The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1910)

44 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. FROM OUR CHICAGO HEADQUARTERS ROOM 806, NO. 156 WABASH AVENUE, E. P. VAN HARLI NGEN, MANAGER. Fall Trade as Far as Jobbers Are Concerned Now Under Way — Orders Plentiful — General Situation Looks Good After Summer Quiet — Pleased at Choice of Milwaukee as Convention City by Jobbers — Victor Co. Take Over B. & H. Fibre Needle — Mr. Hall's Statement— Wiswell Chairman of Press Committee— Talking Machine Co News — Interesting Personalities — Columbia Co. Brieflets — Recent Visitors — Summary of the Trade News of the Month from the Western Metropolis. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Chicago, 111., Sept. 10, 1910. The fall trade, so far as the jobbers are concerned, may really be considered under way. September has opened up in a manner that is highly encouraging to the local jobbers and similar reports come from those in other western cities. Last month, while quiet, yet made a rather stronger showing than July. Possibly the r.eason for this was that most of the salesmen of the Chicago jobbing houses took their vacations during July but were actively in the field during August. It was hard, uphill work, however, most of the month, as is usually the case in August, but the finish was strong, and the first ten days of September have shown a very material improvement all along the line. Orders are coming in from practically all sections covered by Chicago jobbers in good number and are beginning to show a stocking up .tendency. August is generally reported as showing an improvement over the corresponding month of last year. Generally, too, expectations of any dropping off of business because of crop shortage this fall have disappeared. Take it "by and large" the situation is all right in the territory worked by the Chicago jobbers. Dealers are generally looking forward to a good trade and jobbers believe that the balance of the year will more than maintain the increase over 1909 registered during the first eight months of the year. Locally retail trade is also beginning to pick up to a considerable degree. Vacationers are rapidly returning and are getting settled to their usual avocations. The past fortnight has witnessed a steady improvement in trade and the fall business should be in pretty fair swing by the end of the month. The air is full of rumors of new products to come on the market, the formation of new companies and new departures on the part of existing concerns. If half the talk is true there will be stirring times in the trade ere many months. Pleased at Choice of Milwaukee. The announcement that the vote taken by mail of the members of the National Talking Machine Jobbers' Association has resulted in the selection by a large majority of Milwaukee as the place for the next convention of the association to be held in July of next year, has caused no especial surprise out here. The convention was due the West, and barring Chicago, which was not in the running this time, it is conceded that a better place could hardly have been selected. Lawrence McGreal has been selected as chairman of the committee on arrangements for the convention and while he has able colleagues, the bulk of the work will naturally fall to the genial and energetic Mil-waukeean. As he is the only Edison or Victor jobber in the city his work is certainly cut out for him but that he will shoulder the responsibility gladly and discharge it ably everybody knows. Victor Co. Absorbs Fibre Needle. The big news of the month, so far as Chicago is concerned, is found in the announcement that the Victor Talking Machine Co., of Camden, N. J., have acquired the fibre needle business of the B. & H. Fibre Mfg. Co., of this city. While no details are given out for publication at this end, the transaction, which was completed early this week, is, it is understood, a very large one and may be taken as a manifestation of the recognition by the Victor Co. of the fibre needle as an important factor in the trade by the Victor Co., which will, it is understood, push the sale of the Victor Fibre needles as they will now be known, very vigorously. The progress of the "B. & H." fibre needle in the three years since it was placed on the market has been remarkable. It has met and conquered all sorts of prejudice and has overcome obstacles which would long since have discouraged any man of a less determined nature than Fred. D. Hall, the inventor of the fibre needle and the President of the B. & H. Fibre Mfg. Co. Mr. Hall was simply a talking machine owner when he invented the fibre needle. True, he was a successful — a very successful — real estate man, and a few other things, but from the viewpoint of the trade he was simply a talking machine owner and an unusually large buyer of high class records. He found out by experience that records would wear out in time and he conceived the idea that if he could discover a material of which needles could be made that would not wear the records and would yet produce a tone sufficient in volume for the home and of the right quality, it would be a mighty fine thing for him. That's as far as the idea went. He had no thought of creating a business. He experimented with all sorts of woods and substances, and finally hit upon bamboo as the ideal material, conquering the tendency of the fibre to bend by making the needle triangular in shape, so as to give the necessary support to the point. The importunities of friends who visited his home and heard the needle in action finally induced him to put