamber of Commerce of the United States,
reported that he was getting very satisfactory
results in his efforts to have certain war work
assigned to piano factories.
The authorities
have given full consideration to the request
that a thorough survey be made of all piano
factories in the country with a view to ascer-
taining those properly constructed and equipped
to turn out various articles for the Government,
and it is probable that such a survey will be
made at a very early date.
It has been proven that piano factories of the
modern type can be utilized for the production
of aeroplane parts and other war material and
with a greater proportion of the factories giv-
ing over part of their facilities to such work,
one of the problems that face the trade at this
time will be practically settled. In making its
survey, the Government will take into consid-
eration the construction of the factory building
from the viewpoint of a tire hazard and like-
wise will consider the character of equipment
and its accessibility to shipping centers.
At the present time Mr. Pound is waiting fur-
ther word from Washington regarding the prog-
ress of his negotiations and will likely hold sev-
eral conferences in the matter with prominent
Government officials at an early date.
The brief recently submitted by Mr. Pound
in the interests of the industry has attracted
wide attention and has served to give many
prominent authorities the proper idea of the real
status of the piano trade and its relation to the
general business conditions of the country.
One of the most significant facts is that copies of
the brief have been solicited by leading news-
papers and news agencies in order that they may
study it and publish a digest covering the facts
there set forth. This in itself should prove of
great value in maintaining the status of our
trade in the eyes of the public.
3 Great Pianos
With 3 sounding boards
in each (Patented) have the
greatest talking points in
the trade.
POETIC EFFUSIONS OF R. 0. FOSTER
Delightful Christmas Souvenir Being Sent Out
by Mrs. Foster of Her Husband's Poems
ST. PAUL, MINN., December 17.—Intimates of
Robert Owen Foster, of Foster & Waldo, hard-
headed business man and one-time baseball mag-
nate, always have known that their friend had
in him a vein of fancy and romance that was far
from submerged by the sordid accompaniments
of mercantile life, but frequently found expres-
sion in various ways—in devotion to good lit-
erature, in felicitous remarks and also in orig-
inal poems. These will not be surprised to
learn that a book of verse with Robert Owen
Foster as author has been issued.
Mrs. Foster has collected from the many
fleeting poetical sketches by her liege a few
of those which she regards as the best and with
the aid of master printers and master binders
has produced a neat little book of poems, which
she is sending to friends as a Christmas gift.
C. A. STEIN REAPPOINTED
Advertising Manager of Kohler & Campbell
Active in Princeton Alumni as Member of
Executive Council of Princeton Club
We fix " o n e p r i c e d -
wholesale and retail.
The Heppe Piano Co.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
C. A. Stein, advertising manager of the Kohler
Industries of New York, has recently been re-
appointed a member of the Executive Council
of the Princeton Club, New York, by Major
Francis G. Landon, president of the club.
Mr. Stein, a graduate of Princeton, has been
very active in the affairs of the alumni of his
Alma Mater for many years.
Victrola XVII, $265
Victrola XVII, electric, $325
Mahogany or oak
Other styles $20 to $400
"Will there be a
Victrola in your home
this Christmas?"
There's a lot in the
power of suggestion, and
we're using this phrase ex-
tensively in our advertising
to suggest the Victrola for
Christmas.
We get the people think-
ing "Victrola," and then
it is easy for every Victor
retailer to get action.
And there's plenty of
action this holiday season.
Victor Talking Machine Co.
Camden, N. J., U.S.A.
Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal,
Canadian Wholesalers
Important Notice. Victor Records and
Victor Machines are scientifically co-ordinated and
synchronized by our special processes of manufacture,
and their use, one with the other, is absolutely essential
to a perfect Victor reproduction.
" V i c t r o l a " ;, the Registered Trade-mark of the
Victor Talking Machine Company designating the
products of this Company only.
W a r n i n g : The use of the word Victrola upon
or in the promotion or sale of any other talking machine
or Phonograph products is misleading and illegal.
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU REPORTS
WAR WORK FOR PIANO FACTORIES
Secretary C. L. Dennis Issues Comprehensive
Statement of the Activities of the Bureau
During November—Eight New Cases Taken
Care of and Many Complaints Investigated
Geo. W. Pound Secures Assurance From Gov-
ernment Officials That Survey of Factories in
the Trade Will Be Made With a View to
Utilizing Their Facilities for War Needs
MILWAUKEE, WIS., December 17.—C. L. Dennis,
secretary of the Better Business Bureau of the
National Association of Piano Merchants, has
just issued a most exhaustive report of the ac-
tivities of that bureau during the month of No-
vember.
During the month the bureau gave direct at-
tention to eight new cases, and two old cases,
growing out of charges of misleading advertis-
ing and also investigated a number of miscella-
neous complaints. The work was carried on
where possible in co-operation with the secre-
taries of local Vigilance Committees. Of the
eight new cases handled two were due to over-
pricing, two to "explosive" advertising of spe-
cial sales, one to "factory prices' advertised by
a "gyp" dealer, one to questionable special sale,
and one to the efforts of the manufacturer to
protect his rights against encroachment by a
dealer. Price comparisons were the cause of
the trouble in most cases.
