The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1914)

The Talking Machine World Vol. 10. No. 5. New York, May 15, 1914. Price Ten Cents W. STEVENS HOME FROM EUROPE. Manager of Foreign Department of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., Completes Arrangements for Transferring European Business of Company to Orange — Increasing Popularity of Edison Products Abroad — Blue Amberol Liked. Walter Stevens, manager of the foreign department of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., returned to Orange, N. J., recently after an extended trip to Europe, during which he visited, London, Berlin, Paris and other prominent European cities, but spending the major part of his time in London looking after the interests of the Edison companies. Prior to Mr. Stevens' leaving for Europe the officials of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., had decided to, transfer the entire European phonograph business to the main offices at Orange, leaving the various European branches free to concentrate their efforts on the development and cultivation of their moving picture film business. While abroad .Mr. Stevens took care of the many details incidental to this important transfer. Mr. Stevens fo.und Edison products in Europe increasing their popularity steadily and consistently. The Blue Amberol records are proving ready sellers with the trade, while the advent of the Edison disc products is awaited with keen interest and expectation. In discussing the sale of records on the other side of the Atlantic Mr. Stevens remarked that there is a continued demand for ragtime selections, although there is a very heavy demand fo.r dance selections. England particularly is manifesting an unusual interest in dance music. SUIT AGAINST THE VITAPHONE CO. Fred Stern, President of Chamber of Commerce of Newburgh, N. Y., Brings Action Against Plainfield Concern on Charge That It Failed to Keep Agreement to Move to Former City as It One Time Planned. ( Special to The Talking Machine World.) Newburgh, N. Y„ May 6. — Claiming that the Vitaphone Co., of Plainfield, N. J., a Delaware corporation, failed to live up to its agreement to locate a factory in Newburgih, N. Y., Fred Stern, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the latter city, has started suit in the New Jersey Supreme Court to recover $500 paid for stock of the Vitaphone Co. Papers in the suit were forwarded to Plainfield last week by Jacob L. Newman, attorney for Mr. Stern. As the parties concerned live in different counties the suit is brought in the Supreme Court. The Vitaphone Co. is authorized to do business in this State and has an officer here upon whom service may be made. According to Mr. Stern's complaint, the Vitaphone Co. agreed to purchase property in Newburgh and build a factory for the manufacture of cabinets to contain the Vitaphone talking machine. With that understanding, Mr. Stern says, the citizens of Newburgh were prevailed upon to subscribe for stock. The Chamber of Commerce head says he bought fifty shares for which he paid $500, receiving twenty shares of common stock as a bonus. He asserts that the Vitaphone Co. failed to buy any Newburgh property or locate a factory there. The Vitaphone Co. manufactures its motors and assembles the metal parts in its factory at Plainfield. Mr. Stern says the agreement was that the motors were to be shipped to Newburgh for mounting in the cabinets to be manufactured there. The Vitaphone 'Co. contends that the citizens of Newburgh failed to support the project and that it could not afford, therefore, to locate at New burgh. MOVIES TO LEAD ORCHESTRAS. Famous Conductors May Appear in Films in Dozens of Concerts at the Same Time. A despatch to the New York World under recent date says that by means o.f films just placed on the market by the Meister Film Co. of Berlin the most famous musical directors will be enabled to conduct a dozen or more performances in different cities at the same time, and audiences of the future will be able to enjoy the conducting of great masters long after the musicians are dead. This has been achieved by the use o.f master conductor films, and the film company will shortly give a huge concert here when all the most famous conductors will conduct by film-proxy. Felix von Weingartner, after witnessing the first private performance, said : "The success was extraordinary. The opera conducted was 'Carmen,' and the machinery for producing the film was so exact that after one trial the musicians were able to play with exactly the same accuracy as they would have done if a living conductor had been present. There is nothing mechanical about the performance, and the result is genius. A clever conductor can be transferred to a living orchestra for generations to come." A number of well-known musicians have been invited to. play in front of the moving films and a majority of them declare that the suggestive effect of movements shown on the film are quite as powerful as those of a living conductor. The films already prepared show Weingartner conducting the "Egmont" overture, Geheimrath von Schuch of the Dresden Royal Orchestra conducting "Tannhauser" and Oscar Fried in Bcrlio.z's symphony fantastique. Arthur Nikisch says the new films are an epochmaking