The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1916)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 105 2 GRESHAM BUILDING, BASING HALL STREET E. C, LONDON, W. LIONEL STURDY, MANAGER. Business Most Active But Manufacturing Greatly Curtailed by Lack of Supplies from Abroad — General Situation and Outlook Reviewed— Efforts Being Made to Modify the Official Prohibition Order — A New Record Material Introduced — Gramophone Co. Makes Splendid Business Report for the Year — The Good Work Accomplished at Sixth British Music Trade Convention Held at Harrowgate — Some Very Attractive Records Being Placed on the Market These Days — Great Activity at the Hayes Factories of "His Master's Voice" — News of the Month London, E. G, Eng., June 30. — Of the trade situation at the moment it would seem from inquiry in responsible quarters that while matters in general and prohibition restrictions in particular are not altogether satisfactory, the position is not without a ray of sunshine. The sales of records continue to make a steady showing, London vieing with the Provinces in its proportionate demand for new issues. A pleasing feature is the continued wonderful trade in the big industrial centers where dealers have laid themselves out to handle the steady call for records bearing the lighter type of musical selections and the popular vocal numbers. As a matter of fact, manufacturers scarcely cope with retail orders and factory output is determined more by the shortage of labor than any want of orders. Machines too are selling as fast as they can be made. There is, however, a great curtailment of necessary supplies from neutral sources abroad. Future instrument trade, it is expected, will suffer by reason of the import prohibition legislation. While licenses may now be secured to import a percentage, based upon previous figures over a period of parts and accessories from Switzerland, France and Italy, it is fairly clear that official refusal will meet any application for musical imports from America and countries other than those named. This is due to the fact that space in ships returning from the States can be utilized to more profitable advantage, while on the other hand, it is a matter of more or less common knowledge that on the homeward journey from the countries named our ships do not carry anthing like their full cargo capacity. We are consequently dependent upon what our allies can get to their ports from home factories and from Switzerland. The latter country is and always has been our chief supplier of gramophone parts in which they do an enormous export business with all foreign countries. The Swiss manufacturers have naturally taken all legitimate measures to preserve their output, and in consequence of our Government's initial refusal to consider any modification of the prohibition ban, they immediately took steps to strengthen their position, with the result that large quantities of motors, tone arms, sound boxes, etc. have been diverted from England to America. We know that some important Swiss houses, feeling doubtless a little anxious as to the trade situation on this side, sent representatives to America, where large engagements were entered into for the supply of gramophone goods amounting to many months' output. This, of course, can only mean one thing and that is that British houses will in consequence experience a shortage of supplies to a consid erable extent, I am afraid. Under different circumstances such a position would not have so grave an import for us, indeed, it might be a blessing in disguise if only in stimulating home manufacture. As it is we are very much handicapped. All our suitable available machinery is utilized for war work, and labor is at a premium. That's the alpha and omega of the whole business as far as any chance of increasing our manufacturing facilities is concerned, and we can, therefore, do little beyond urging our claims as old and regular customers entitled to some preferential treatment from Swiss houses. There is encouragement in the fact that so far as possible within the iron rules of legal commercial engagements we shall be accorded fair treatment, and evidence thereof is found in the tons of supplies which continue to reach us "under license" from Switzerland. Content to believe that things might have been worse, the trade is wisely and loyally determined to make the best of it in the hope that the position may by chance improve later. For what we have received by the way of licenses to import, it is but fair to accord public thanks on behalf of the whole trade to Mr. Ricketts, of the Gramophone Co., Ltd., for his untiring efforts to secure a modification of the official prohibition order. By conspicuous ability and sound logical reasoning with the Board of Trade he succeeded in the task of moving them to modify a restriction which would have meant, had it been maintained, almost the entire destruction of British gramophone trade. As reported in another column Mr. Ricketts' work was officially recognized at the British Music convention and {Continued on page 106) 'His Master's Voice' — the trade-mark that is recognized throughout the world as the HALL-MARK OF QUALITY HIS MASTERS VOICE REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. Branches Agencies His Master's Voice1 Copyright This intensely human picture stands for all that is best in music — it is the " His Master's Voice " trade-mark, and it brings to you, no matter where you are, the very best music of every kind, sung and played by the world's greatest artists — the greatest singers, pianists, violinists, o r chestras and bands — all enshrined in the unequalled " His Master's Voice " records DENMARK: Skandinavisk Gramniophon-Aktleselskab, Frihavnen, Copenhagen. FRANCE: Cie. Franchise du Gramophone, 115 Boulevard Richard Lenoir, Place de la R6publique, Paris. SPAIN: Cia. Francesca del Gramophone, 56, Balmes, Barcelona. SWEDEN: Skandinaviska Grammophon-Aktiebolaget, Drottning Gatan No. 47, Stockholm. RUSSIA: The Gramophone Co., Ltd., 45, Nevsky Prospect, Petrograd (Petersburg) ; No. 1 Solyanka, Solyanoi Dvor, Moscow ; 9, Golovinsky Prospect, Tiflis; Nowy-Swiat 30, Warsaw; 33, Alexandrowskaya Ulitsa, Riga; 11 Michailovskaya Ulitsa, Baku. INDIA: The Gramophone Co., Ltd., 139, Balliaghatta Road, Calcutta ; 7, Bell Lane, Fort, Bombay. Great Britain : AUSTRALIA: S. Hoffnung & Co., Ltd., Sole Concessionaries of The Gramophone Company, Limited, 163, Pitt Street, Sydney. NEW ZEALAND: Gramophonium, Ltd., 118-120 Victoria Street, Wellington. SOUTH AFRICA: Darter & Sons, Post Box 174, Capetown; Mackay Bros., Post Box 251, Johannesburg; Mackay Bros. & McMahon, Post Box 419, Durban; Ivan H. Haarburger, Post Box 105, Bloemfontein ; Franz Moeller, Post Box 108, East London; B. J. Ewins & Co., Post Box 86, Queenstown; Handel House, Kimberley; Laurence & Cope, Post Box 132, Buluwayo; The Argus Co., Salisbury. EAST AFRICA: Bay ley & Co., Lourenzo Marques. HOLLAND: American Import Co., 22a, Amsterd Veerkade, The Hague. ITALY: A. Bossl & Co., Via Oreflci 2, Milan. ¥ EGYPT (Also for the Soudan, Greece and the Ottoman Empire) : K. Fr. Vogel, Post "Box 414, Alexandria. The Gramophone Company, Ltd. HAYES MIDDLESEX ENGLAND