Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 1928
NEW GROUP FOR THE
PORTLAND ASSOCIATION
Organization of the Trade in Oregon City
Augmented by Formation of Subsidiary
Body—Other News.
A new group, composed of the phonograph and
record dealers and salesmen has been formed in Port-
land, Ore., as a subsidiary branch of the Oregon
Music Trades Association. There will be no officers,
but a chairman to be appointed by the president of
the Oregon Music Trades Association. The first
meeting of the group was held in the Chamber of
Commerce June S, with an attendance of eighteen
dealers and salesmen. Warde W. Robinson of the
Hyatt Music Company presided and was appointed
by Sidney Johnson, president of the group, to act as
chairman.
A spirited program was given for the initial meeting
and many excellent suggestions and sales helps were
made by those entering the discussion. Richard Mont-
gomery of the J. K. Gill Company discussed the
record broadcasting; George Skiff of the advertising
department of the Oregon Journal spoke of the value
of advertising the phonograph; George Fullman, man-
ager of the wholesale record department of the Bruns-
wick-Balke-Collender Company suggested getting the
cooperation of the music critic of the daily papers and
a petition was drawn and signed by those present.
Randall Bargelt, Oregon representative of the Colum-
bia Company, spoke on merchandising ideas used by
other dealers and W. Evans, sales manager of the
Northwest Victor Distributing Company of Seattle
who was present, gave some very helpful sugges-
tions on sales promotion of the portable phonograph.
Mr. Robinson announced that monthly meetings
would be held by the group.
/
The thirteenth annual convention of the Oregon
Music Teachers' Association was held at Medford,
Ore., the last week in May anl was attended by sev-
eral hundred teachers from various parts of the state.
John H. Dundore, Haddorff Piano Company's rep-
resentative of Portland, Ore., with headquarters in
the Terminal Sales Building of that city, has sold
two handsome Haddorff pianos to the Purdy Music
Company of 167 Broadway, Portland. Mr. Purdy and
his talented musical assistants are greatly pleased
with the exceptional tone qualities of the instruments.
BLUFFTON CHAMBER ON
H. G. BAY CO. AFFAIRS
Members Encouraged at Possibilities of Re-
opening Big Piano Plant, Temporarily at
Least, to Finish Pianos in the Making.
The affairs of the H. C. Bay Co. were discussed at
a meeting this week of the Bluffton Chamber of Com-
merce at which Elmore D. Sturgis, chairman of the
industrial committee, gave a report of the meeting
of creditors of the company at Chicago. Mr. Sturgis,
who attended that meeting as a member of a com-
mittee from the Bluffton Chamber of Commerce,
stated that the creditors appointed a sub-committee,
which made the flolowing recommendations:
1. That a receiver be appointed to look after the
Chicago offices and property of the company and thus
permit the regular receiver, William M. Frazee of
R.ushville, to devote his time to looking after the
larger interests at Bluffton. Mr. Sturgis stated that
Attorney Mitchell Follansbee of Chicago, attorney
for the majority of creditors, had informed him that
day that an Illinois man had already been appointed
receiver for the Chicago property.
2. That a schedule of property be filed as soon as
possible.
3. That finished pianos at the plant be sold. Bay
officials have stated that they already have orders for
the pianos now finished.
4. That unfinished pianos and those that have
been returned as shop-worn be completed.
Mr. Sturgis stated that the majority of creditors
favored the opening of the plant for working up the
material on hand. They estimated that there was
enough material at the plant right now to finish 1,600
pianos. He also said that as many of the creditors
were at the Music Trade convention in New York
another meeting would be called when they returned,
at which time a recommendation to inspect the plant
of the H. C. Bay Co. in Bluffton would be presented.
Mr. Sturgis stated that "one creditor, who was a
distributor, estimates that the trade would use 150,000
pianos this year. One eastern Bay piano distributor
stated he thought the outlook for the trade was much
better. He stated that Bay pianos were of much
higher quality the past year or so and that his busi-
ness was improving. He said he had placed a $65,000
order for Bay pianos a few days before the plant
closed."
In giving reasons for the Bay company failure, Mr.
Sturgis stated one of the contributing factors was
the opening by the company of five retail stores in
Chicago.
