Presto

August 23, 1924.
PRESTO
CREATING
A
SENSATION
IN
THE PIANO
WORLD
Never has there been cre-
ated a line of automatic
pianos so e s p e c i a l l y
adapted for handling by
the regular piano trade
as the
SEEBURG
Pianos of genuine musical
merit, a pneumatic mech-
anism of exceptional reli-
ability and durability and
art case designs which
mark a new departure in
this class of instruments.
Style "K T" with its
many musical combina-
tions is meeting with
remarkable favor.
Let us give you par-
ticulars.
J. P. SEEBURG
PIANO CO.
CHICAGO
General Offices: 1510 Dayton St.
Factory 1508-16 Dayton St.
i
NEW SERVICE TO WEST
FOR PIANO SHIPPERS
F. T. Randall Appointed Traffic Manager of
Central Manufacturing District, Inc., Effec-
tive Sept. 1, Will Serve Piano Industries.
Clients of Central'Manufacturing District, Incor-
porated, of Los Angeles, have a new service being
prepared for them—a traffic department, which will
assist them in solving all shipping problems affecting
their industries and their markets, including that of
Los Angeles. This service will be inaugurated on
September 1.
F. T. Randall, for twenty years traffic manager for
Lyon & Healy, Chicago, with shipments all over the
world, will head the new department as traffic man-
ager. Mr. Randall's Lyon & Healy experience is
augmented by many years service with various rail-
roads. He is familiar with all routing to the great
markets of the United States and abroad, as well as
the problems of the transportation lines.
The establishment of this new service will mean
that any industry of the Central Manufacturing Dis-
trict may secure immediate and accurate informa-
tion pertaining to freight rates, routings, methods of
packing, requirements of the carriers, claims, etc.—
in short, any and all information bearing on traffic
matters. This new service will supplement the work
of the newly established District research department
in aiding new industries to operate most successfully
in the rich Los Angeles market.
In addition to his post with Central Manufacturing
District, Incorporated, Mr. Randall will serve West-
land Distribution & Storage Warehouse Company as
traffic counselor to all concerns contracting for West-
land space and service. With his musical instrument
experience covering two decades, Mr. Randall is par-
ticularly well informed in the matter of shipping and
storing pianos.
"Los Angeles offers a particularly rich field for the
manufacturer of pianos," Mr. Randall said, "more
high-priced instruments are sold in the Los Angeles
territory than anywhere else in the country, and yet
not one is manufactured there. All are shipped from
New York, Chicago, or other eastern manufacturing
centers. One piano man told me that he sells 1500
pianos in Los Angeles yearly. That's a lot of pianos
—seventy-five carloads.
"Pianos are classified as first class freight with a
railroad rate from Chicago territory of $5.10 a hun-
dred pounds LCL. But the commodity of LCL rate of
$4.82 a hundred may be got on pianos. The carload
rate is $2.50, and because Los Angeles is such a good
market, piano manufacturers always should be able
to ship in carload lots, providing, of course, they
cultivate that market.
"Some New York manufacturers ship pianos
through the Panama Canal at $1.00 per 100 pounds.
This is a good saving, which helps to offset the extra
cost of boxing for each instrument must be boxed
for water shipment—and the extra time by ship.
"Upright pianos are shipped best in carload lots
'harnessed' together, that is to say, screwed to the
floor, unboxed. This affords a great saving in space,
lumber and freight charges. Grand pianos, however
—and the sale of grand pianos is increasing by leaps
and bounds—must all be boxed.
"Boxing adds approximately $11.00 to the cost of
shipping each instrument by rail—$5.00 for the box,
$5.00 for freight on the box, and $1.00 for boxing.
"Pianos require special skill in handling. They
must be stored in a dry warehouse and moved by
experienced handlers. Los Angeles is an ideal place
for pianos—dry and even in temperature. It has
great advantages over the East where extremes of
temperature must be guarded against carefully."
Under Mr. Randall's direction a special piano de-
partment will be developed in Westland Warehouse.
There pianos will be handled systematically, in large
numbers, at uniformly low rates. Both dealers and
manufacturers will be accorded the best possible
NEW INCORPORATIONS
IN MUSIC GOODS TRADE
New and Old Concerns Secure Charters in Various
Places.
The National Music Co., Milwaukee; $10,000; to
manufacture, buy and sell musical instruments and
music; C. E. Schuette, H. Rosenthal, E. P. Schuette
and P. Rosenthal.