invention and adds: "How valuable, for instance, it would be to the present generation if it could see exactly how Wagner conducted the ninth symphony at the famous Bayreuth festival in 1872!" COLUMBIA CO. BRINGS SUIT Against Several Companies for Infringement of Patents — Statement by Legal Department. The legal department of the Columbia Graphophone Co. made the following announcement this week : "The American Graphophone Co. owns and controls a number of United States patents relating to. talking machines, records and accessories, and is the intention of the Graphophone Co. to attack infringements of their patent rights; and in earnest of its purpose it has already instituted several suits, among others against the American Parlograph Corporation, the Triton Phonograph Co., Inc., Gimbel Bros., and other suits are in course of preparation. "Owing to changes in the practise in the Federal Courts it is uncertain at this time when these cases will be reached for trial; but the legal department of the American Graphophone Co., Mauro, Cameron, Lewis & Massie, New York City, expresses itself as ready for immediate trial and as entirely confident of success. TAKES ON TALKING MACHINES. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Anaheim, Cal., May 3.— The Graham Furniture Co., one of the largest and finest furniture houses in this part of the country, located in this city, has just taken on the agency for the Edison disc phonograph. Albert Graham, who owns and conducts the enterprise, will take a strong personal interest in the new department. VICTROLA WINS SUPERVISORS. Mrs. Clark Demonstrates Value of Victrolas in Schools at National Conference in St. Paul — Many Noted Musical Authorities Present. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) St. Paul, Minn., May 6.— The value of talking machines in school work was exemplified in a striking manner at the seventh annual meeting of the National Conference of Music Supervisors. Mrs. Frances E. Clark had almost a full line of Victrolas in the West Hotel, the headquarters of the convention, and her intelligent demonstrations of the use that talking machines might have in the schools attracted much favorable comment from the teachers. Many of the Minneapolis schools have instruments of various kinds and have been trained to distinguish between good music and trash, and the visitors were much interested to hear the young critics place their seal of approval or disapproval on a long series of musical numbers of varying order of merit. The program was made up of numbers which the youngsters had never heard before, and their unerring judgment, in picking out the good music, highly entertained the teachers. Among those in attendance were : P. P. Claxton, United States Commissioner of Education; Will Carhart, Pittsburgh, Pa. ; Theodore Fitz, Greeley, Col.; Miss Mary Conway, New Orleans, La.; Miss Elsie Shawe, St. Paul, Minn.; Charles Fansworth, Columbia University ; P. W. Dykema, University of Wisconsin ; Mrs. Elizabeth Casterton, Rochester, N. Y. ; Charles Miller, Lincoln, Neb. ; Dr. E. A. Winship, Boston, Mass. ; Miss Frances Wright, Des Moines, la.; Ralph Baldwin, Hartford, Conn. ; C. A. Fullerton, Cedar Rapids, la.; D. A. Clippinger, Chicago, 111. ; Arthur Mason, Columbus, Ind. ; Miss Estelle Carpenter, San Francisco, Cal.; Miss Ida Fischer, San Jose, Cal.; D. B. Gebhart, Missouri Normal School, Kirksvillc, Mo.; Osburne McConathy, Northwestern University; Miss Lillian Watts, Marquette University, and numerous others of equal prominence in the musical world. Their appreciation of Mrs. Clark's demonstration was universal, and the general verdict, if one had been called for, would have been that talking machines are indispensible in modern schools. SETTLED IN NEW HOME. American Phonograph Co. Completes Removal of Headquarters from Gloversvil'e to Albany, N. Y. — Occupies Handsome and Commodious Quarters in the Latter City. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Albany, N. Y., May 6. — The American Phono graph Co., the well-known Edison jobber, for merly of Gloversville, N. Y., is now fully settled in its handsome new home at 707-709 Broadway, this city. The building covers a floor space of 40x200, and the company occupies two entire! floors. The main floor is occupied by the executive andj sales offices, and several attractively furnished soundproof bo.oths are also located on this floor. Every possible convenience for the company's dealers is incorporated in the furnishings and sales systems in the new building, and a cordial invitation is extended to all Edison de'alers to visit the American Thonograph Co.'s headquarters when in Albany. A splendid trade has already; been clo.sed in the new home, and the company is! well pleased with the outlook. This company, which is an exclusive Edison jobber, has two! traveling men who cover northern New York, northern Pennsylvania, Vermont, part of Newj Hampshire and western Massachusetts. It is not so much what you are going to do as what you are doing that counts in the credit sheet, One realizes that what you get for nothing is worth just that, when a lot of voluntary advice is handed to you, Don't keep shifting your footing on the Ladder! of Success. You're apt to step on the fingers of! the man below yo.u.