Presto

March 11, 1920.
0. K. HOUCK MUSIC
FOUNDATION BUYS
Rex Club in Memphis, Tenn., a Handsome
Three-Story Building, Secured by Direc-
tors, to Be Remodelled and
Enlarged.
Members of the Rex Club and of the Y. M. H.
A., Memphis, Tenn., in a largely attended meeting
of the two organizations, voted last week to accept
the offer, of the O. K. Houck Music Foundation,
and will sell the club building at Madison and Dun-
lap for the sum of $100,000.
The Rex Club was constructed in 1910. It is
three stories and basement of yellow brick and
stone construction. There is a large ballroom and
an assembly hall with 400 seating capacity. The
building, it is said, ideally suits the requirements of
directors of the music foundation under whose
auspices concerts and recitals will be given. The
lot on which the building is located fronts 146 feet
on Dunlap street. It extends east on Madison ave-
nue 110 feet. The building has Dunlap frontage of
112 feet and extends along Madison 84 feet.
President Pleased.
"The building is an ideal one for our purpose,"
said O. K Houck, president of the O. K. Houck
Piano Co., who is also president oi the O. K. Houck
Music Foundation, which was chartered Jan. 24.
The other officers of the Foundation are: E. R.
Barrow, first vice-president; J. F. Houck, second
vice-president; C. A. Pinson, secretary; W. S.
Christian, treasurer.
The directors of the O. K. Houck Music Foun-
dation are: E. R, Barrow, representing Chamber
of Commerce; Mrs. R. L. Brown, representing
Renaissance Club; W. S. Christian, secy.-treas.
O. K. Houck Piano Co.; J. V. Day, director O. K.
Houck Piano Co.; Miss Valerie Farrington, editor
music page Commercial Appeal; Mrs. J. C. Felsen-
thal, representing Salon Circle; J. G. Gerbig, rep-
resenting Piano Teachers' Association; W. P. Ham-
ilton, director O. K. Houck Piano Co.; Mrs. J. F.
Hill, representing Beethoven Club; J. F. Houck,
vice-president O. K. Houck Piano Co.; O. K. Houck,
president O. K. Houck Piano Co.; J. G. McConnell,
director O. K. Houck Piano Co.; Mrs. C. P. J.
Mooney, representing 19th Century Club; C. A. Pin-
son, private secretary O. K. Houck; J. Paul Stalls,
representing American Guild of Organists; W. T.
Sutherland, director O. H. Houck Piano Co.; Allan
\V'.'lbi;rn, director O. K. Houck Piano Co.
Plans for Remodeling.
According to announcement, the building will be
remodeled to provide for one large auditorium on
the third floor, with a seating capacity of 750 or
1.000 persons. There ire to be two small recital
halls on the first floor, seating about 300 persons.
The halls will be furnished free to the public, unless
the character of the entertainment is a paid affair;
then a reasonable charge will be made. Other parts
of the building will be converted into studios, the
incomes from them to go toward the upkeep of
the foundation.
The West Tennessee Division of the American
Organists' Guild, of which J. Paul Stalls is presi-
dent, has under consideration the installation of a
pipe organ in one of the halls on which members of
the guild can give pipe organ lessons an'd pupils can
practice free of charge.
"Among other improvements,"' said Mr. Houck,
"we will have installed a passenger elevator at the
Dunlap street entrance, through what is now the
Rex Club entrance. Later we will have another
passenger elevator installed at the present Y. M.
H. A. entrance. The building, exclusive of its base-
ment, has 28,000 feet of floor space, and we believe
it can be converted into one of the most modern
musical buildings in the South."
Sample of Activity.
O. K. Houck, speaking for the O. K. Houck Music
Foundation, has suggested to Mayor Paine that if
the city of Memphis will agree the music foundation
will advance the $8,100 needed for 10 weeks of
summer band concerts this year, the only condition
being that the city will pay the money back some
time during the present administration.
