The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1911)

16 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. In ciass and qualiiy every Columbia monthly list of Double-Disc Records is the best the trade is hearing. This is a matter of common linowledge. Columbia Pbonograpta Co., Genl., TrlbDiie Building, New York. TRADE ON THE PACIFIC COAST. Falling Off In Business After Ho idays Causes Retailers to Complain — Dealers Replenish Stocks — Summary of the Situation — Pacific Phonograph Co.'s Anniversary — -Improving Their Quarters — New Stores Opened — Babson Bros.' New Store Comp'ete — What Other Houses Are Doing — Strong Demand Noted for Victrolas — Interesting Items of Personal Nature. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) San Francisco, CaL, Feb. 6, 1911. The talking machine business has fallen off materially in all departments since the holidays, and a good many of the city retailers are complaining of dull business. Except for the first week, disagreeable weather has prevailed throughout 'the month, and it has been difficult to get people to come out for shopping purposes. A dull period is expected at this season, however, and little disappointment is expressed over present conditions. Stock in general is rather scarce, having been pretty well cleaned up before the first of the year, and new shipments in some lines are rather slow in arriving. Most houses, however, are well supplied with records, for which there is probably a greater demand than a year ago. The wholesale firms received quite a lot of orders early in the month, when retailers found it necessary to fill in their stocks, but now business is coming in slowly. The rain has greatly interfered with outside business, and traveling men find it difficult to get around, owing to numerous floods and damages to railroad tracks. Country retailers feel extremely optimistic, however, as good crops seem to be assured in every section of the Coast, and it is believed that a general buying movement in the -trade will start as soon as the winter rains are over. Collections, as a rule, are more satisfactory than last year, though money is still rather scarce. Walter S. Gray, Coast manager for the Columbia Phonograph Co., will return next week from his annual visit to headquarters. He has been absent the greater part of the month, being accompanied on the trip by the Los Angeles manager, William Stidham. The Pacific Phonograph Co., under the management of A. R. Pommer, ended its first year January 10. Mr. Pommer is highly gratified at the progress made during the year, this company having gained a strong foothold all over California, as well as in southern Oregon, and says he will be happy if this year turns out as well as 1910. Since the end of the holiday rush the company has been working on some improvements to its quarters, laying a hardwood floor and putting some new fittings in the office. The lower floor, which was added to the space just before the holidays, will be kept, giving the company a much greater capacity for stock than last year, and this floor is now being equipped with improved fixtures for convenience in handling the stock. Mr. McCracken, the outside man, is making the Southern trip, being now at Fresno. Mr. Pommer reports a fair business for this month, the principal sales being of records, though the demand for Music Master horns is still greater than the company can supply. Mr. Pommer. is enthusiastic over the outlook, especially in the southern Oregon country. While this house gives more liberal terms than most other jobbers, Mr. Pommer is well satisfied with collections, and believes the retail trade in general is in a strong position. He reports large orders from the Sacramento store, and is just leaving for a visit to that place. A few new Edison stores vvhich have placed initial' orders with the Pacific Phonograph Co. are John R. Lester & -Co., of Sonora, Cal. ; the Auburn Music Co., at Auburn, and the Gate City Pharmacy, at Maricopa, in the oil fields. Mr. Voltz, who covered the territory from San Francisco to Los Angeles and into Arizona and New Mexico last year for the National Phonograph Co., has made arrangements to continue the work in that territory for the present year. James Black, manager of the talking machine department of the Wiley B. Allen Co., reports a very fair post-holiday season. He reports some difficulty in getting enough Victrolas to supply the local demand, and a lot of these machines have been brought in from branch stores. The company now carries quite a large stock of machines at its various stores. The talking machine department at the Oakland store is now under the managerhent of F. R. Blodgett, and has been doing extremely well for this time of year. Babson Bros.' new store, in San Francisco, is now complete, with a full stock of Edison goods. For the benefit of the local retail business this house has started a daily talking machine concert, the novel feature of which is that it is held during the noon hour, when large numbers of office people in the vicinity are at leisure. Mr. Babson says this feature has been quite a success, the attendance being generally good, though he finds local sales rather slow at present. This company's mail order business on the Coast, however, is making rapid progress, and so far has amply justified the trouble of opening a branch here. Andrew G. McCarthy, treasurer of Sherman, Clay & Co., and manager of their small goods department, is now hard at work on the semi-annual inventory. He says that only two shipments of Victrolas have been received since the first of the year, the factory being apparently unable to supply them, and some sales are accordingly lost. Nevertheless, he finds the retail business at the local store far ahead of January last year. He says the new $75 Victrola has not interfered with the sale of more expensive machines in any way, but its popularity is cutting into the demand for the old horn machines to a considerable extent. The city is now waiting, Mr. McCarthy says, for the decision on the Panama-Pacific Exposition, and if it favors San Francisco he will want ten carloads of Victrolas at once. Mr. McCarthy will leave for his regular winter tour of inspection of the northern branches about February 14, accompanied by P. T. Clay. Peter Bacigalupi, the jvioneer Edison dealer of San Francisco, announces the arrival of a new granddaughter — the daughier of W. B. Ackerman, manager of the business phonograph department. C. H. Pierce, of Eureka, Cal, has ntade a num ber of improvements in his establishment recently, moving his piano repair shop to another building to make room for talking machine parlors. Harry Shelton, an Oakland talking machine man, formerly associated' with Kohler & Chase, was killed January 9 in a collision of a local train with his automobile. J. J. McBride, formerly with the Thomas Smith Music Co,, at Vallejo, Cal., is starting in the busin-ess for himself. Kohler & Chase have been advertising a special sale for the last week, offering a talking machine outfit at $7.50. MAX LANDAY ON LONG TRIP. General Manager of Talking Machine Suppjy Co. Now on Annual Tour of United States and Canada — To Visit Fifty-six Cities — Will Introduce New Lines of Needles and Other Specialties. To visit the office of Max Landay, general manager of the Talking Machine Supply Co., New York, and also a member of the house of Landay Bros., Victor distributers, early this month, was to gain the impression that a class in United States geography was in session, owing to the numerous maps of the country over which Mr. Landay was intently poring. Nothing serious, though. Mr. Landay was simply mapping out his annual business trip to the Pacific Coast, incidentally including the greater part of the United States and a big slice of Canada, in such a way as to preserve his reputation for keeping right up to schedule throughout the entire trip. Mr. Landay left New York on February 4, and his itinerary includes fifty-six of the largest cities in the United States and Canada, where he will call on the leading jobbers for the purpose of introducing several new lines of irnported talking machine needles packed in a new and original manner, and which he feels sure will appeal to the trade at large. He will also feature several spe-. cialties of value handled by his company and looks forward to some mighty big business. Early last month the Talking Machine Supply Co. sent out a new catalog listing all their different makes and grades of imported and domestic needles as well as their other well-known specialties in order that the trade might check up their stock and fill in the open spaces. A numerical catalog covering the same line, is now in course of preparation and will be issued at an early date. MORAL SOUNDNESS THE BASIS. Upon the moral soundness of business relations largely depends the stability of credit and trade, the material welfare of the people, and in the final result their general moral standards. As are the morals of business, so are the morals of the nation ; for the morality which reveals itself at the point of exchange is the working morality of the people. Widespread business immorality means not merely the undermining of prosperity, it means the triumph of injustice, the degradation of national ideas, and the destruction of some of the highcs]: standards in the people's life.