Music Trade Review

Issue: 1895 Vol. 20 N. 10

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
EDWARD LYMAN BILL
Editor and Proprietor.
PUBLISHED
EVERY
red tape and bungling about this entire
matter of awards and medals that the
whole affair is now simply ludicrous. The
World's Fair will soon be ancient history,
and the medals and awards, and the right
to use them, will be of little value to ad-
vertisers.
• • • • • • • • • • • •
SATURDAY
ENTRE-NOUS.
HERE is no earthly reason why piano
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage) United States and
warerooms should not be as attractive
Canada, $3.00 per year; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
and inviting now as during the holiday
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed.
season, and yet, with few exceptions, they
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
are not. The unusual pains taken to "set
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
off" the different instruments and to give
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second- Class Matter.
an artistic air to the place, such as would
"THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPER."
attract purchasers, seems to be entirely
overlooked all through the year with the
exception of a few weeks around Christ-
mas.
Why?
.
It .seems to us that instead of complain-
ing and talking dull business, the wide-
awake salesman should pay more attention
to what some consider unimportant details.
Are they unimportant?
We hardly think so. A wareroom with
the stock in the same position week after
l!;3 cause thi
week, and a show window not too inviting,
hs
wrong
tbat
needs
r
c
s
i
s
&
g
j
^
J
will
not induce would-be customers or
For tho wrong ib
passers-by to visit the warerooms or become
For
interested in the instruments shown therein.
People are influenced by esthetic environ-
ment in every business. But in the piano
business they look for it. This is a matter
E call attention to our Mr. Bill's that should not be overlooked any part of
remarks anent trade relations the year, be times good or bad.
That is why we allude to it.
between this country and Mexico, in his
very interesting" letter, which appears else-
where in this paper.
THE FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS.
3 East 14th St., New York
T
i
W
I
N a short time there will be a "Steinway
Hall" in all the World's capitals. Lon-
don and New York are already represented,
Chicago is now on record, and ere long the
Steinway piano will have a home in the
French capital.
I
T has apparently taken the authorities at
Washington two years to realize that
the medals awarded exhibitors at the
World's Columbian Exposition may be of
service to them in an advertising way.
According to a dispatch which appears
elsewhere, it seems the late exhibitors will
henceforth be at liberty to use copies of
the medals awarded them. The law against
their use, which has existed for the past
two years, and which is now abrogated,
would have some force had exhibitors re-
ceived their medals. The funny part of
the matter is, they have not as yet—in fact
the design was only finally determined on
a short time ago. There has been so much
should in future be taken entirely out of
politics. The turmoil which has prevailed
anent these questions for the past two years
—working such a blighting injury to the
commercial prosperity of the country—
should end with the departure of the Fifty-
third Congress.
T
HE Fifty-third Congress made its exit
last Monday to the great relief of the
country at large. Its record has been one
of incapacity and indifference to the best
interests of the country. It misused great
opportunities for public service. It has
been faithful to personal interests and blind
to those effecting the commercial prosperity
of the people.
Its dissolution was received with a sigh
of relief, nay, joy, by every business man in
this country, for its presence has been
synonymous with hard times.
It is needless to go into details as to why
and wherein did Congress fail. It is suffi-
cient to know that its record will be con-
demned by every American, irrespective of
political belief, unless he be a blind par-
tisan. The business world can now feel at
ease. The horizon is clearer. The sun of
better times is peeping above the hill-tops,
with hope and good cheer in his wake.
As we have emphasized several times
before, the questions of tariff and currency
PATENT REPORT FOR 1894.
T is a gratifying fact to note that inven-
tive genius is neither discouraged by
hard times, nor by repeated failure to score
a success. It seems that no matter how
dull general business may be the inventor
is always at work. The reports for the
past year, as presented by the Commissioner
of United States Patents, state that during
the year 1894, 36,987 applications for pat-
ents, 1,357 for designs, 2,053 f° r registra-
tion of trademarks, and 2,286 caveats were
made. This furnishes remarkable testi-
mony to the activity of the American
mind, and shows that inventive genius is
determined to meet the needs of the times.
