Presto

SXO
PRESTO
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT 407 SOUTH DEAR-
BORN STREET, OLD COLONY BUILDING, CHICAGO, ILL.
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
Editors
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234. Private Phones to all De-
partments. Cable Address (Commercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the Post Office, Chicago, Illinois,
under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4. Payable in advance. No extra
charge in U. S. possessions, Canada, Cuba and Mexico.
Address all communications for the editorial or business departments to PRESTO
PUBLISHING CO., 407 So. Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
Advertising Rates:—Five dollars per inch (13 ems pica) for single insertions.
Complete schedule of rates for standing cards and special displays will be furnished
on request. The Presto does not sell its editorial space. Payment Is not accepted for
articles of descriptive character or other matter appearing in the news columns. Busi-
ness notices will be Indicated by the word "advertisement" in accordance with the
Act of August 24, 1912.
Rates for advertising in Presto Year Book Issue and Export Supplements of
Presto will be made known upon application. Presto Year Book and Export issues
have the most extensive circulation of any periodicals devoted to the musical in-
strument trades and industries in all parts of the world, and reach completely and
effectually all the houses handling musical instruments of both the Eastern and West-
ern hemispheres.
Presto Buyers' Guide is the only reliable index to the American Pianos and
Player-Pianos, it analyzes all instruments, classifies them, gives accurate estimates
of their value and contains a directory of their manufacturers.
Items of news and other matter of general interest to the music trades are in-
vited and when accepted will be paid for. All communications should be addressed to
Presto Publishing Co., 407 So. Dearborn Street. Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1920.
TO CORRESPONDENTS.
PRESTO IS ALWAYS GLAD TO RECEIVE NEWS OF THE
TRADE—ALL KINDS OF NEWS EXCEPT PERSONAL SLANDER
AND STORIES OF PETTY MISDEEDS BY INDIVIDUALS. PRESTO
WILL PRINT THE NAMES OF CORRESPONDENTS WHO SEND IN
"GOOD STUFF" OR ARE ON THE REGULAR STAFF. DON'T SEND
ANY PRETTY SKETCHES, LITERARY ARTICLES OR "PEN-PIC-
TURES." JUST PLAIN NEWS ABOUT THE TRADE—NOT ABOUT
CONCERTS OR AMATEUR MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENTS, BUT
ABOUT THE MEN WHO MAKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND
THOSE WHO SELL THEM. REPORTS OF NEW STORES AND
THE MEN WHO MAKE RECORDS AS SALESMEN ARE GOOD. OF-
TEN THE PIANO SALESMEN ARE THE BEST CORRESPONDENTS
BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE TO READ AND HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FINDING OUT WHAT IS "DOING" IN
THE TRADE IN THEIR VICINITY. SEND IN THE NEWS-
ALL YOU CAN GET OF IT—F&PECIALLY ABOUT YOUR OWN
BUSINESS.
November 20,
was, of course, set right and quite a different name will be added to
the list in consequence.
The purpose of what has been said is not to draw attention to
one of the useful phases of a trade paper's work. That part of it is
obvious and, so far as Presto is concerned, there are few days in
which some such service is not performed. The saving, in both
annoyance and money, to the parties interested, could not be quickly
or accurately computed. Any way, it is a part of the trade paper's
work that is freely given and usually passes unknown to any save the
individuals whose misunderstanding of conditions is set right. But
the chief item of interest is much more general and gives emphasis
to the difficulty in finding suitable names for new enterprises.
The trade mark is becoming more and more an essential in the
operations of all ambitious industries. The methods employed, es-
pecially by merchants and manufacturers in some countries abroad,
make the properly protected trade mark invaluable. And, as an ar-
ticle in last week's Presto pointed out, there are countries in which
the only real protection is in the pictorial nature of the trade mark. It
is so in South America, and in China the picture or figure, that stands
for a thing, or for a degree of quality, is the only key, and by it the
public is governed in its purchasing. It is strangely true, further-
more, that in China the color of the wrappings, or the texture of the
article, decides the degree of its welcome. Certain colors, to the
slant-eyed Chinese, mean either merit, or desire, or favor, or they
mean commonplace, cheap or inferior. These are things the Amer-
ican manufacturers are studying, and the picture or trade-mark form
is as important abroad as the proper name is at home.