Mayor Paine says he will discuss the proposal
with the recreation commission, and maybe with the
park commission, and hopes it can be worked out.
For years, up to last year, summer concerts were
arranged for by the park commission. The com-
mission and the musicians could not get together
on a wage scale last year. They were about $1,000
apart. Mr. Houck got out and was ready to raise
this money by subscription, but the park commis-
sion said it had made other plans and the money it
had set aside was not available. It went to build
RESXO
a bridge in Riverside Park, or something of that
sort.
The park commission's budget this year takes no
notice of band concerts. Several weeks ago a dele-
gation of musicians called on the mayor and asked
him to take it up with the park commission. Thou-
sans of Memphis people have learned to love the
music in the parks. Of course, many of them en-
joy the parkways and the drives in the parks, but
there are more, perhaps, that want the music.
Mr. Houck says the music foundation will be glad
to advance the money and will not ask for any note
or receipt. All he wants is the assurance that it
will be paid back during the present administration
without interest.
R. S. HOWARD CO'S FACTORY
SOON TO BE COMPLETED
Delays Have Prevented the Manufacturers from
Enjoying Greater Facilities.
From several causes familiar to those who are
building or have built within recent years, the con-
struction work on the new R. S. Howard Co.'s
factory has been delayed, but now the New York
manufacturers report a steady progress is being
made in the building. At the rate the contractors
are proceeding the new factory will soon be at the
disposal of the company.
The necessity for greater facilities in the produc-
tion of pianos and players was never so urgent as
at the present time, according to R. S. Howard,
head of the R. S. Howard Co. The foreign demands
for R. S. Howard pianos and players become greater
and more insistent every day, and the favor for the
products at home is of a steady and natural growth
that is very satisfactory to the management. At
home and abroad the R. S. Howard piano shares
equal favor with the R. S. Howard playerpiano.
ELMIRA PIANO HOUSE HAS
BIG THEATER PATRONAGE
M. Doyle Marks Co. Secures Another Evidence of
the Dependability of His Instruments.
George W. Jackson, proprietor and lessee of the
Mozart Theater, Elmira, N. Y., has purchased two
of the finest pianos in the M. Doyle Marks Co. Piano
and Music House, 309-311 East Water street, in that
city. Mr. Jackson is a theatrical man of great ex-
perience and his musical acts at the Mozart Theater
have always been of the highest order, and he re-
alizes that his patrons demand the best in music.
Before purchasing the instruments, Mr. Jackson
gave the pianos a severe test for tone and dura-
bility. Thus the patrons were assured of tuneful
piano music as well as the best in vaudeville.
The M. Doyle Marks Co. has sold a great number
of fine pianos and other musical instruments to the-
aters and halls in and around Elmira. In fact, the
firm makes a specialty of pianos for public places,
where the instruments must be able to withstand
hard work almost incessantly. Pianos of quality are
the only kind that are carried by the M. Doyle
Marks Co., and the firm safeguards its patrons every
time.
PIANO POET VISITS CHICAGO.
Edward Day Allington, piano dealer of Freeport,
111., and known throughout the Central West as the
"poet of the piano trade," was in Chicago on Monday
of this week. He came in search of more goods for
his store. He came with the first spring zephyr,
after the coldest March wave ever known in Chi-
cago, and he cheered up the men he met, for he
seemed to be under the spell of the divine season
when poetry germinates. His appearance was spick
and span, too, for he wore a Shrine pin, a pleasant
smile, a light fedora hat and other spring garments
to match.
UNCLE SAM'S BARGAIN SALE.
All kinds of musical instruments are now on sale
at the navy yard, Philadelphia, it was announced last
week. There are bass horns, piccolos, cymbals,
drums, trombone?, violins and several other kinds
of instruments. All of the instruments are from
contracts and purchases of the government for use
by the navy bands and orchestras during the war.
They are made according to navy specifications.
The horns are triple silver-plated.