According to O. E. Lestino, who has been superin-
tendent of the Bay piano factory at Bluffton for three
years, there is a movement among stockholders in
the company and several Chicago specialists to re-
organize the company and take over the plant within
the next few months and start it going with sufficient
capital to insure its continuous operation. Mr. Les-
tino is very much encouraged over the prospects.
$2 The Year
AIDS TO PIANO
SALES PROMOTION
Frederick P. Bassett, First Vice-President of
National Piano Manufacturers 1 Association,
Points to Sales Promotional Work on
Which Dealers Should Realize.
The 36th annual convention of the National Piano
Manufacturers' Association was more than usually
important in that it emphasized the attitude of the
organization in its relation to piano promotion, is the
opinion of Frederick P. Bassett, secretary and treas-
CITY OF MUSIC BEING
BUILT IN LOS ANGELES
Promoters Erect Unique Structures for Exhibit
at International Pageant of Music
Which Opens June 26.
The first Los Angeles "International Pageant of
Music and Exposition" will be held at Ambassador
Auditorium, June 18 to 30 under auspices of the
Southern California Music Trade Association and the
Western Music Trades Association.
Interest in the event is intensified due to the annual
convention of the Western Music Trades Association,
of which E. H. Uhl, Los Angeles, is president, being
scheduled to take place at the Ambassador June 26,
27 and 28. Hundreds of musical instrument house
executives are expected to attend, according to A. G.
Farquharson, secretary.
The pageant and exposition is being erected as a
"city of music," and is calculated to have a tremen-
dous public appeal. Its fundamental purpose will
be the establishing of music as an indispensable fac-
tor in the homes of people of the Southwest, accord-
ing to Waldo T. Tupper, nationally known exposi-
tion man, who is managing director. Expectations
are that 250,000 persons will attend during the two
weeks of the show. Scores of national distributors
and manufacturers have arranged to put their output
on display, and everything possible, according to Mr.
Uhl, is being done to cause a new interest in music to
manifest itself throughout the southwest.
SCHILLER IN MINNESOTA
John M. Banks, doing some special road work in
Minnesota for the Schiller Piano Co., Oregon, HI.,
reports very encouraging successes in sales. Since
the beginning of spring the business has been stead-
ily improving, he said, and the last thirty days' sales
of Schiller instruments have exceeded those of any
similar period for over a year. "Dealers everywhere
in the state are interested in the Schiller models,"
said Mr. Banks this week, "because of their up-to-date
character. They consider them wonderful develop-
ments in piano construction based on sound, scientific
principles."
P^REDERICK P. BASSETT.
urer of the M. Schulz Company, Chicago, who was
elected first vice-president of the piano manufacturers'
national organization last week.
"The continuation of the national piano promotion
plans and the increase in their scope is an acknowl-
edgement of the responsibility of the association in
the scheme of sales," said Mr. Bassett. "The thor-
oughness of the methods employed and their wonder-
fully comprehensive character promise still greater
success for the promotional efforts.
"The educational manner in which the promotion
plans were shown and explained to the dealers at the
convention should result in greater dealer co-opera-
tion with the object of the activities. The public is
absorbing the publicity for the piano launched by the
manufacturers and the reaction is expressed by an
increase in sales and a more pronounced interest in
the instrument. That naturally encourages a more
intelligent and active sales effort in order to capitalize
the work of the national sales campaign.
'"It is up to the dealer to properly present the piano
to the prospects and this is rendered easier by the
creation of a more receptive frame of mind in the
public by such promotional efforts as those launched
by the National Piano Manufacturers' Association."
WM. M. MUELLER'S ESTATE.
MANAGER'S HOME BURNED.
The personal estate of the late William M. Mueller,
Baltimore piano merchant, who died April 24, last,
was appraised at $52,840.45 in an inventory filed in
the Orphans' Court of Baltimore. An inventory of
debts due the estate, amounting to $168,877.37, also
was filed. Mr. Mueller was the founder of the Wil-
liam M. Mueller Piano Shops, located at 506 South
Third street, 1438 North Gay street and 3052 West
North avenue, which he maintained for many years.
The home of Clarence H. Dusenberry, manager of
Grinnell Bros, music store at Pontiac, Mich., burned
last week when lightning struck the house, causing a
fire which burned it to the ground. The loss is esti-
mated at $5,000. Included among the things de-
stroyed were a collection of war trophies, reputed to
be one of the most complete private collections from
the World War in that section of the state, belonging
to Mr. Dusenberry.
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