The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1907)

35 HAPPENINGS IN THE EMERALD ISLE. Prosperous Trade Being Enjoyed This Winter — Some Novelties in "Talkers" — Unique New Year's Greeting — The Whistling Language Exploited. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Belfast, Ireland, Dec. 31, 1906. North of Ireland dealers have been enjoying a specially prosperous winter's trade, and they look forward hopefully to the first three months of the new year for the completion of what they are certain will be a I'ecord season's output of talking machines and records. Altliough the "Auxeto-Gramophone" (the nomenclature recently adopted by the Gramophone Co. for the Auxetophone) maintains its premier place in public estimation, the "Sheraton" gramophone and pedestal, which sells at £30 (or $150), has been much admired. It is of handsome mahogany, beautifully inlaid with satinwood, and occupies "the place of honor" in T. Edens Osborne's reception room. The latest novelty — on view also in same apartment— is "The Idealophone," though the "Discalarmophone" would be a more descriptive and appropriate appellation. Briefly, it is a disc instrument, the mechanism of which is set in motion by the lever attached to an alarm clock. The latter is neatly fitted in the cabinet of the machine. A gramophone or other disc record takes the place of the "nerve-killing" bell and the sleeper is aroused from his slumber to "the melodious strains of music." The record used to demonstrate the machine is certainly "in harmony with the fitness of things," namely, "Rising Early in the Morning," a popular gramophone comic song by Harry Lauder. Messrs. Smyth & Co., of Donegall street, Belfast (whose principal is R. Gordon Smyth, the popular traveling representative of the Gramophone Co.), report excellent business. Their trade has been developed on price maintenance lines, and they accordingly enjoy the confidence DC their fellow traders, and furthermore, they congratulate themselves that their name has never appeared on any "Suspended List." One of T. Edens Osborne's recent novel experiences was a demonstration — in his well-known "sanctum" at Scottish Provident Buildings — of the most unique language in the world, the whistling language of the inhabitants of Gomera (one of the Canary Islands). A friend of his, Ernest E. Donnan, of Belfast, who resided for some time in "The Canaries" (and who is a phonograph enthusiast), fortunately had his Edison "Home" with him during his sojourn there, and succeeded in securing three records of the whistling language, made under his supervision by two of the natives, Don Jose Placencia Herera and Don Ramon Santiago, in the capital of Gomera, San Sebastian. In ordinary conversation the Inhabitants speak Spanish, but when out of talking range the whistling language is employed with which conversations can be carried on even when the speakers are separated by a distance of a mile and a quarter. It may be here stated that the British Anthropological Society has interested themselves in these rare records, and arrangements have just been completed for a reproduction of them before a meeting of the fellows of that association. Gomera is an island rarely visited by "the outside world," although a mail steamer calls every ten days. For more than a quarter of a century scientists and travelers have, in their contributions to the press, enlarged upon the urique character of the whistling language, Gomera being the only known country where it is used. It can be safely aflirmed that the records alluded to are the first ever made of the Gomerian language by any talking machine. This island (Gomera) is specially interesting to Americans, for Columbus called thereat on his second voyage to "the new world," and Mr. Donnan visited and photographed the identical house in which the great navigator passed three nights, also the church, still in excellent preservation, in which he worshipped while in that far-away island. The Gramophone Co. (London) are undoubtedly the most prosperous and "go-ahead" firm connected with thfe talking machine industry of Great Britain. The latest manifestation of it was at Christmas, when every dealer in the British Isles received a gramophone record, by means of which the manager (S. W. Dixon) expressed his own and the company's thanks for past favors and his best wishes, and those of the gramophone staff, for "A Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. When this record was placed on a splendid "De Luxe" gi'amophone, a customer who was present, exclaimed: "Bedad! that's the first time I ever lieard a Christmas card talk." This being the last day of 1906 on which these jottings are 1:)eing mailed, I desire to say that Belfast, the business center of Ireland, greets New York, the commercial capital of the United States, and drinks to the health and prosperity of her "American cousins" with every good wish for their happiness during the new year, and especially of the "talker" section of Uncle Sam's family, and couples with the toast the name of one who is respected and esteemed all over the world, Thomas Alva Edison, whose inventive genius has contributed so much to the pleasure, amusement and education of vast numbers of every nationality. SOME "CHATTY" LITERATURE. Issued by the Tea Tray Co. — "Chat" as a Regular Visitor — Their New Catalogue. The Tea Tray Co., of Newark, N. ,T., have recently sent out to their many friends a very attractive little brochure which they designate as "Chat." "Chat" is a bright little fellow, who