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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
From A Traveler's
Note Book.
At Atlanta—Weather Conditions—Con-
cerning the Exposition—The Women
of the South—Their Enthusiasm
over Exposition flatters—The
Manufacturing Industries.
Plants from New
England will Re-
move.
Matters to be Considered—Freight, Labor
and the Enactment of Favorable Laws.
Who will be the First Piano flanu-
facturer of Repute to Move to
the Southland.
HE unprecedented cold spell in
the North has swooped down
on the Southern States, and
from five to twelve inches of
snow has given the pro-
verbial oldest inhabitant an
opportunity to "spread himself."
It is
generally admitted that no storm in the
memory of the present generation has
equaled this which the South has just ex-
perienced. Business is practically suspend-
ed in all the cities I have passed through,
and the people seem to make the best of
the matter by indulging in sleighing,
snow-balling and a general good time. In
Atlanta street car traffic is impossible and
business is at a standstill. I hear of re-
ports of serious damage to the crops in all
sections of the South. Orange trees have
been damaged and early vegetables have
been ruined. I am of the opinion, however,
that these reports are over-estimated, owing
principally to the unusual appearance of
such arctic weather.
I shall not refer specially to the music
trade in this letter, as I prefer to deal with
other matters which will in a measure effect
the prosperity of that great section of
America lying south of Mason and Dixon's
line.
The preparatory work for the Exposition
which will open in Atlanta on the first of
September next, is moving on apace. I
understand that many applications for space
have been received from piano manufact-
urers, and that there will be a goodly line
of pianos entered "for exhibition only."
The only piano manufacturers south of
Baltimore are the Miles & Stiff Co., of this
city.
There is one thing which particularly
impresses the traveler about this Exposi-
tion, and that is the intense enthusiasm
which is being displayed at present by the
ladies of Atlanta in the industrial enter-
prise now fairly under way.
We know in New York when the ladies
took an active part in politics they largely
assisted to "down" Tammany. I think I
may predict thatwhatever matter the fair sex
devote their energies to, they usually suc-
ceed in accomplishing that which they de-
sire. Therefore it is fair to predict that the
ladies of Atlanta will largely contribute to
the success of the coming Exposition. They
were allotted a reasonable share of the Ex-
position's funds for a Woman's Building,
and told that this was done conditionally
upon their willingness to undertake the
task of providing means for the necessary
exhibits. They accepted the conditions.
It became necessary, in order to insure
the success of their undertaking, to raise a
large sum of money. This must be done
by their own exertions. They have enlisted
the ladies of the' South, and I may add,
from the North, in their enterprise. Since
the organization of the Women's Depart-
ment, the directors have given strict atten-
tion to business. If there is a reception
given, it is to devise plans for raising Ex-
position funds; if there is a ball, the pro-
ceeds go to the women's treasury; if there
is an entertainment, the net receipts at the
box office are turned over to the ladies.
We may imagine that society here is not
suffering for entertainment or amusement,
or for opportunities of spending its surplus
cash. As a result of all this, the coffers of
the women's treasury are filling and the
success of the Women's Department of the
Exposition is assured.
I may as well give a short description of
just what their building will be like. After
a large number of plans had been sub-
mitted, Miss Mercurs' design proved the
most acceptable. She designed a structure
that is suggestive of the Northern idea of a
great Southern mansion of ante-bellum
days. It has a good deal of the classic and
a good deal of the colonial in its outline.
It will be centrally located on the edge of'
the lake, one of the most picturesque sites
on the ground. I may add that the women
of the North are specially invited to make
the women's exhibit interesting and useful.
The beautiful part goes without saying.
The low price of cotton has, of course,
interfered with business, but it seems "that
the South has now commenced upon a new
era—that of manufacturing—and ere long
the North will feel the force of Southern
competition.
Recently some of the largest cotton mills
of New England have made preparations to
open factories in the South. The move is
significant, and it means that the textile
operations of the North will be transferred
to the borders of the sunny fields where the
fiber is grown. The movement means pro-
gress. Cheap labor, long hours and prox-
imity to the staple are influential elements
in this change. It is by no means a new
thought.
Northern manufacturers have
for the last half dozen years been watching
the development of the cotton manufactur-
ing industry in the South. Of course,
there are many elements in the problem of
the future industrial greatness of the South.
In this problem are also many elements,
primarily for the establishment of any new
industry whatever—superintendents, over-
seers, trustworthy and skilful, and who are
willing to go South if necessary. There is
no superabundance of them. The condi-
tion of atmosphere, its moisture or dryness
is important. The best conditions admit-
tedly prevail in England. In the region
from Long Island Sound to the Penobscot
River the problem is one of varying dif-
ficulty. ' Excepting in fundamental phases,
it is almost fully undetermined in the
South.
Then there is the freight—the lost freight
caused on waste and dirt and useless por-
tions of the raw material. These latter
considerations are strongly affirmative in
influencing the establishment of mills in
the South for the coarser lines of goods and
for many of the preparatory processes for
finer grades of fabrics.
Then there is the labor problem. The
labor, while cheap, is of a very fine class.
All the female help in the mills are farmers'
daughters, who are glad to work-for small
wages, which seem large to them, as they
are not as accustomed to. .money as we are
in the North. As the negroes do not work
in the cotton mills, the wtiite people are
willing to take up tljat form of work.
Reports of production from good South-
ern mills show that the machinery as a rule
is run a little faster than in the North, and
the goods are of excellent quality, which is
the best proof of the efficiency df the labor
in the South. Circumstances seerrT favor-
able for the rapid growth of the manufact-
uring industry here. A manufacturer has
the benefit of long hours of labor, cheaper
coal, a climate which necessitates less heat-
ing, and cheap labor.
Again, there seems to be a strong desire
on the part of the.Legislatures in Southern
"States to enact favorable laws to manufact-
urers.
It is not the same condition as
exists in some of the Northern States,
where' legislators may meet every other
week and pass laws which are adverse to
manufacturing interests. Here, the towns
exempt the mills from taxation, beyond a
nominal sum, for a term of years.
Without doubt, during the next few
years there will have been located in the
South enormous manufacturing industries.
South of Baltimore there is no piano manu-
facturing concern, save one, whose product
is sold almost entirely at retail.
The question is right here: What large
manufacturer will be the first to take the
initiative and locate in this clime, which
has many advantages that are worthy of
minute consideration?
Progressive Newby & Evans.
T
HE progressive piano house of Newby
& Evans is bound to become better
known through '95 than ever before. With
a splendid line of instruments, attractive
in appearance, concededly worthy from a
musical standpoint and reasonable in price,
Newby & Evans are certain to extend the
output of their factory and add still further
to the popularity of their instruments.
Their plans, so far outlined, would lead us
to think that they will succeed.
A NEW Mason & Hamlin branch store will
be opened at Grand Rapids, Mich.