The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-19
PIANO DEALERS
WIN THEIR POINT
Secure Reopening of Contract
and Appointment of Experts
to Examine Instruments.

to Examine instruments.
The night for the School Board piano
contract reached It's climax last night
before the committee on buildings and
furniture. when the agErieved local
dealers presented as mouthpiece OF
their wrongs Attorney Leon NJ. Nelson.
who spoke eloQuently and with good
effect FOR his clients.
When the committee took action At
1890 o'clock. It voted to reopen the
competition. and. by way OF making
sure that this time there would be no
comeback. 1t appointed q committee
Of three experts. who will receive In
structions to examine impartially and
in detail every instrument offered under
the specifications Of the school Board.
and decide without bias which OF the
pianos Is the best, price considered,
for use In the Richmond schools.
Considered abstr acuy. the net result
Of last nights hearing was q distinct
victory for the local dealers as opposed
to the Cable Company. Of Chicago.
which has. since 1908. when music was
first added to the school curriculum. en-
joyed exclusively the patronage or the
School Board.
Select On Merit.
The hearing consumed more than an
hour. and turned with little apparent
progress on the question OF whether
or not the Cable Company. of Chicago.
was a Richmond taxpayer and entitled
to a valid claim to School Board pat
ronage. II 1t il not taxpayer Of the
city. argued Mr.. Nelson. and the re-
cords seem TO say that 1t isn't. then 1t
has no legal right to do business in
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awarding its piano contracts to it. Is
unwittingly a party to an illegal act.
AS the hearing wore on, 1t grew ap-
parent that nothing short OF a thorough
airing Of the Cable company's status
in Virginia, as well as its relation to
the Corley Company. would satisfy
either members Of the committee or the
representatives Of piano dealers. who
were present
At this tuncture Committeeman John
Bagby secured the adoption OF mo-
ton which received the approval OF.
the aggrieved dealers as well as Of the
committee It named a committee of
experts, composed OF Walter c. Mercer.
director of music In the city schools:
Leslie Watson. organist at the German
Evangelical Church and piano teacher.
and Joseph Bopp. a piano expert To
this committee was intrusted the task
of liking upon tho best piano for school
3use.
Coxiey Not Present.
At the opening Of the piano hearing.
Chairman Corley left the chair. and
announced his intention OF departing
for the night
Il desire to be excused or>m taking
part in the deliberations OF this body
on the awarding Of the piano contract.
said Mr.. Corley. Il need not explain
why. think there can be no Ques-
ton Of my position in this matter. for
/ have served the city many years, and
have never yet failed to do my duty.
want to say before going that my COM
pany is not bidder. and that the
award Of the contract to the Gable
Company. at the last meeting. brought
me no benefit either directly or In
directly"
W. H. Owens was designated BY the
committee to take the chair and pre-
sided the rest OF the evening.
states Case for DealesU.
Mr.. Nelson took the floor. with the
statement that he represented every
piano dealer in the city. with the ex-
ception Of the Corley Company. The
local dealers. he said. thought they had
a Just cause for complaint, since the |
committee seemed bent upon awarding |
to a foreign concern . contract for
commodities which can be furnished
Just a. cheaply by Richmond firms. In
doing 90, the committee. he said, was
laying itself open to public criticism, |
particularly since IL appears now that
the Cable Company, the favored BID /,
der. u either . nontaxpaying CORPORA
ton. or one represented directly By /
q man who IL chairman OF the very |
committee making the award
II the first be true, he said. the Chi
cago company 10 doing business In vio-
lation OF the Virginia statute which
makes the payment OF q State tax re-
quisite to trading rights In the Com 1
monwealth IT, on the otner hand. \
he argued, the CO1ey Company II the /
authorized agent Of the Cable Com /
pany, then the contract violates the
letter and spirit OF the school laws
Mr. Nelson pointed out that even II
Mr.. Coriey received no monetary 6ene-
IT from the Cable Company's contract
his company would benefit In no less 1
rea! a manner through the advertising
s. would receive through the placing
in the schools Of the identical brand Of
piano sold on It's floors. A proof OF
the value OF this advertising, he point
ed to the willingness Of the Remington
Com p4ny 10 supply tE~ SssoVsS WIN
typewrters virtually free Of cost.
WDsessy - Csesrs<s.
Inquiry into the history Of piano,
purchases by the School Board brought L
out the fact that the srst purchase
was made In 1909 from the cable Com
pany. Mr Corfey was not then .
member % the bcard.
The board At thaa time appointed .
commHsec. which presumably inspect-
ed all the different instrumeues sub
,nsssed. and made Its selection OF the
cable Company's product on sts merits.
since then. 10 was brought out. the
ccnsrace has been automatically re-
rcwed AZ the instance Of several local
dealcrs. who felt thai they were not
e~tcue due consid~rasion. tie board.
In preparing for the awar6 nov under
~onssSerassoa, invited competitive BIDS
frcm RscAmond drma.
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