The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1916)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 35 oooooooooooooa oooooooooooooa GOO ' COOOOOOOO Tenth Annual Convention of the National Association of Talking Machine Jobbers Atlantic City, July 10 to 13, 1916 J§j @§ooooc§xx»oi^[a3oooaxx)ooooa ia§oooo<^oooo^)ij oxooooooooooo <^ooooc|Dooog3 oooooooooooooa (^)ooooc^)00oo(fe>| oooooooooooooaj <^ooooi^oooo^>[ oooooocooooooa| <^ooooc^oooo§s» ooaxooccooooaj [g] Atlantic City, N. J., July 13.— Beyond all doubt the most successful convention of the National Association of Talking Machine Jobbers ever held was the tenth annual meeting which convened at the Hotel Traymore, this city, on Monday, and has been in constant action ever since. In the first place the attendance has been unusually large. Not only have the jobbers and their executives come to the convention, but in several cases they brought with them as many as a half dozen of the employes for the purpose of absorbing the information regarding the making and marketing of Victor talking machines and records, which was made one of the main features of the convention. The promise of an educational convention, made some time ago, was well carried out with the earnest co-operation of the Victor Co. and its officials. The business meetings, which went far to prove how active the association officers and committeemen ha^e been during the past year, were held On Mcnday and Tuesday afternoons, with the mornings given over to the enjoyment of the many pleasures offered by this popular resort. With the general meeting on Wednesday there began the educational features, including addresses by the department heads of the Victor factory as well as those engaged in the exploitation work for that company. The big event, next to the banquet on Tuesday night, was the appearance of artists of international fame, who entertained the jobbers on Wednesday evening through the courtesy of the Victor Co., for whom all the artists present make records. Such names as Alma Gluck, John McCormack, Efrem Zimbalist, Reinald Werrenrath and others of equal note afford an indication of the calibre of the talent which the jobbers have heard so often through the medium of big selling records and were now privileged to hear in the flesh, so to speak. In the matter of general entertainment there was nothing left to be desired, for despite the rain which came on Sunday afternoon and on Monday, the work of the committee in charge of the arrangements showed itself in the perfect manner in which each detail was attended to. From both the business and the social standpoint the convention was by far the greatest ever. The First Session on Monday Afternoon The first business session was held on Monday afternoon in the Rose Room of the Traymore, with President McCarthy presiding, who presented the following report of his year as president: PRESIDENT MCCARTHY'S REPORT It is incumbent upon your officers to render at each annual meeting an account of their stewardship for the year entrusted to them by you, and to set forth for your approval or otherwise an account of their doings during that period. You will be given full and complete statements by your secretary and treasurer as to the physical and financial standing of our association, and on these reports I will not intrude. They will speak for themselves. In general the association members have enjoyed a year of splendid business and prosperity, and I congratulate each and every one of us upon being engaged in the best business of which I have any knowledge at this time. The work at the factory has been generous to a marked degree, and supplies have been more nearly ample than for many years; with many indications of better things to come in the near future. My work for the association during the year just closing has been rendered light and pleasant by the efficient gentlemen you so wisely chose to co-operate with me in carrying on our labors, and to those gentlemen go my heartfelt thanks. Our ranks are practically unbroken, and we face the future serenely and hopefully. There remains great and good work ahead of us in perfecting our organization and our business, first and foremost being our work to se Retiring President Andrew G. McCarthy cure the passage of the Stephens bill. As to the work done on this measure by our secretary and committee you will be duly advised by the secretary. That the measure is of paramount importance to us goes without saying. Additional ways and means to further the passage of the bill will be presented to this meeting, for which I bespeak your careful consideration. A pleasant happening outside the beaten path of business during the year was the marriage of our good friend and well-wisher, the gen OfUcers of the National Association of Talking Machine Jobbers for 1916-1917 President, Edwin C. Rauth, KoerberBrenner Co., St. Louis, Mo. Vice-President, H. A. Winkelman, Oliver Ditson Co., Boston, Mass. Secretary, L. C. Wiswell, Lyon & Healy, Chicago, 111. Treasurer, W. H. Reynalds, Mobile, Ala. eral manager of the Victor Co., Mr. Louis F. Geissler, and to him and his charming bride our association paid its best respects in the form of a suitable and appropriate memento. I deem it proper at this time to take official cognizance of the regrettable and untimely passing away of a friend and comrade to each Next Convention City Atlantic City and every one of us in the person of the late Colonel Edward Lyman Bill, the editor and proprietor of the official journal of our trade, The Talking Machine World, and also The Music Trade Review, devoted to the interests of the music trade. A kindly, courteous, polished gentleman and a staunch friend and supporter of our organization. May he rest in peace. Matters of major and serious import will be presented to you at this time which will require your earnest attention, and for these and for our sessions throughout I ask for the fairness, harmony and good fellowship which have ever distinguished our annual meetings. The secretary's report was as follows: SECRETARY E. C. RAUTH'S REPORT At the close of our last meeting in San Francisco, Cal., on July 24, 1915, this association totaled eighty-eight members, all of whom are distributers of Victor Talking Machines. Since that time, Chase & West, of Des Moines, la., have been automatically dropped from membership; owing to their discontinuing the distributing of Victor talking machines. We have received one new member— Hext Music Co., of Denver, Col. This still leaves a total membership of eighty-eight, consisting of seventy-eight regular members and ten branch house members. The executive committee, since our last annual convention, has had two meetings — one being held on September 19, 1915, at Philadelphia, Pa., and the other in New York City, February 15, 1916. Both meetings were well attended by your executive committeemen, and also by other members of this association. The meeting at Philadelphia was called for the purpose of levying a special assessment to create a fund to carry on the work of promoting the Stephens bill. It might be well, at the proper time, to bring this matter up for discussion, particularly since some of the members paid this assessment under protest. If we intend to continue our good work, in promoting the Stephens bill during this and, if necessary, the next session of Congress, it will very likely devolve upon us to raise more funds. The detailed report of your secretary will show the immense amount of work done by your Stephens committee, for which they received no remuneration. The only expense defrayed by this association was railroad fare and hotel accommodation. Every Congressman in the United States, during the adjourned period of Congress, was visited by some member of your Stephens committee. Your legislative committee made three different trips to Washington. This will give you only a faint idea of the vast amount of effort necessary to carry on this work. The meeting at New York was the regular mid-winter meeting of your executive committee. At this meeting, a committee of three was appointed to confer with the Allied Music Trades, to consider the Klugh resolution. This committee was given no power to act, but was instructed to report back to the association at its next meeting, July 10, 1916. A committee of three was appointed to consider suitable plans for the establishment of an association credit bureau, and submit the report of these plans to the next annual meeting:, The committee consisted of: H. G. Koer(Coniinued on page 36)