There is no better key to the supremacy
which we as a nation occupy in the inven-
tive and -manufacturing world, than the
industrious striving after new devices, or
improvements on old ones, as evident in
the records of the Patent Office year after
year. Concerning the patents taken out on
musical instruments during the year 1894,
we notice the majority were new adapta-
tions of old ideas, and their extension in
new directions; yet quite a few have
worked in untried fields, and if they failed
to succeed they have at least placed them-
selves on record and will doubtless be
looked after by somebody else in due time.
In the multitude of devices recorded some
must prove valuable, and in this way the
manufacturing world is benefited.
As far as pianos are concerned, nothing
startling has been recorded during the past
year which can be termed of especial value
in the realm of tone, action mechanism, or
case architecture. In fact, the modern
piano has attained a perfection which is not
likely to be surpassed in our age, at least,
and yet in these days of marvelous sur-
prises in the inventive field it would be
simply absurd to be positive in this asser-
tion.
As we remarked before, inventors in the
musical instrument field display a weakness
for taking up old ideas and improving on
them. This is commendable in a way, but
when these old ideas are weak, and destitute
of real merit, it is simply a waste of time
to try and produce something out of noth-
ing. This, in a measure, is the reason why
the Commissioner of Patents refused to
accept so many applications during the
past year. Inventors, like other clever
I
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Haines Bros.' Affairs.
people, occasionally have what they con-
sider brilliant ideas, but they do not always
stand the test; but in this inventive era the
good things are bound to come mingled
with
those that
are valueless.
worthy of a trial.
All are
. . .
So let us bid God-speed to all our invent-
ors, be they successful or unsuccessful.
The Music Trade Dinner,
T
HE dinner of the Music Trades' Asso-
ciation, to be held at the Hotel Wal-
dorf, March 28th, is destined to be a
brilliant success.
Applications for seats
are far in advance of expectations. At the
meeting of the dinner committee, held at
the office of the chairman, Mr. Nahum Stet-
son, last Thursday, the list of speakers and
invited guests were considered, but final
action was not taken. In our next issue we
expect to give their names.
We under-
stand invitations will be extended to the
members of the allied trades to take part in
this reunion.
The most important thing
the dinner committee has to deal with now
is to find room for all anxious to partici-
pate.
The New Scale Steck Pianos,
G
EORGE STECK & CO. continue to
receive the very highest compliments
from dealers in all sections of the country
anent their new scale instruments. Opin-
ions from practical dealers who are thor-
ough judges of a good piano are certainly
worthy of appreciation.
The following is
one of the many letters recently received:
LIMA, OHIO, March 2,
1895.
GEORGE STECK & Co.
Gentlemen—-The Steck Style "E" new
scale has been received, and we think the
tone perfect, it being rich, brilliant and
powerful. We have handled the Steck for
ten years in Ohio and five years in St.
Louis, Mo., and We have always considered
them perfect, but the new scale is an im-
provement and highly appreciated. We,
as a firm, extend to you our heartiest con-
gratulations to your unbounding success.
Yours very truly,
B. S. PORTER & SON.
David H. Schmidt Busy.
D
AVID H. SCHMIDT, piano hammer
coverer, 312-4 East Twenty-second
street, is busy; in fact, so busy that he can
hardly handle the orders on hand with
present facilities; hence he will move on
May 1st to more spacious quarters at 163d
street and Brook avenue, where he will
have nearly double his present manufactur-
ing space. Mr. Schmidt has a large num-
ber of the leading manufacturers on his
books, who appreciate the excellent work
he turns out.
Miss FRANCES CLEAVES, musical merchan-
dise, Stockton Springs, Me., has com-
menced the sale of sheet music.
N. W. DOLLENS, music trade dealer,
Indianapolis, Ind., has just removed to
new quarters at 8 Pennsylvania avenue.
I
T was hardly a surprise to learn that
Haines Bros.' notes for $33,000, which
became due last Monday, were not honored
and went to protest. It is well known that
no apparent effort had been made to meet
these notes.
It is now learned that Mr. N. J. Haines,
Sr., has given a chattel mortgage to his
wife for $40,000, which covers the stock,
supplies and fixtures in the factory, and
also executed a chattel mortgage on ma-
chinery to his son, William P. Haines, for
$5,000. It seems Mrs. N. J. Haines, Sr.,
has placed Herbert Haines in charge of the
factory as her representative.
