Presto

June 11, 1927.
PRESTO-TIMES
bub by the rest of the association that so and
so has broken a rule, and we are more con-
cerned over the breaking of a rule—maybe it
The American Miuic Trade Weekly
is a very important rule at that—than we are
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn over the big fundamentals that an association
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
really should be formed for.
C. A. OANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT •
"We do tackle the troubles in our business,
Editors
but we tackle them as a forum for discussion
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
of our problems. We have monthly dinner
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
meetings where we throw these troubles on
Entered as Second-cja=s matter Jan. 29, 1896,
Post Office, Chicago, Illinois, under Act of March
the table, and we get up and express ourselves
Subscription, $2 ft year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, 94.
—the little man and the big man. In the
Payable In advance. No extra charge In United States
possessions. Cuba and Mexico, Rates for advertising on
course of these discussions it is evident that
application.
there
is a good and right and proper way of
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if
of general interest to the music trade will be paid for transacting certain phases of our business. No-
at space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen body has to abide by anything that we agree
in the smaller cities are the best occasional corre-
to by our applause or by the fact that the
spondents, and their assistance is invited.
majority who talked on that subject seem to
Payment is not accepted for matter printed in the
favor that particular method. There is no
editorial or news columns of Presto-Times.
Where half-tones are made the actual cost of pro- agreement, no necessity for anybody to say, 'I
duction will be charged if of commercial character, will do that.'
or other than strictly news interest.
"We feel that if anybody after attending
When electrotypes are sent for publication it is
requested that their subjects and senders be carefully these meetings for a number of months and
indicated.
hearing the majority get up and agree that this
Forms close at noon every Thursday. News mat- is the proper way to do a certain thing, then
ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the doesn't do it and continue to do business at a
same day. Advertising copy should be in hand before
Tuesday, five p. m., to insure preferred position. Full loss because he does these strange things that
page display copy should be in hand by Monday noon many music merchants have been guilty of do-
preceding publication day. Want advs. for current
week, to insure classification, must not be later than ing, he is to be pitied and not to be censured.
Wednesday noon.
He is a fit prospect for an insane asylum, not
Address all communications for the editorial or business a penitentiary.
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
"We feel that the main fundamental of our
association is to give a service to our members
SATURDAY. JUNK 11, 1927.
on the problems that are acute."
The last form of Presto-Times goes to press
at 11 a. m. Thursday. Any news transpiring
Mr. R. G. Knuepfer, Lawrence, Mass., hum-
after that hour cannot be expected in the cur- bly took a seat on the mourners' bench at the
rent issue. Nothing received at the office that merchants' convention this week and declared:
is not strictly news of importance can have
attention after 9 a. m. on Thursday. If they "I am the president of the oldest music organ-
concern the interests of manufacturers or ization in this country. It is so old that it is
dealers such items will appear the week follow- dead, but I am going to say right here that the
ing. Copy for advertising designed for the trumpet has sounded. We are putting a little
current issue must reach the office not later new life into the organization and I am going
than Wednesday noon of each week.
to say that I got this spirit from the Southern
California Association two years ago when I
As Presto Times goes to press on Thursday was out there at your convention. I found
noon, some of the later convention incidents that it was the good fellowship that they had
are necessarily left out of this issue. Next there that got them together and held them
week, however, the facts needed to complete so."
the records of the big gathering in Chicago
* * *
will be printed.
Missouri has no state association of music
dealers, but Mr. Pat Conroy of St. Louis says
FUNCTION OF TRADE ASSOCIA- that old Mp. will reverse its regular procedure
and show instead of requiring to be shown.
TIONS
Mr. Shirley Walker, of Sherman, Clay & "Seeing the good work in other states, there is
Co., San Francisco, and president of the Music no reason why Missouri should not have a
Trades Association of Northern California, state organization. I am firmly convinced
contributed a definition of the music trade as- that with the proper agitation and getting the
sociation in which he set forth its functions. dealers to realize how important a state asso-
His view, which is that of his state association, ciation is, I feel that in the next twelve months
takes into consideration the human nature of we can get them all interested so that Mis-
association members which resents intolerant souri will come within the favored organized
interference in the operation of one's business: states."