the needle on the market. Then came a period of further experimentation to make it commercial. Various methods of chemical treatment were experimented with to counteract the oil in the fibre, impart the quality of stiffness and finally to dry the fibre thoroughly. These problems were all solved in time and about three years ago, comprehensive patents were secured and the devising of special machinery for the production of the needles commenced. The B. & H. Fibre Mfg. Co. was formed with ample capital and in a short time fibre needles were placed on the market. Progress was slow at first. With the exception of one or two foresighted concerns few dealers were at first disposed to take the time to educate their customers in the use of the fibre needles. There was quite a long period when the outlook was rather discouraging. But Mr. Hall and his associates never faltered but steadily plugged away, firm in the belief that they would ultimately win out. Then the trade began to gradually wake up. The immense sales of the fibre needle in Chicago and the faith shown in it by one of the largest wholesale and retail houses in the country, together with the vigorous publicity in The Talking Machine World, aroused the trade to the opportunities before them. Constant improvement in product arising from the discovery of the species of bamboo particularly adapted for the purpose, more effective process of treatment, and constant advances made in the matter of machinery has enabled the company to bring the needle to a degree of perfection hardly dreamed of when the product was first placed on the market. The past year the growth of the demand has been something remarkable. Many dealers and jobbers who have hitherto not handled the needle or only in a half hearted way have taken hold of it vigorously and found it of especial value as a means of developing the best class of trade in their locality. In speaking of the deal this week, Mr. Hall said : "I am naturally gratified that one of the biggest corporations in the world has recognized the merits of the fibre needle and the possibilities before it. The deal, of course, places behind the fibre needle the tremendous, and worldwide distributive and publicity forces of the Victor Co. It is indeed a matter of satisfaction to me that my faith in the fibre needle has been realized." Incidentally Mr. Hall called attention to the fact that outside of announcements in one or two issues of several popular periodicals when they first started, the company have done no advertising except in their monthly announcements in The Talking Machine World, and he considers this paper responsible in large measure for the building up of their business. Wiswell Made Chairman Press Committee. L. C. Wiswell, manager of the Talking Machine department of Lyon & Healy, has just received notice of his appointment as chairman of the press committee of the National Association of Talking Machine Jobbers by President Whitset. The other members of the committee are A. A. Trostler, J. F. Schmelzer & Sons Arms Co., Kansas City, Mo. ; R. Shaw, Western Talking Machine Co., Winnipeg, Man. ; Herbert Royer, M. Steinert & Sons Co., Boston, Mass.; I. Davega, Jr., New York. Talking Machine Co. Items. Arthur D. Geissler, general manager of the Talking Machine Co., is expected home from California early next week. According to all reports he has had an excellent time. The first part of his sojourn was spent at Ross, Marin County, with his wife and family. Later there was a hunting expedition with Leon F. Douglass, a glorious night at the Bohemian Jinks, a splendid automobile trip down state with Fred Sherman of Sherman, Clay & Co., and Mr. Geissler has also visited many of the coast dealers and will no doubt return loaded to the guards with good suggestions for the prosecution of the fall campaign. The business of the Talking Machine Co., showed a marked increase as compared with last year. Orders are coming in in excellent shape and the outlook is for a big fall business. Furthermore they are prepared for it with a big stock on hand and ordered. The advertisement of the Talking Machine Co. elsewhere in this issue illustrates some of the methods they use in co-operating with the dealer in helping the latter create business. An Improving Tendency. One large dealer was commenting the other day on tendencies looking towards the bettering of the business. "You may think I am making a mountain out of a mole hill," said he, "but as a matter of fact the discontinuance of the use of talking machines with song slides in the moving picture shows around town has been a boon to the trade. The live singers who have been substituted are by no means an improvement over the talking machine artists, but they seldom found a machine in one of these theatres in good order ; the records were kept going the rounds until they were almost indistinguishable and the result was anything but good publicity for the talking machine. Even in the smaller towns the use of the machines inside the theatres is becoming a thing of the past and it's a good thing for the trade. A. V. Chandler in the East. A. V. Chandler, Illinois traveler for the National Phonograph Co., is at the factory at Orange, attending the annual ante-fall campaign powwow of the Edison travelers. The Fall Outlook. L. C. Wiswell, of Lyon & Healy, is enthusiastic about the fall trade. "The States here in the central west, which are those covered principally by the Chicago jobbers, are on a whole in fine condition," said he. "Illinois has pretty near a bumper crop. The big coal strike which has