Music Trade Review

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Ofliviiils of the NPMA—I,, to It
(ieorse A. Feniley, Jr., II. It. Heinliardt, Amt't Secretary, (ieorge A. Fernley, Secre-
tary, (ienrse H. Stnpely, retiring; persident. At rigrht—L. to II—Hubert A. Hill. Vice President. William It. Stelnway,
representing; Theodore E. Stelnivay, director, Chauneey U. Bond, President, Jos. C. Reed. Ilirectwr, Webster E. Jans-
sen, Treasurer, Peter H. Comstuck, Director. William G. Heller ami Philip Wynian. Directors.
Manufacturers Score OPA Pricing
At Annual Meet: C. D. Bond, President
T
HE annual meeting of the Na- manufacturers themselves find oper-
tional Piano Manufacturers Asso- ations unprofitable under the 13 per
ciation took place at the Hotel cent rise over 1942 granted by the
Waldorf-Astoria in New York on June OPA. Data stressing "fair and equit-
12th with the largest attendance since able treatment" will be placed before
the meeting in 1942 when the WPB the Smaller War Plants Corporation
ordered piano manufacturing to cease. to help secure "proper pricing" for the
The meeting convened promptly at industry.
11:00 o'clock A.M. and lasted until
President's Report
5:00 P.M. The morning session was
In opening the meeting George H.
taken up with reports and election of Stapely, president of the Everett Piano
officers. Those elected for the ensuing Co., South Haven, Mich., who has held
year were: President, Chauneey D. the office of president of the associa-
Bond, vice president and general man- tion for the past two years said in
ager of the Weaver Piano Co., York, part in his annual report:
Pa.; Vice President, Robert A. Hill,
"This is our 48th annual meeting, and
president of the Aeolian American it is hard to imagine when we have
Corp., East Rochester, N. Y.; Treas- ever come together with more optimism
the future growth of our industry.
urer, Webster E. Janssen, president of for
A year ago we were in the doldrums
the Janssen Piano Co., New York. The of rigid government control and an un-
Everyone smiles at lunch between meetings except Carl Illtes, the piano plate man
Executive Committee is composed of certain future dependent upon the un-
Theodore E. Steinway, president of known length of the war. With victory
in Europe and the defeat of the Jap-
Steinway & Sons, New York; William anese
within the predictable future, we
G. Heller, president, Winter & Co., look forward to the large scale resump-
New York; Joseph C. Reed, Paragon tion of our normal business activities.
"Never let it be said that we, as a
Foundries, Oregon, 111.; Peter H. Corn-
group, have failed to measure up to
stock, Pratt, Read & Co., Ivoryton, our
obligations! Regardless of profit,
Conn.; Philip H. Wyman, vice presi- and hampered by shortages of labor
dent of the Baldwin Piano Co., Cin- and material, our industry has produced
cinnati, 0.; and E. F. Story, treasurer hundreds of pianos for government use
of the Story & Clark Piano Co., Chi- and at the same time has carried out
a large scale war program involving,
cago, 111.
for the most part, a very intricate type
A resolution was adopted pointing of aircraft wood construction.
out that the industry was composed
Face Future with Confidence
of many smaller units and that sup-
"We face the future fully able to
pliers of parts as well as the piano live up to the demands of our dealer
friends, and with labor and supplies
again available we will do our full part
in supplying the largely expanded mar-
kets which are ahead. With few excep-
tions, the plants in our industry are
under the same management as in pre-
war years, but all of us no doubt will
admit that our skill has been sharp-
ened by the use of new methods and
practices made necessary when meeting
the demands of Army or Navy specifi-
cations.
"Of course, no one expects full scale
resumption as something of tomorrow.
The road back to our normal business
is almost certain to be strewn with
heartbreaking delays, while at the same
time our dealer friends who have thou-
sands of orders already on their books
will, perhaps, expect us to do the im-
possible—but this year the start is
made, reconversion is on its way, and
all of us are fully aware of the many
problems we must master.
"During the past year many of our
members have made innumerable con-
tacts with our Washington friends, and
as a group we have fared far better
than most other industries.
Through
establishing
ourselves properly
with
WPB,
our product was considered as
among the very first to be released from
limi'ation order control, and, while of
course this does not guarantee us sup-
plies, it at least removes certain restric-
tions which could have been very both-
ersome.
"OPA has seen fit to grant an indus-
try-wide increase of 13% on March 1942
wholesale prices. This increase is not
sufficient to absorb labor and material
advances, which are variously estimated
as averaging from 307c to 50% over 1942
base. With OPA we have been operating
as an Advisory Committee, and a great
"deal of credit should be given to Wil-
liam G. Heller of the Winter Company
for his untiring efforts as Chairman of
this Committee. While the price in-
crease allowed us seems to be small,
we should have in mind the fact that it
is perhaps the largest granted to any
industry.
Haphazard Celling; Prices
"None of us will agree that the 13%
increase was granted to us on a sound
basis or as the result of anything more
than a most superficial study of the
fac + s. Our friends in Washington used
estimates for supplies and labor costs,
did not bother with such detailed things
I Turn to page 12)
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JUNE, 1945