carries a horn, of course, of "T. T." origin, in either hand as he makes his bow to the trade. It is the purpose of the company to issue this little booklet at regular intervals throughout the yf-ar, and to have it replete with chatty little items regarding the talking machine business, and specifically treating of the Tea Tray products. No doubt the little fellow will receive a warm welcome at the hands o the members of the trade. The very complete and interesting booklet issued by the Tea Tray Co., and referred to in the cover page of The Talking Machine World for December, has been highly praised for its typographical beauty, and the arrangement of its contents. It contains illustrations and descriptions of all kinds and styles of horns, and talking machines as well as horn cranes and stands. This booklet is cleverly conceived, and must prove of great value to dealers and jobbers who desire to keep in touch with the products of the Tea Tray Co. THE WINCHELL CO. ASSIGN. The Winchell Co., of Boston, Mass., made an assignment for the benefit of their creditors on January 9, and J. N. Linscott, 48 Hanover street, that city, has been appointed assignee. FRIEDRICH'S BIG BUSINESS. The talking machine department of Friederich's Music House, 30-32 Canal street. Grand Rapids, Mich., located on the third floor, is one of the most complete in the building. The house handles Victor, Edison and Columbia goods, and each make has a separate trying-out and exhibition room where numerous styles of machines and cabinets are shown. The record room is also of very large dimensions and contains several thousand records, disc on one side and cylinder on the other. A number of handsome machines are also displayed in the musical merchandise department on the main floor. S. B. Campbell, formerly in charge of the New York ofiice of the^ Columbia Phonograph Co., has become connected with the Disc Talking Machine Co., of 13 North Ninth street, Philadelphia, in an official capacity. BUSINESS IS SATISFACTORY With All Members of the Trade Is the Report at the Opening of the Year — No After-Holiday Quietness Evident This Year. Jobbers are satisfied with the opening trade of the year, and feel gratified with the outlook. The past month has been one of great activity, and the jobbing contingent predict a better year than that of 1906. The manufacturers are still overwhelmed with orders, and on machines they find it difficult to meet the demand. The sales department of the National Phonograph Co. is still congested, and every effort is being made to fill back orders. The Victor Talking Machine Co. have been unable to catch up on Nos. 1 and 6 but are calculating to pull out of the woods before long. The Columbia Phonograph Co. are in the same' predicament. ECKLAND'S CLEVER BOOK. O. W. Eckland, manager of the instalment department of the Chicago business of the Columbia Phonograph Co., is the author of a neat little booklet designed for the encouragement and instruction of the big force of instalment solicitors under his direction. Mr. Eckland is an instalment manager of many years' experience, having worked up from the ranks, and in this booklet he has crowded the results of his long and successful experience. We hope in our next issue to make some extracts from this publication, as we believe that they will prove of general interest. A CLEAN RECORD SURFACE IS IMPORTANT Very few people realize the importance of the record grooves on cylinder or disc records being free from dust or dirt. The frictional contact of the reproducer, sapphire or needle grinds the record engravings so that the record becomes badly worn where record grooves are not perfectly clean. On the disc record this causes a scratchy reproduction very quickly, and on a cylinder record cuts away the finer tones, which are so necessary to make a natural tone. Place record brushes for cylinder and disc records, provide a simple remedy for this trouble, as every record groove is automatically cleaned by a little brush 40 or 50 times before the sapphire or needle comes in contact with the grooves. A new style brush for the Victor tapering arm machine has been placed on the market, and the Blackman Talking Machine Co., of 97 Chambers St., New York City, who manufacture these brushes, have an advertisement in this issue giving full particulars. ANOTHER $1,000,000 INCORPORATION. Among the incorporations filed with the Secretary of the State of Maine this week, was that of the Automatic Phonograph Co., of Kittery, with a capital of $1,000,000, for the purpose of making sound reproducing instruments. President and clerk, H. Mitchell, Kittery, Me.; treasurer. S J. Morrison. RECORDS BY ALESSANDRO BONCI. The Columbia Phonograph Co., General, have secured the exclusive sale of disc records made by Alessandro Bonci, the celebrated Italian lyric tenor, now singing in grand opera at Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera House, New York. The Bonci records will continue to be manufactured by the Fonotipia Co. (G. Rieordi & Co.), of Milan, Italy, and only the gems will be selected. The first consignment of these records were sold before arrival, and were placed in, stock only in the East. In a few weeks the company will have ready for delivery to the trade a new disc tone arm machine, type BN, especially adapted for instalment purposes. It will be a $50 machine and a "scheme" cabinet, being introduced as a trade stimulator for the spring. H. Ringel, of the New Jersey Sheet Metal Co., is making a very successful trip through the East.