Renier Music House, Dubuque, la.; amendment to
articles of incorporation calling for board of directors
of three and changing date of annual meeting of
stockholders.
Murray-Vollmar Music Co., Inc., St. Louis, Mo.;
$6,000; to manufacture, publish and deal in musical
compositions, musical instruments and appliances.
Murt Murray, Walter W. Vollmar, Adolph C. Voll-
mar, Walter P. Murray.
The Baldwin Piano Co. of Indiana, with offices in
Indianapolis, Ind.; has redeemed $150,000 of pre-
ferred stock, according to notification sent the Secre-
tary of State.
The Sitter Jewelry & Music Co., 6404 St. Clair
avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, has been chartered with an
authorized capital of $1,000 to deal in, buy, sell and
repair musical instruments. Mary Sitter, Max Sit-
ter, William Sitter, William A. Sitter and Anna Sitter.
SPOKANE PIANO MAN ON
LONG TRIP BY AUTO
R. B. Oslund Makes St. Paul in Four Days,
and Visits Factories in Other Cities Where
His Lines Are Made.
Piano men are often very fast drivers—after busi-
ness. But one of the fastest drivers among the tour-
ists by auto who have stopped at Chicago and other
prominent piano points called at Presto offices on
Wednesday of this week. He is R. B. Oslund, of the
Oslund Piano House, 1216 Broadway avenue, Spo-
kane, Wash.
And it would do any piano dealer or salesman who
is troubled with the "dumps" because of the dull-
times talk habit to hear Mr. Oslund do some talking
in his way. He is one of the piano men who be-
lieves that the business is never any worse than the
dealers permit it to be. Hear him:
"In Spokane the best business just now is the
automobile business. Next is the piano business, and
the other lines, while not up to par, are not bad and
trail on down from the two best—autos and pianos.
I have not a word to say but that trade is good with
us, and that it gives promise of being ever better."
The motto of the Oslund Piano House is brief and
meaningful. It is "Four Years to Pay"—that is all,
and Mr. Oslund abides by it. He is one of the kind
of dealers who "carries his paper" and sells only
reliable instruments. He features the Brinkerhoff
line and the Settergren Grands, of both of which he
is enthusiastic.
"I can sell Settergrens against the world," he said.
And this: "I sell Brinkerhoff pianos, and there isn't
a piano on earth which could supplant it in my store."
That's loyalty worth while.
Mr. Oslund and his party came through from Spo-
kane to St. Paul, Minnesota, in four days. That's
"going some." On one stretch he traveled 450 miles
in 9 hours. That's better than the fastest trains
make it. What would they do to Mr. Oslund in
New York or Chicago if he came trundling down the
avenue at that gait! But he wouldn't do it, and his
speed was made on lone stretches of road far apart.
"We stopped at many places en route," said the
Spokane piano man, "and we have visited some very
fine piano factories. We put in a day at Bluffton,
Indiana, where we visited the Bay and the Setter-
gren factories. We also went out -to the fine Pack-
ard factory at Fort Wayne, and were courteously re-
ceived, although the Packard is handled by another
house in my territory. We made Chicago the turn-
ing point, and are returning homeward after a de-
lightful trip eastward."
If all piano men possessed the same kind of en-
thusiasm that moves Mr. Oslund, of Spokane, there
would be no talk about dull times. He is a thor-
ough piano man who loves the business and is mak-
ing a success of it because he loves it. And he has
acquired the substantial means of doing the business
as it should be done to make it profitable.
SCHMOLLER & MUELLER
CONTEST IS ANNOUNCED
Third Annual Event of Music Firm in Sioux City,
la., Encourages Vocal Art.
Another vocal scholarship contest for the encour-
agement of music in Sioux City, la., has been an-
nounced by the Schmoller & Mueller Piano Co., of
that city. It is the third annual event of the kind
promoted by the company and the contest this year
will be the most important ever carried out. The
dates set are September 3, 4 and 5 when twelve
scholarships will be awarded to the twelve best un-
trained voices in and about Sioux City.
Six of the scholarships announced will be given to
girls and six to boys, and six prominent music
schools in the city will undertake the training of the
winners. There will be no restrictions and the con-
testants may select their own songs.
The Robelen Piano Co., 710 Market street, Wil-
mington, Del., is making extensive alterations to the
store. A new front is being installed.
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