The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1915)

THE TRADE IN BOSTON AND NEW ENGLAND— Continued from page 13). disc at some of the fashionable watering places last summer, has gone into the advertising business as a side line between his Harvard College courses. Adeline Francis Delights Bostonians. An interesting feature attracting much attention at Keith's beautiful Boston playhouse this week is the. clever work of Adeline Francis, styled on the playbill "The. Graphophone Girl." She actually sings with herself, and here is how she does it: She rolls out onto the stage what she calls a push-mobile. On this is a Columbia graphophone which necessarily has a horn so that the registered voice tones may be the farther carried. The records used are of her own voice, and thus with herself she carries on a conversation and sings duets with herself in a way to highly entertain her audience. This is one of a first-class program such as one always finds at Keith's Theatre. Miss Francis has enjoyed great success in London and throughout this country. Pardee-Ellenberger Co. News. Guy R. Coner, of the Pardee-Ellenberger Co.'s field staff, spent his vacation over in New York with frequent trips to the Edison laboratories at East Orange. F. S. Boyd, of the staff, will soon go to Duxbury for his fortnight's vacation, and L. H. Ripley on September 1 will go to his old home in Winchester, N. H. background with a canoe close by. A Columbia Grafonola is mounted on a tree stump, which suggests a day or evening of delight to the accompaniment of music. The manager of the Grafonola department of this house, Victor Guay, is deservJ ing of the greatest credit for his admirable arrangement of this window. This house is doing a large business in Columbia outfits. SOME GOOD ADVICE ON "HOW TO EXTEND CREDIT" Offered to Wisconsin Jewelers' Association by James A. Fetterly, an Expert in This Field Some Rules on the Handling of Credits That Apply to the Talking Machine Trade. STRIKING WINDOW DISPLAY Being Made in Fitchburg, Mass., by Kidder & Davis in Which the Columbia Is Featured. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Fitchburg, Mass., August 9. — A window display that is attracting much attention throughout the city is that of the well-known furniture house of Kidder & Davis at 696 Main street. A small lagoon has been arranged in the center of the floor and this is surrounded with a covering of thick pine cones and forest growth that gives the scene a woodland appearance. A camp tent is set in the (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Milwaukee, Wis., August 5. — James A. Fetterly, secretary of the retail division of the Merchants and Manufacturers' Association, of Milwaukee, in a speech entitled "How to Extend Credit," delivered before the tenth annual convention of the Wisconsin Retail Jewelers' Association, held at the Hotel Wisconsin in Milwaukee, July 20, 21 and 22, gave some highly interesting information to all retailers, talking machine dealers included. Mr. Fetterly has had wide experience in the credit field, as he was the organizer and is in general charge of the credit bureau of the Merchants and Manufacturers' Association, one of the first credit organizations of its kind in this country. His ideas were highly regarded by the jewelers, many of whom carry talking machines as a side line, and dealers all over the country could well profit by his address. Mr. Fetterly said that in former years from 75 to 90 per cent, of retail business was done on a cash basis, but that to-day from 40 to 75 per cent, (depending upon the line) is done on a credit basis, and the percentage is rapidly mounting. He classed the credit man as the "governor that regulates the activity of the sales department and on whose reliability, infallibility, keen judgment of human nature and diplomacy frequently depends whether the balance at the end of the year shall be on the right or the wrong side of the ledger." The speaker gave Bradstreet's definition of credit : "An estimate of the ability and dispositior. of an individual, firm or corporation to meet a business engagement." M.Steinert&SonsCo. 35 ARCH STREET, BOSTON VICTOR Distributors LARGEST AND MOST COMPLETE STOCK OF RECORDS IN NEW ENGLAND Our service is unsurpassed. A trial will convince you that we can please and satisfy you. Send your order now. "The paying ability of a man has some weight in determining his standing as a credit customer, but far above that in importance, according to my theory, is his paying disposition, or paying habits," said Mr. Fetterly. "His paying habit is the final test to determine whether he is a desirable credit risk; his paying ability is merely the yardstick which fixes the amount to which credit should be given. While at first glance it would appear that 'paying ability' should be the supreme test, experience has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is secondary in importance and that paying disposition or paying habit is the acid test that should be applied to every application for a credit account. "Experience has definitely proven that in the granting of retail credit the first and most important fact to ascertain regarding the opening of a new account is the paying habit of the individual. After that has been ascertained, and if it is decided to open the account, the paying ability of the applicant is then to be considered in fixing or measuring the amount for which credit shall be given. "ft, therefore, logically follows that the principal work of the credit man of to-day is in securing the necessary information that will enable him to determine the paying habit of the applicant, and on his work along this line depends his success and, to a large measure, the success of his employer. "The work of securing credit information must be thorough ; it must be as complete and autkc:..... as possible, and it must be secured, if possible, without alarming the applicant, for so comparatively new is our credit system that the average credit applicant— particularly if it be a woman— acts 'gun shy' and takes it as a personal insult if she ascertains that inquiries are being made regarding her. He (or she) can see no injustice in asking you to trust him implicitly with whatever portion of your stock his fancy may desire, and to do it on his unsupported word as to his character and standing. This credit information must therefore be secured as confidentially as is possible and consistent with the necessity for getting all the facts. "Concerted action is the great remedy for most abuses that are so flagrant in the retail merchandising field to-day. One standard for granting credits; one standard for the collection of accounts.' and one standard for doing business in general. Concerted effort. All for one and one for all. So will come a greater peace, prosperity and contentment to the retailer and a greater justice and fairness to the customer." OPENS OFFICES IN NEWARK, N. J. Mark K. Mermod announces the opening of his new offices at 810 Broad street, Newark, 'N. J., where he is specializing in the manufacture and sale of "Mermod" motors, which are now beingmade in this country along the same lines of production that have been secured from the result of a century's experience. Mr. Merrhod is also handling a line of diamond and sapphire jewel needles for playing various makes of records, as well as a full line of tone arms in various shapes and sizes. He reports an excellent demand for his products. Those in the talking machine trade who play "cow pasture pool," or, in other words, who are devotees of losing golf balls, have a challenge for a competitive match from P. C. Sweeny, of The Edison Shop, 437 Fifth avenue, New York. Side bets may or may not be made, but the boys who know Sweeny are backing him to win. Mr. Sweeny generally runs around courses with only a few strokes over par.