The report emphasized particularly the ac-
tivities of "gyp" dealers in many cities, and it
was found that the present situation in the coun-
try is being taken full advantage of in forward-
ing this class of operation. It is suggested that
complaints regarding "gyp" dealers be for-
warded to 'the bureau as soon as possible with
full information in order that prompt action may
be taken.
Of the eight new cases taken up by the bu-
reau during November two were in Indianapolis,
one in Chicago, two in Davenport, la., one in
Peoria, 111., one in St. Louis, Mo., and one in
Stroudsburg, Pa. The miscellaneous complaints
taken care of came from a score or more cities
in all sections, including New York and Chi-
cago.
The trade has been much interested in the re-
port of the bureau's work being sent out by Sec-
retary Dennis, and the members have expressed
themselves in complimentary terms. A full re-
port of the bureau and its work will be made
at the meeting of the executive board, commit-
tees, and State Commissioners of the National
Association of Piano Merchants, to be held at
the Biltmore Hotel, New York, January 30 and
31, 1918.
Geo. W. Pound, counsel and general manager
of the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce,
who returned to his office late last week from
Washington, where he attended the opening ses-
sion of the War Service Conference called by
the Chamber of Commerce of the United States,
reported that he was getting very satisfactory
results in his efforts to have certain war work
assigned to piano factories.
The authorities
have given full consideration to the request
that a thorough survey be made of all piano
factories in the country with a view to ascer-
taining those properly constructed and equipped
to turn out various articles for the Government,
and it is probable that such a survey will be
made at a very early date.
It has been proven that piano factories of the
modern type can be utilized for the production
of aeroplane parts and other war material and
with a greater proportion of the factories giv-
ing over part of their facilities to such work,
one of the problems that face the trade at this
time will be practically settled. In making its
survey, the Government will take into consid-
eration the construction of the factory building
from the viewpoint of a tire hazard and like-
wise will consider the character of equipment
and its accessibility to shipping centers.
At the present time Mr. Pound is waiting fur-
ther word from Washington regarding the prog-
ress of his negotiations and will likely hold sev-
eral conferences in the matter with prominent
Government officials at an early date.
The brief recently submitted by Mr. Pound
in the interests of the industry has attracted
wide attention and has served to give many
prominent authorities the proper idea of the real
status of the piano trade and its relation to the
general business conditions of the country.
One of the most significant facts is that copies of
the brief have been solicited by leading news-
papers and news agencies in order that they may
study it and publish a digest covering the facts
there set forth. This in itself should prove of
great value in maintaining the status of our
trade in the eyes of the public.
3 Great Pianos
With 3 sounding boards
in each (Patented) have the
greatest talking points in
the trade.
POETIC EFFUSIONS OF R. 0. FOSTER
Delightful Christmas Souvenir Being Sent Out
by Mrs. Foster of Her Husband's Poems
ST. PAUL, MINN., December 17.—Intimates of
Robert Owen Foster, of Foster & Waldo, hard-
headed business man and one-time baseball mag-
nate, always have known that their friend had
in him a vein of fancy and romance that was far
from submerged by the sordid accompaniments
of mercantile life, but frequently found expres-
sion in various ways—in devotion to good lit-
erature, in felicitous remarks and also in orig-
inal poems. These will not be surprised to
learn that a book of verse with Robert Owen
Foster as author has been issued.
Mrs. Foster has collected from the many
fleeting poetical sketches by her liege a few
of those which she regards as the best and with
the aid of master printers and master binders
has produced a neat little book of poems, which
she is sending to friends as a Christmas gift.
C. A. STEIN REAPPOINTED
Advertising Manager of Kohler & Campbell
Active in Princeton Alumni as Member of
Executive Council of Princeton Club
We fix " o n e p r i c e d -
wholesale and retail.
The Heppe Piano Co.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
C. A. Stein, advertising manager of the Kohler
Industries of New York, has recently been re-
appointed a member of the Executive Council
of the Princeton Club, New York, by Major
Francis G. Landon, president of the club.
Mr. Stein, a graduate of Princeton, has been
very active in the affairs of the alumni of his
Alma Mater for many years.
Victrola XVII, $265
Victrola XVII, electric, $325
Mahogany or oak
Other styles $20 to $400
"Will there be a
Victrola in your home
this Christmas?"
There's a lot in the
power of suggestion, and
we're using this phrase ex-
tensively in our advertising
to suggest the Victrola for
Christmas.
We get the people think-
ing "Victrola," and then
it is easy for every Victor
retailer to get action.
And there's plenty of
action this holiday season.
Victor Talking Machine Co.
Camden, N. J., U.S.A.
Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal,
Canadian Wholesalers
Important Notice. Victor Records and
Victor Machines are scientifically co-ordinated and
synchronized by our special processes of manufacture,
and their use, one with the other, is absolutely essential
to a perfect Victor reproduction.
" V i c t r o l a " ;, the Registered Trade-mark of the
Victor Talking Machine Company designating the
products of this Company only.
W a r n i n g : The use of the word Victrola upon
or in the promotion or sale of any other talking machine
or Phonograph products is misleading and illegal.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).