Presto

May 1, 1920.
PRESTO
FAVOR FOR SUMMER
CONVENTIONS EXPRESSED
President Hamilton of Merchants' National
Association Issues Questionnaire to Learn
Opinion of Members.
Mr. Piano Merchant, what season of the year is
your choice for holding a national convention of
the piano trade? Which do you favor, summer or
winter? To learn your views a questionnaire will
he mailed to you when it is prepared. Intimation
of that fact comes in a letter from E. Paul Hamilton,
president of the National Association of Music
Merchants under date of April 22. Mr. Hamilton
writes to members as follows:
The best of things done at the wrong time may turn
into failure. There is a time and a place for almost
everything. Various members of our association ad-
vised me that if our conventions are held in Febru-
ary or any other winter month, they will positively
not attend. It was pointed out that while the
weather during our last convention was undoubtedly
extreme in its severity, the fact remains that Febru-
ary and March nearly always, are the epidemic
months for influenza and colds, that traveling is un-
pleasant—frequently difficult—sometimes impossible.
Under these circumstances T think it is only right
and proper to obtain the opinions of all members,
because our conventions are held for the benefit of
our Industry as a whole, and for this reason a ques-
tionnaire is being prepared and will soon be sent to
every active and associate member of our Associa-
tion. It is hoped that the membership will not fail
to return the questionnaire immediately, so that
complete results may be placed before the Execu-
tive Committee and Advisory Board at the meetings
be held on June 25th and 26th at Atlantic City,
e also propose to ask our membership to voice
opinions en the Music Show subject. Of course,
a fact that whether we have Music Shows or
ot, is a matter for the manufacturers to decide.
They alone bear the burden of expense and labor,
but the manufacturers may possibly be anxious to
know the merchants' views and for this reason only,
have I decided to place the question before the mem-
bership.
Publicity is given to this statement so that our
membership may have ample opportunity and time
to discuss and consider the two points in question
and promptly return the questionnaire immediately
on receipt of same. There is a time and place for
everything. Now let us be sure that we hold our
convention at the proper time.
PIANO DEMONSTRATIONS
FOUND GOOD PUBLICITY
MILWAUKEE DEALER'S AFFLICTION.
Portland, Ore., Prospects Respond to Judicious
Methods of Dealers in Showing Artistic
Merits of Goods.
Mrs. Anna M. Ross, wife of August C. Ross, presi-
dent of the Ross, Schefft & Weinman Piano Co., 92
Mason street, Milwaukee, passed away at the family
residence, 2803 Chestnut street, on April 21, at the
age of 61 years. Mrs. Ross achieved wide note in
the realm of art, being a painter of portraits and still
life of national prominence. Only a short time ago
Mrs. Ross was honored by the Milwaukee Art Insti-
tute, which gave a special exhibit of her works.
Critics had high praise for the delicacy of touch and
unusual sense of color.
CHAS. F. THOMPSON IN NEW YORK.
Popular piano man, "Charlie"' Thompson, until re-
cently manager of the Smith, Barnes & Strohber Pi-
ano Co.'s branch in Detroit, has gone to New York
to enter some other line of business. Mr. Thomp-
son was formerly a prosperous piano merchant and
manufacturer in Chicago. He later went on the
road for the Smith, Barnes & Strohber Piano Co.,
and two years ago took charge of the store in De-
troit. His next embarkation has not yet been de-
cided upon.
SHIP WEST BUT NOT EAST.
"We can ship West but not East under present
strike conditions," said H. L. Draper, vice-president
of The Cable Company, to a Presto representative
on Tuesday of this week. The strike is interfering
with shipments to and from New York. Chicago
manufacturers feel it, but not as keenly as those of
New York, which city is completely tied up.
IOWA MUD HINDERS TRADE.
"Iowa is wetter than ever this spring," said a
returned Chicago traveler who has been trying to
make sales at small towns in that state within the
last two weeks. "All unpaved or ungraveled roads
are seas of slush, and this interferes with getting
pianos delivered to farmers and prevents the farm-
ers from coming into the towns."