It is regrettable to see this old house,
which has played a prominent part in
piano trade history, brought to its present
place. Some of Mr. Haines' best friends
have expressed opinions time and time
again that he would best serve his own
interests and the interests of the house by
retiring. He has chosen otherwise, how-
ever, with the result chronicled above.
World's Fair Medals.
A
CCORDING to the following Wash-
ington dispatch, exhibitors may have
the privilege at this late day of making
use of cuts of medals awarded them at the
World's Columbian
Exposition:
"Ex-
hibitors who secured awards at the World's
Fair have at last been placed in a position
where they will be enabled to reap some
practical advantage from the distinction.
Under the existing law, supplemented by
red-tape regulations in the departments,
newspapers have been debarred from secur-
ing electrotypes of medals to be used for
advertising purposes, and have been de-
barred from printing them. A measure to
correct this evil was drawn up and slipped
into the sundry civil bill just before it
passed the Senate. It directs the Treasury
Department to furnish to exhibitors and
to newspapers as many electrotypes of
medals as desired, the cost of course being
paid by the applicant. The amendment
will undoubtedly be accepted by the House
and become a law. Its effect will be to
allow every exhibitor who received a medal
to advertise that fact in the best manner
possible, which is, of course, by printing a
fac simile of medal and award. This will
be good news for the thousands of firms
awarded medals, who, thus far, have been
inclined to believe that the distinction was
not worth having."
L
AST Monday the United States Supreme
Court, through Justice Harlan, gave a
pretty severe "black eye" to the monopolies
controlling the Bell telephone and other
important electric patents. It is estimated
that not less than six hundred million dollars
of capital is effected by this decision.
It
terminates the three Edison patents for the
carbon transmitter owned by the American
Bell Telephone Co., by which it hoped to
extend its monopolies for fifteen years more.
A considerable number of important pat-
ents owned by the General Electric Co.
were disposed of, including Mr. Edison's
patent upon the incandescent lamp, regard-
ing which there has been so much litiga-
tion, and also his patent on the multiple
arc system of distribution and his patent
on the socket for incandescent lamps, which
was recently held to be valid by Judge
Coxe. Thus all of the patents owned by
the General Electric Co., which have been
thus far sustained by the courts, have been
wiped out by this decision.
* *
*
A piano is playing a prominent part in
the contested election case of Timothy J.
Campbell against Harry C. Miner, theatri-
cal manager and now Congressman-elect
from the Ninth District, in hearing for the
past week. It is asserted that Mr. Miner
promised to give the Argyle Club—a great
power in the Ninth District—a piano if he
were elected. It is not stated, however,
whether Mr. Miner would present a Stein-
way grand,or one of these $500 "Harmony"
pianos sold by Bloomingdale Bros, for 99
cents. Anyhow, Mr. Campbell is having
quite a difficulty in proving that Mr.
Miner lived up to his promise.
But if
Harry Miner is "unseated" he will have
reason to look with abhorrence on the
"household orchestra," particularly when
he has secured a cosy nest in Washington
and furnished it a la Empire.
*
"The new industrial substance to which
we have referred on several occasions,"
Another Bradbury Baby Grand. says Industries and Iron, "is now known
as'Viscose.' . . . We formerly described
G. SMITH has just ready for inspec- this product as a fire-proof celluloid. This
tion, a baby grand, which is bound description, so far as it goes, is correct; but
%
to command unusual attention, both for it expresses only a portion of the new ma-
This can be manufactured with
its size, construction, design and tone. It terial.
is surprisingly sonorous, withal sweet and almost any degree of resistance, varying
of musical quality.
Mr. Smith is fully from ivory, ebony, or horn, to almost that
aware of the growing demand for these of india rubber. The process of manufac-
instruments, and he proposes to turn out a ture is, as we understand, comparatively
baby grand that will not be too high in inexpensive with that employed for the
price—an instrument that will win the ordinary celluloid, while the raw stock, con-
sisting mainly of waste products, conduces
favor of dealers and the trade in general.
F

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