* * *
"We feel that a trade association is not an
Conducting"
a
newly
elected president of
organization to legislate how the other fellow
the
National
Piano
Manufacturers
Associa-
is to transact his business. That, we feel, is
tion
has
always
heretofore
been
performed
by
the old idea of a trade association and it is the
Col.
E.
S.
Payson.
This
week,
in
the
absence
idea upon which many associations have been
wrecked. None of us is perfect; I don't care of Col. Payson, Mr. Mark P. Campbell was
how big or how important we think we are in deputed for the office. It was without any
the industry. We often do things that we feel lugubrious intent that Mr. Campbell said:
"The thought comes to me that this is our
we can do that the other fellow cannot.
thirtieth
anniversary, and there is but one man
"Where we have resolutions and codes of
present
who
was at the first meeting, thirty
ethics and laws and rules on our minute books
years
ago."
stating what should be done or what should
* * *
not be done, the sun doesn't set before one of
Mr. F. P. Stieff, president of the Maryland
those rules is broken. The minute one of
those rules is broken, then there is a big hub- Music Trades Association, says he and his
fellow promoters "had a little difficulty at first
in persuading the dealers that anything defi-
nite could be accomplished. Fortunately there
was some state legislation that came up at
that particular moment which I won't go into
detail about at present, which made it very
vitally necessary that some considered action
be taken on it. This brought us together."
* * *
The hurricane which was disastrous to prop-
erty in Florida this year caused an adjourn-
ment of plans to form a state association there
according to Mr. S. E. Philpitt, the prominent
Miami music dealer, who said: "We have had
a meeting of probably eight piano dealers, the
more prominent dealers, and we decided that
the time was inopportune to get together. I
hope in another year some authentic and favor-
able report can be made."
In alluding to piano contests in his address
before the music merchants at the Stevens
Hotel this week, Mr. Shirley Walker of the
Music Trades Association of Northern Cali-
fornia, said : "That is a job we immediately
froze on to. When Frank Bayley sprang this
thing on the United States we saw the value
of it immediately, jumped into the game, and
are going to have one next year."
-V"
*4"
*I*
Every member knew that Mr. Frank Bayley
spoke in reverse English on contest day at the
convention when he said: "I am going to
make a rotten speech because I have nothing
prepared." Those about to leave the hall sat
down again. They knew Mr. Bayley is always
prepared to talk on piano contests.
* * *
The Indiana State Association of the Music
Dealers was "founded on an inspiration," ac-
cording to Mr. Joel B. Ryde, president of that
body. But he says he should thank Mr. Uhl
and Mr. Will Hamilton for helping him to
bring the inspiration to realization.
* * *
Many state associations are created and held
together by the instinct for self-preservation.
Dangerous legislation for the music trade in-
troduced in the Legislature of Pennsylvania
has kept the dealers there acting shoulder to
shoulders to oppose the measures.
* * *
The actual cost of the piano playing tour-
nament in Chicago this week was $26,524 in
money spent by the Herald and Examiner,
plus the energy and wise promotion plans of
the director and the committee and the finan-
cial and moral aid of the music houses.
* * *
Mr. Walters, president of the new Texas
State Association, modestly alluded to it as "a
baby organization" at the merchants' conven-
tion this week. "Knowing the state, it is
natural to expect quick growth," interjected
Mr. Uhl.
* * *
One of the most gratified men in the audi-
ence at the piano playing tournament at the
Stevens Hotel, Wednesday night, was Mr.
Charles E. Byrne who, in it, saw his idea
realized in a most successful manner.
* * *
Group instruction in piano playing is merely
a revival not a creation, according to Mr. W.
Otto Miessner, who says the system was used
in St. Petersburg, Russia, as far back as 1867.
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