The talking machine world (July-Dec 1922)

138 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD August 15, 1922 WA DMT KJn ♦ ThisMelody is Contagious! yVi^LrVllI 11 1 VP • Onceyou'£et if you cant forget it ! "You carir %o wronfc "J&£# jfo g 1 ^ Wfthan^ISTsonAV^aW J 'CauW Europe's* Latent and Bi££est Fox Trot Tune J J \* 1 1 Jl j J J « goiri, yes, I'm goiitsrith a love thalS ever &rowirito that Coal Black Mammy o mine NEWS FROM DOMINION OF CANADA {Continued from page 137) stand of the Simplex electric motor, manufactured and advertised every month in The Talking Machine World, by the Simplex Electric Phonograph Motor Co., Wilder Building, Montreal. This motor was seen in full operation running continuously without a stop, and was the identical motor that caused such favorable comment at the New York Music Convention. "It certainly should stimulate the sale and interest in phonographs," said Mr. Poulin, "and we intend having it on exhibition again very shortly. Several thousand persons were attracted to our window within three hours' time," concluded Mr. Poulin. The Canadian Graphophone & Piano Co., St. Catherine street, East, likewise had a model on display, which also created considerable interest, the street being blocked at times that made it impossible for pedestrians to pass along. Mr. Bermister, one of the best informed men in the accessory field, intimated that on the occasion of the recent trip to Montreal of Philip E. Grabuski, of Everybody's Talking Machine Co., Philadelphia, arrangements were made whereby he has added to his agencies that of "Honest Quaker" mainsprings, made by that firm. Mr. Bermister has the Canadian agency for a number of American phonograph accessories, and the "Honest Quaker" mainsprings will be an important acquisition. Reginald L. Chilvers, who until January last was sales manager of the Berliner Gramophone Co., Ltd., and whose long connection with that institution has previously been referred to in The World, has linked up with the Manufacturers' Phonograph Co., Inc., of New York City, maker of "Strand" phonographs. The Manufacturers' Phonograph Co., Inc., which Mr. Chilvers will represent in the Canadian territory east of Kingston, is presided over by George W. Lyle. It makes a line of moderately priced, artistically arranged flat-top console phonographs selling in Canada at $165, $210, $250, $275 and $350. Mr. Chilvers will make Montreal his headquarters, his address being 49 Lincoln avenue. With the growing popularity of console designs and the fact that a greatly increased production of console cabinets has brought the price to a figure that almost any reasonably good prospect can afford, Mr. Chilvers is quite optimistic over the field for the Strand consoles in Canada. Emile Berliner, of Washington, inventor of the gramophone, and president of the Berliner Gramophone Co., Ltd.. recently spent a few days in the latter city. While in Montreal Mr. Berliner, who is undoubtedly reputed to be one of the greatest technicians in the talking machine and record art, spent considerable of his time in the record factory examining the changes and improvements which have been made in record manufacturing during the past year. Eugene Widmann, president of the Pathe Co., of New York, visited Montreal and Quebec recently on the occasion of a holiday in Canada. NEW ORLEANS Business Shows Increase — Good Results From Active Sales Campaigns— New Columbia Home — Some Artistic Windows — The News New Orleans, La., August 5. — Nearly all the talking machine stores and departments in this city and vicinity report business on the increase, the good work of June being repeated in July. With this improved business as an incentive the various stores are preparing for an active Fall season by ordering liberal quantities of stock, particularly machines, horizontal and console models receiving the most attention. That people have money now and will buy, provided the proper selling effort is used, was demonstrated recently by J. D. Moore, manager of the talking machine department of the Maison Blanche, who closed out a full carload of machines representing a special purchase. There were not enough of the special-sale machines to meet the demand and a surprising volume of business was switched over to the regular lines handled by the company. Philip Werlein, Ltd., have attracted much attention locally with an elaborate window display, featuring "Stumbling" and "Memphis Blues," some idea of which may be obtained from the accompanying illustration. A real negro jazz band is shown in the background playing for the couple dancing. A big Victor record, with a knockout hole in one side shows just how "Memphis Blues" A Fetching Werlein Window is taking here. The record is six feet in diameter and were it real would take two hours and fortyfive minutes to play. This window was designed entirely by Mr. Powell, manager of the Victrola department. The Columbia Graphophone Co. branch here has not only signed a lease for a big new threestory home on North Peters street, into which it will move at an early date, but has launched a drive on the sale of records which, though only in progress a few days, has been a grand success. A. A. Sparrow, district manager of the Columbia Co., has just returned from visiting two of the local country dealers. These dealers, at Oakdale, and Biloxi, were selected as the ones to begin the house-to-house canvass on records. Prizes, in addition to the usual 10-cent commission on every record, are being offered by the company as a further incentive to the record solicitors. Three prizes will be awarded in every district where a dealer agrees to inaugurate a record contest. The prizes are to be awarded to those selling the highest number of records over a period of four weeks. The three prizes are: a Roamer racing bicycle, a radio receiving set and a leather suitcase lined with silk, with a complete toilet set. The winner of the first prize gets his choice and the second winner his choice of what is left. A unique plan was thought out in Oakdale by one of the dealers. Two or three of the local Boy. Scout troops had just returned from a vacation and their treasure was sadly depleted. At a meeting of the Scouts with the local dealer it was decided that they would start selling records, turning into the. treasury all the commissions collected and have the boys compete for the prizes. The plan is working excellently. "Business is improving every day," said Mr. Sparrow. "We ha-ve just opened up new agencies in El Dorado, Ark., in the center of the oil field, and also in Haynesville, another big oil center in Louisiana. In El Dorado it is the McShilling Furniture Co. and in Haynesville it is the McConnel Furniture Co." Word received from Morgan City, La., from J. J. Goldman tells of how an attractive window netted him seventeen Grafonola sales in two days. He has also ordered, since then, twenty-two Grafonolas by wire. He decorated his window with brand new dollar bills and advertised a dollar sale. A machine could be bought by putting a dollar down. The only other requirement was that they had to buy $10 worth of records. After the sale was over he found that there was not one down payment of less than $10 and also that the demand was bigger than the supply. At Dwyer Piano Co. W. T. Berry, sales manager of the Victrola department, states that business has increased steadily all through the month. Portable and horizontal types have been popular. His record sales have been even better than his Victrola sales. This he attributed to the club plan which he has inaugurated among his old customers. J'. T. Dwyer, president of the company, is away on a four to six weeks' vacation in Santa Fe, N. M. . Ralph Young, at Grunewald's. is very enthusiastic over the showing which his .department has made in the past month. "It is phenomenal," said Mr. Young. "The horizontal Victrola is going like wildfire." C. E. Sadler, of the Victrola department, is leaving the Werlein house to take charge of a Victor branch house in Hammond, La.