H. J. WERNER, PRESIDENT.
At a recent meeting of the American Photo
Player Co., he!d in San Francisco, H. J. Werner was
elected president. P. C. Jacobus was elected secre-
tary and treasurer, and the following elected vice-
presidents: M. J. Samuels, A. L. Abrams and R.
P. Mathews.
IMPORTANT MEETING OF
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Board of Directors Appoints Delegates to
National Foreign Trade Council Meeting
in San Francisco May 12.
The Board of Directors of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce held a meeting in the offices
of the Chamber, 105 West 40th street, New York
City, March 3, and upon invitation from the National
Foreign Trade Council three delegates were ap-
pointed to attend the convention of that body to be
held in San Francisco, May 12-15, 1920. The theme
of the convention will be: "The Effect of Being a
Creditor Nation."
The following delegates were appointed: George
Q. Chase, Kohler & Chase, San Francisco; Frank
Anrys, Wiley B. Allen, San Francisco, and Walter
S. Gammon, Kohler Industries, San Francisco.
It was reported that no satisfactory office space
had yet been found but that there is reason to expect
that additional space may be obtained from time to
time in the building at 105 West 40th street, now
occupied by the Chamber, so that suitable accommo-
dations will be provided until an entire floor in the
same building can be obtained at a later date. In
the meantime it is planned by Alfred L. Smith, gen-
eral manager, to make more economical use of the
present space by changing some of the partitions.
With the approval of the board, the president re-
appointed the Finance Committee consisting of Paul
B. Klugh, James F. Bowers and Max J. DeRoche-
mont.
A budget of $50,000 was adopted for the work of
the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music.
The matter of creating additional departments of
the Chamber, especially an Export Bureau and a Sta-
tistical Bureau, were discussed at length and ar-
rangements were made to find a man competent to
take charge of the development of the work of the
Export Bureau.
It is also expected that the gathering of necessary
statistical data concerning the music industry will
be commenced immediately.
The attention of the board was called to the de-
sirability of informing bankers of the country of the
true state of affairs in the music industry for the
purpose of placing the industry in a better position
to obtain credit. The necessary statistics will be
gathered and a report prepared and presented to
bankers through meetings of bankers' associations
and Financial papers. The following was voted:
"The general manager and counsel of the Cham-
ber are instructed to immediately take such meas-
ures and prepare such activities as are necessary to
secure the repeal of the present excise taxes; that
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce is in
favor of the proposed gross wholesale sales tax; and
that the Mvisic Industries Chamber of Commerce
favors the abolishment of the excess profits tax."
A. C. DOM IS LATEST MAN
TO JOIN Q R S TRAVELERS
Ten Years' Experience in the Music Roll Business
Qualifies Him for Work.
A. C. Dom, whose name is intimately associated
with the music roll business resigned from the ser-
vice of the Imperial Music Roll Company, Chicago,
on Wednesday of last week, and has joined the trav-
eling forces of the Q. R. S. Company, Chicago.
Mr. Dom lacked one month of completing four
years' service on the road for the Imperial company,
having in that time traveled for it over some 35 to
38 states—over every state except those of the Pa-
cihe Coast.
Prior to joining the Imperial Music Roll Com-
pany, Mr. Dom had been in the music roll business
for other houses for six years. He is still young and
full of pep, and he feels happy in having made this
new connection with Q. R. S. Company.
JONAS WHITNEY DIES.
Jonas Whitney, for nearly 75 years one of the
leading church organ and music instrument manu-
facturers of New England, is dead at the home of
his son, 175 Humboldt avenue, Roxbury, Mass. Mr.
Whitney was of the seventh generation in descent
from John Whitney, who settled in Watertown in
1635. His father, Jonas Prescott Whitney, founded
the organ manufacturing industry in Ashby, moved
to Springfield in 1844 and to Fitchburg in 1847, at
which time the son entered the firm.
Richard Bauer, of Julius Bauer & Company, Chi-
cago piano manufacturers, went out on Sunday to
the place of a friend near Lake Zurich, and spent
the day shooting.
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