The Edison phonograph monthly (Mar 1905-Feb 1906)

EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY. NEW RECORD SHIPMENTS ABOUT THE FIRST. In the February issue of the Phonograph Monthly we printed a paragraph to the effect that our manufacturing facilities had made it possible to establish a fixed schedule for Record shipments each month. It was stated that if orders were received by the ioth of the month, we would be able to make shipment about the 25th. This seemed quite possible at that time, but the tremendous increase in business in the past three months has made it practically impossible to live up to such a schedule. The best that we have been able to do is to ship the Records about the 1st of the month. Since the business shows no signs whatever of letting up in volume, it has been decided to advise the trade that shipment of the new Records for the month will not be promised before between the 25th and the 1st of each month hereafter. Fixing the time for shipment at the 25th and not being able to ship until about the 1st has caused have been led to believe that the Records would be shipped from Orange about the 25th of the month and have kept asking why their orders were not filled until the 1st of the month, or later. The trade will, therefore, understand that until there is a decided falling off in business, the Records of the month will not be shipped until as near the 1st of the month as circumstances will permit. This will probably make it nearly the 5th of the month before the Records will be in the hands of the Jobbers and ready for re-shipment to Dealers. DON'T SEND ORDERS TO FACTORY. Notwithstanding what has been printed and written from time to time many Jobbers and Dealers still occasionally send orders direct to the factory at Orange. Instead of facilitating the filling of such orders, this causes a delay. Orders sent to Orange and belonging to the New York territory are sent to New York without receiving any attention whatever. In the same way orders received from Chicago territory are sent to the Chicago office. To get the best attention, Jobbers and Dealers should send all orders to the sales offices in the territory in which they are located, that is, either New York, Chicago or San Francisco, and not send direct to the factory. This refers to telegraphic orders as well as mail orders. The National Phonograph Co. has leased a store at 251 and 253 West Broadway, New York, which will be utilized as a warehouse and shipping depot for its export department. The new premises, ready for occupancy May 1, will greatly facilitate this rapidly-expanding branch of the company's business. A GOOD TALKING POINT. The Record-making possibilities of the Edison Phonograph are not given the proper attention by many Dealers. As a result, they often fail to make sales when an explanation of this feature would induce many doubtful persons to become owners of machines. Every Dealer who desires to make a success of the Edison line should study up the matter of making Records in order to be able to demonstrate it to his customers, and he should never lose an opportunity of presenting it as a selling argument. The average owners of Phonographs cannot make Records with the volume and tone of those turned out by this company, for the latter have been the result of years of work and experimentation, but they can make them so successfully as to furnish them with lots of amusement in the making and give them a series of Records that will be fully as interesting to his friends as any that he can buy. Dealers should learn how to make Records, not only to sell the Phonograph itself, but because when used for Record making a sale also includes a recording horn, shaved blanks and other accessories. Then, too, the Dealer who can give his customers points on making Records is going to have more people come to him for information and their coming will be followed by sales. Many Dealers may think that it is a troublesome matter to learn to make Records, but they will be surprised to find how little trouble it really is if they go about it in the right manner. NO " TRADE " CONTRACTS. Newspaper publishers frequently ask us to give them a contract for advertising and pay for the same with Edison Phonograph and Records. Our reply is to point to the clause in our Dealers' contract in which we prohibit the trade from making contracts of this character. We state that to be consistent we cannot do it ourselves, and have therefore made it a rule to make no contracts of this character. With all the advertising that we are doing, we have not a single contract on any other than a cash basis. TRAFFIC MANAGER. F. A. Voullaire was on April 17th appointed Traffic Manager of the National Phonograph Co. It will be Mr. Voullaire's duty to look after routing, freight rates and freight claims. He has had a long experience in this line of work with other large manufacturing companies and his knowledge of transportation matters will enable us to give the trade much better service in the matter of shipments.