Lipman, Wolfe & Co. and the G. F. Johnson
Piano Co., Portland, Ore,, sent out 7,000 invitations
to a complimentary recital, which was given at the
Public Auditorium on Tuesday night, April 21, to a
capacity audience, when Leo Ornstein, the young
star in the piano firmament, appeared and gave a
comparison recital with the famous reproducing
piano, the Ampico. Future generations will enjoy
what that huge audience enjoyed on Tuesday night,
owing to the perfection of the invention, which we
call the Ampico. Ornstein is a great artist and his
reproductions on the great reproducer were hardly
second to his own playing on the piano, which we
were told was neither Knabe nor Chickering, but a
happy combination of both. That it would take a
trained musician's ear to detect the difference is
quite certain, and the question is, could anyone hon-
estly detect it?
Baby grands are the thing in Portland, especially
at Oregon Eilers Music House. As soon as a Bush
& Gerts baby grand was unpacked on Monday it was
sold to one of the officials of the United States Na-
tional Bank. A Decker miniature mahogany, a small
Chickering grand, a Steger baby grand (used one),
were among the small grands sold. Other larger
instruments were sold to a number of prominent
people in this vicinity—a Chickering concert grand, an
Autopriano player grand, a Chase Brothers, a Player
De Luxe, and a Newman Bros, were a few among
the week's sales. Some very fine styles of Newman
Bros., of Chicago, have arrived and also some pianos
from Wegman, of Newark, N. J.
Ed. Martin, who was with the Baldwin Piano Co.,
of San Francisco, is a new piano salesman with the
Bush & Lane Piano Co., of Portland.
The Mason & Hamlin piano which was used at the
concert in Portland, Ore., given by the famous bari-
tone, Riccardo Stracciari, and Francesco Longo,
pianist, was furnished for the occasion by the Wiley
B. Allen Co. The magnificent tone and beautiful
appearance of the instrument elicited much favorable
comemnt.
OPEN DOORS IN NEW
PIANO SELLING VENTURES
Opportunity Seen and Grasped by Vigorous Onea
in the Piano Selling Field.
There Is Only One
De Luxe Player Action
When we arranged with Thomas Danquard
some years ago for the use of his famous Danquard
Patents, that arrangement was amply protected.
The several decisions against Danquard patent in-
fringes have proven that.
It has been our steadfast policy that in mechan-
ical perfection and artistic excellence there should
be one and only one supreme player action—the
De Luxe Player Action.
The Auto De Luxe Welte-Mignon Re-
producing Action (Licensed)
Operating under the original Welte-Mignon pat-
ents we have improved upon these patents through
the addition of our own De Luxe Player Action
features to such an extent that this resultant re-
producing action has achieved a place all its own.
There are weighty reasons why Auto De Luxe
Welte-Mignon
Reproducing Action
(Licensed)
should be represented in instruments on every
dealer's floor.
We invite correspondence.
AUTO PNEUMATIC ACTION
COMPANY
Wm. J. Keeley, President,
619 West 50th Street,
New York
L
m
The Bruce Piano Co., of Sprinfield, has arranged
to open a branch store at Rushville, 111.
Lyon & Healy of Chicago, wholesale and retail
dealers in musical instruments, will open a retail
store in Mishawaka, Ind., about May 1. A five year
lease has been taken on the building at 109 North
Main street.
The Jessup Piano Company, Wilmington, Del.,
located at 106 West Tenth street, is now having a
special display of pianos, players, and phonographs.
Mr. Jessup is well known there. He managed the
local branch of the Stieff Piano Co., at Ninth and
Market streets for several years.
Hernert R. Winsch, of East Greenville, Pa., last
week bought the property and store at 228 Main
street, East Greenville. He will open a music store
in his newly acquired property.
H. T. Dewirst has sold his interest in a music
store at Redlands, Cal., to Mrs. E. Stevenson.
BRANCH IN PARSONS, KANS.
W. J. Simonson of the Kansas City, Mo. branch
of the Smith, Barnes & Strohber Company was in
Parsons, Kansas, last week inspecting the new branch
store there. The busy center of Labette County is
a promising field for the distribution of pianos and
players. Besides being a favorite market place for
a rich agricultural population Parsons has many
thriving manufactures. It also has large railroad
repair and car shops.
FAMINE IN EXECUTIVES.
According to a close student of store affairs, says
the New York Times, over 5,000 executives are re-
quired at the present moment to meet the needs of
the department stores of the country, and either
some provision will have to be made to train men
fitted for this work through an agency outside of the
store or else a means adopted of bringing out exist-
ing talent in the stores themselves.
T. J. Mercer, of the Gulbransen-Dickinson Com-
pany, Chicago, is on a short trip through Ohio for
that house.
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