The talking machine world (Jan-June 1925)

172 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD January 15, 1925 Inclement Weather Brings About LastMinute Holiday Buying Rush in Portland Intense Cold Until Few Days Before Christmas Holds Back Buying — Planning Many Edison Tone-Test Recitals — Many Trade Personnel Changes — Other Important News of the Month Portland, Ore., January 5. — Holiday business in and about Portland was like the little girl with a little curl: "when it was good it was very good indeed, but when it was bad it was horrid." Old Jack Frost hit Oregon with a bang, just when the Christmas trade was getting a good start, with the coldest weather for many years keeping all would-be Christmas shoppers in by their firesides. The weather moderated somewhat several days before Christmas and there was one grand rush until late Christmas eve to get caught up. Of course it was an impossibility to do all in a few days that was intended for several weeks. Sherman, Clay & Co. report a tremendous business, going way beyond last year's mark. The jobber, of course, did not suffer from the unexpected cold weather as all of the stock was placed with the retailers before the blow fell. The local retailers are not crying and all are facing the future with optimism. January business started off with a rush and 1925 has every prospect of being a banner year. Arthur Gabler, Pacific Northwest manager of the Edison Phonograph, Ltd., reports the sale of Edison phonographs exceeding expectations during the holiday season by 20 per cent, and reports this condition pulling down the present stock to such an extent that all orders on the Chippendale console and London console during January cannot be filled. Mr. Gabler hopes, however, that fresh stock will arrive late in the month to offset this shortage. All Pacific Northwest Edison dealers are jubilant over the quality and quantity of the latest dance and song hits and from everywhere reports are received that the Edison record business is mate rially increasing. The recordings of the Georgia Melodians, Fry's Million Dollar Pier Orchestra, The Merry Sparklers and the Top Notchers are creating a sensation on their latest Edison records. E. A. Borgum, Pacific Northwest traveler, is meeting with unusual success in booking a large number of Edison tone-test recitals, to be staged by various Edison dealers, featuring the American soprano, Betsy Lane Shepherd, assisted by Jacques Glockner, 'cellist. In Portland this concert will be presented under the auspices of the Hyatt Music Co. at the Municipal auditorium, which seats over 5,000 persons. E. B. Hyatt is one of the most prominent Edison dealers in Portland and his presentation of the tone test will be handled with proper care and efficiency. Mr. Hyatt anticipates a capacity audience. A shift of executives of three Portland piano houses and music stores has taken place, with the result that Frank M. Case, manager of the Wiley B. Allen Co. for many years, is now manager of Sherman, Clay & Co.; R. R. Brassfield, recently of the San Francisco office of the Wiley B. Allen Co., is now manager of that company's Portland store, and Frank Raymond, until recently manager of the piano department of the G. F. Johnson Piano Co., now heads that department of the Wiley B. Allen Co. Acceptance of the resignation of J. H. Dundore, who has been the Portland manager for Sherman, Clay & Co., for 13 years, and appointment of Mr. Case in his place was announced by Philip T. Clay, of San Francisco, president of Sherman, Clay & Co., who was in the city with George Bates, comptroller of the company. Mr. Dundore had expressed a desire to retire from active business several months before, Mr. Clay said, and his resignation was made effective January 1. Radio will not supplant the phonograph, Mr. Clay declared, when asked for an opinion, but rather the two forms of entertainment, especially as now provided in a single instrument, will supplement each other. "The talking machine," said Mr. Clay, "is like a good book in your library which you have read many times. You know beforehand what it is going to say. Radio, though, is like a newspaper. Your interest in it is to see what it says. Both are necessary." The biggest month's business in its history is the December report of Charles Soule, district manager for Oregon, Washington and Idaho for the Starr Piano Co. Harry L. Nolder, general manager of the Pacific division with headquarters in Los Angeles, spent two weeks in December covering the Pacific Northwest territory with Mr. Soule, while Mrs. Soule, who is Mr. Soule's "right hand man" in the wholesale department, took charge of the local office and kept things humming. The Hyatt Music Co. is enlarging its floor space by half again as much as it formerly occupied. A. C. Ireton, Pacific Coast general manager for the new Edison, visited in Portland on Christmas Day. Ed. L. Berg, of Los Angeles, publisher of the Western Music Trades Journal, was a Portland visitor during the holidays. Two more brides are listed among the record girls of Portland music shops and both have been taken away by their bridegrooms to other cities. Audry Whyte, of the Wiley B. Allen Co. record department, has married Walter Dickens, and will make her home in Bellingham, Wash., and Ruth Constantine, of the record department of the Seiberling, Lucas Music Co., is now Mrs. Charles Osborne and will in the future reside in Oakland, Cal. Edison Tone Tests to be Heard Throughout Country The Edison tone-test program for the forthcoming Winter and Spring months is of an extensive character and covers in quite a thorough way virtually the entire country. On January 5 Elizabeth Spencer, the distinguished Edison artist, assisted by Lucille Collette, will start a Florida tour which in the course of the Winter will cover the greater part of the South. Collins & Harlan, the famous singing team, assisted by William Reed, star flutist and saxophonist, will start in Cleveland on January S and continue giving concerts in the Middle West section. Glen Ellison, the famous baritone, will give his first concert of the year in St. Louis, on January 26, and will proceed from there to Kansas City and the surrounding territory, which will be thoroughly covered. He will be accompanied by Alta Hill, pianist. Betsy Lane Shepherd will first appear in the Northwest on January 26, and will make an extensive tour covering Washington, Oregon and California. These are the partial plans for the first half of the New Year in connection with the Edison tone tests. The Edison Co., based upon its extensive experience, continues to value these tone tests as the greatest sales promotion plan ever devised for the benefit of retail phonograph dealers, and this enthusiasm on the part of the Edison Co. is of course founded on the unbounded enthusiasm of Edison dealers throughout the country for Edison tone tests in their, respective communities. The Pet o' Fone Mfg. Co., New York, recently changed its capital from. 200 shares at $100 per share to 200 shares of no par value. Complete the Radio Sets you sell with Pacent Radio Essentials Automatic plug — Just insert the phone tips — Price 75c. No doubt you are handling radio sets that are equipped with Pacent Radio Essentials as over 30 of the leading radio set manufacturers use them for standard equipment. Your customers will be so thoroughly satisfied with their Pacentequipped sets that when they buy additional parts you will find it easy to sell them Pacent Radio Essentials. 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