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9RGAN 9ft
VOL. XVIII. No. 41
published Every Saturday.
TARIFF ON PIANOS.
Letter From Hardman, Peck & Co.
f
N answer to enquiries made by Congress-
man L. K Quigg as to the general effect
of the tariff, as proposed by the Wilson Bill, on
the piano business, Hardman, Peck & Co. re-
cently forwarded him a lengthy and interesting
letter bearing on the subject. The important
points we reproduce, and, as can be seen, they
cover the matter in a very complete manner:
" We can safely siy that, should the present
duty on pianos, 35 per cent, ad valorem be re-
duced to 30 per cent., as is proposed in sections
3 and 4 of the Wilson act, it would cause great
disturbance in the trade, reduce the pioduction
of many factories, and inevitably cause such
cutting in wages as would enable the American
manufacturers to compete with the foreign
maker. * * Were the opportunity given the
foreign maker to enter into competition with the
American manufacturer by means of a reduction
in the tariff, great injury would be done to the
industry and large reductions in wages would
follow. * * As nearly as can be ascertained,
about two-thirds of the cost of producing the
average piano in this country is in labor, and,
consequently, most of the reduction necessarily
must be made in wages.
Without going into the details of the various
departments in the piano factory and comparing
the wages with those paid in Europe, we might
say that the men employed in American piano
manufactories, on the average, receive nearly
three times the amount for a day's work that is
paid abroad for the same class of skilled labor.
Notwithstanding this fact, owing to the per-
fection of American machinery, the subdivision
of labor and the enormous extent of the business
in this country, the piano on the other side is
produced on the average at only about 33 per
cent, less than it is in America. The American
piano of the same class of workmanship is a
better and more uniform instrument than that
made in Europe, but the greater cost of 50 per
cent, over the foreign article necessitates a duty
of at least 35 per cent, upon foreign pianos.
The imposition of a less duty than 25 per cent,
we think would result in the importation of
large numbers of the cheaper grades of foreign
instruments.
In 1892 Germany made about 70,000 pianos,
of which number about 40,000 were exported ;
France, about 40,000, of which 20,000 were ex-
ported ; England, about 50,000, of which 20,-
000 were exported ; while in America we manu-
factured nearly 100,000 pianos, almost every
one of which was purchased in this country. It
is a well-known fact that there is practically no
profit in that department of their business. This,
of course, shows that without a sufficient duty
American manufacturers would be forced to com-
pete with the foreigner o» even wor« disad-
+
ffeu; YorJ(, /T\ay 12, 1894.
vantageous terms than are offered by compe-
tition in Europe. * *
The cost of the materials in a piano, now rep-
resenting about 33 per cent, of the total cost of
production in the United States, can hardly be
brought down any lower than at present, con-
sequently the entire reduction which the Ameri-
can piano manufacturer would be obliged to
make to compete with the foreign article would
come out of the wages of the artisans. Even
with a duty of 20 per cent., as provided by the
Wilson bill, this reduction would be very heavy
and would undoubtedly drive many men now
engaged in piano making into other fields of
labor."
THE BUSH & GERTS PIANO.
L. BUSH, of the Bush & Gerts Piano
Co., has recently returned to Chicago
from a trip among thier Eastern agents, all of
whom are unanimous in their good opinion and
praise of the Bush & Gerts piano. Trade with
the Bush & Gerts Piano Co. is brisk, everything
considered. Mr. Bush in a recent letter says:
'' After spending nearly seven months on the
road, I realize that trade is not in as booming a
condition as it was a year ago. We thoroughly
believe that it was never on a more substantial
or safer basis than at the present time. When
the reaction, which is bound to come sooner or
later, does set in, there is going to be a much
healthier tone through the trade than has ever
existed before." The Bush & Gerts Piano Co.
have succeeded in making many new agents
and extended the scope of their instrument dur-
ing the past year. They are and have been run-
ning their factory full time since March 1st, and
if the present condition of trade endures there
is every likelihood of their continuing in this
agreeable condition until the Fall.
BEATRICE, NKB.—A. Q. Miller, dealer in mu-
sical instruments, died a few days ago at his
home on East Market street, at the age of 43
years. His wife and six children survive him.
LISBON, N. H.—Parker & Young Mfg. Co.
has added the manufacture of piano case backs
to this business.
NORWALK, O.—W. B. Todd has leased the
building at corner of West Main and South
Hester streets, and will put in a stock of pianos
and organs.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COL —A new music store
has been opened at 108 Pike's Peak avenue, by
the W. F. Hunt Music Co.
$3 00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES. 10 CENTS.
BRIEF NEWSLETS.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo.—The W. W. Kimball Co.,
largest piano manufacturers in the world, have
opened up a wholesale and retail house in San
Jose, W. B. Brinkerhoff, manager. They are
located at 709 Edmond street.
GUTHRIE, IA.—J. C. Frampton will open up a
music store here.
SPRINGFIELD, III.—Hardman, Peck & Co.,
piano manufacturers, of New York, have filed
a bill in the Sangamon Court against the as-
signees of Geo. W. Chatterton, who failed re-
cently in Springfield, asking that a receiver be
appointed to take charge of the property.
NEW ENGLAND.—A movement has been set
on foot for organizing the 36,000 piano workers
of New England to demand a reduction of the
hours of labor and an increase in wages.
EASTON, PA.—The stockholders of the Law-
rence Organ Mfg. Co., at their annual meeting,
declared a dividend of six per cent, on the earn-
ings of the past year. This is a very good
showing considering the fact that at the annual
meeting a year ago the stock was increased 50
per cent.
TROY, N. Y.—Henry Janes, Waterbury, V t ,
has patented vibrator for reed musical instru-
ment.
BALTIMORE, MD.—At the convention of the
National League of Musicians, held in Balti-
more, Owen -Miller, of St. Louis, was elected
president, Alexander Bremer, New York, vice-
president, Jacob Beck, Philadelphia, secretary,
Geo. Schath, Cincinnati, treasurer. Musical
Union, of Baltimore, has been boycotted by
Natl. League of Musicians. The Musical Union
will, by this boycott, not receive aid from any
member of Natl. League of Musicians in any
city of the United States. The action was
brought about, it is claimed, by the stubborn
resistance of the Musical Union to all attempts
on the part of the League to harmonize that
organization with Local League No. 17.
NEW HAVEN, CONN.—Robert Rutz has been
bound over to Superior Court, under $150 bonds,
on a charge of embezzling an $80 organ from C.
M. Loomis 1 Sons. The instrument was bought
on the instalment plan by Rutz, and under agree-
ment was not to be moved without permission of
C. M. Loomis' Sons. Last week it was shipped
to Hoboken marked for Russia, but was recover-
ed by said firm.
MR. AND MRS. D. D. HAWKS have removed to
Chandlerville, 111., where Mr. Hawks will open
up a music store. They formerly lived in
Havana, 111.
ELMIRA, N. Y.—Geo. Horton, an elderly man,
was arrested on complaint of Mr. Greener, piano
manufacturer, who alleges that Horton sold two
organs for $105 and failed to turn in the money
for them while in their employ as agent. He
was held in $500 on a charge of grand larceny.
CARTHAGE, MO.—Book, stationery and music
store of Hargis & Chapman has been closed by
*>herif>. Obligations amount to $2,483.
will open a music store in S.inta Kosa on Eat*
avenue.
SANTA ROSA, CAL.—H. Smith, of San Jose,