Speaking of trade names, the troubles which have stirred all
branches of industry have finally invaded the hotels. Just now the
name "Ambassador" has become the center of dispute and the law
courts are to thrash it out to a finish. To the piano man, tired of the
name-disputes that have attended their industry almost from the first,
it must seem that such a name as "Ambassador," as applied to hotels
in cities widely separated might be permissible without doing damage
to any particular caravansary. Other hotel names are duplicated,
and some of them have local significance in scores of communities the
world over.
Nevertheless, the name of "Ambassador" is claimed by one hotel
company, by right of prior use, and, as a trade name dispute, the case
promises to be an instructive one to piano men. And this because,
notwithstanding the many piano name law suits, there is even yet a
hazy understanding as to just what are the rights in the uses of a
familiar name when employed by one who bears it and wants to have
his products also bear it. It is a problem that has been often solved
by learned judges, but usually the solution has presented some ob-
scurities of technique by which the layman may easily be misled into
costly mistakes.
THE NAME PROBLEM
A few weeks ago an active piano man, now at the head of a
spreading industry, consulted this trade paper about the most expe-
ditious plans of procedure by which to win a share of the fall and win-
ter business. He had completed his manufacturing organization and
was ready to take orders. Of course he wanted trade publicity, and
the first thing discussed was the name of his new company. He had
already sent incorporation papers to the state capital and supposed
that the way for clear sailing was settled. And the start he had made
was so far from right as to seem almost characteristic of new-comers
in the piano industry.
The title chosen for the new piano industry was "Lexington."
When the head of the ambitious new industry was told that the
name he had chosen could not be used he was almost indignant in his
demand to know why it could not be used. It was necessary to go
into piano-name tradition, with illustrations of costly litigation, to
convince the gentleman that to try to kidnap one of the offspring of
the Conway Company would probably bring down the wrath of the
alert Boston industry. The end of it was that quite another name
was suggested and adopted.
A second case, almost identical, came up last week when the
manager of a proposed new playerpiano industry called to discuss the
question of a suitable factory location. Within a few moments the
name of the new industry was mentioned and it was identical with
that already in operation and so firmly grounded, as to be both im-
movable and almost invaluable. It was the name of a big Boston
industry which certainly would not permit the new-comer to get far
before putting a stop to its use. The head of the new concern, while
an expert in the technical part of the business, had not been so sit-
uated as to keep track of what is going on in the business and so he
did not know of the Boston industry already in active operation. He
EVERY MAN'S BUSINESS
No one in these days will deny the truth of the ancient axiom that
"the laborer is worthy of his hire." Nor are there many who still re-
fuse to the workers the right to organize for their protection and
social entertainment. But it is probable that not a large proportion
of people understand just what it is in the labor unions that awakens
the opposition of employers. It seems possible that, even in the ranks
of the workers themselves, there is not a full understanding on this
point.
In every large movement there must be, or in any event there are,
principles or underlying motives not designed for general informa-
tion. And it is not at all probable that every detail in the workings
of the labor unions are fully explained to the public understanding.
It is said, and also disputed, that the unions demand absolute control
of the industries where union rules are permitted to have enforce-
ment. But it is not often that the facts are so clearly set forth as in
a recent dispute which centered in a piano factory. There the state-
ment, in support of the union, is so conclusive as to permit of no doubt
concerning what the organization demands. And in that demand
every last vestige of ownership and in the direction and control of
the industry, is turned over to outsiders who not only would regulate
the wage-scale and time of labor, but dictate as to the very men to be
employed and their number.
Could there be any dictatorship more absolute or, in a special in-
dustry demanding expert management, more destructive? What
thinking man could contemplate such a condition in advance of em-
barking in an enterprise and still invest in it? The thought of estab-
lishing an industry and turning over to others, not directly concerned,
every atom of the control that either makes or breaks, would cause
anv man to hesitate. And yet that is the confessed situation under
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