Music Trade Review

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••THE BUSINESS MAN'S PAPERS
Music TRADE REVIEW.
favor of the Torrey Bankruptcy Bill, which the arteries of trade are pulsing with the
will come up before the next Congress for healthy blood which comes from a sound
consideration. This bill very nearly suc- condition of the commercial body.
ceeded in becoming a law at the last session,
The factories which were idle a year ago
and its prospects in the coming Congress will are now giving employment to hundreds of
be materially strengthened if the business thousands of workmen, conducing toward a
men will exert their personal influence greater circulation of money, some of
with their representatives in Congress in which has evidently made its way into the
its behalf.
music trade industry, judging from the
It is hardly necessary to speak at length manifest improvement in business for some
on the absolute need of a national bank- time past-
ruptcy law. Manufacturers have had ex-
It is true, the improvement in business
periences from time to time going to show is not as rapid or as steady as all would
that the complicated system of State bank- wish, but, nevertheless, the conditions are
ruptcy laws now in force are unjust and such as to afford satisfaction for the present
confusing to all parties concerned. A and hope for the future. As far as local
national bankruptcy law will prevent dis- trade is concerned, manufacturers report a
honest failures and fraudulent assignments, decided spurt in business for the past two
and will protect the honest debtor. The weeks. The orders are heavy, and the out-
Protective Associations should throw their put of pianos both rented and sold at the
influence in favor of this bill and thus take warerooms is gratifyingly large. Let us
common action with other industries, so it hope that this pleasing condition of things
may become a law during the coming ses- will continue.
sion of Congress.
E
XHIBITIONS and "shows" are evi-
dently the order of the day. We
have had "shows" devoted to all kinds of
animals, flowers and foods, exhibitions of
paintings, sculpture, and on January 13th
the furniture exhibition will hold forth at
the Industrial Building. About the only
industry in this city that has entirely ig-
nored the effectiveness of expositions as a
means of interesting the public in their
products and extending their trade, is the
HE business-like way the Committee piano and organ manufacturers.
on Medals and Awards at the Atlanta
In our opinion a very imposing and ar-
Exposition are transacting affairs is credit- tistic exhibition could be made at some of
able. It means that exhibitors will receive the art institutes in this city or in conjunc-
their medals promptly. In the meantime tion with the display of artistic furniture
exhibitors at the World's Columbian Ex- to be made in January. Such expositions
position are still waiting for theirs. Evi- are not only productive of satisfactory
dently Chicago cannot rightfully claim to financial results, but they stimulate a
be the "Atlanta of the West."
healthy rivalry which never fails to be
beneficial.
' • .
We spoke of this matter at some length
E regret that a paper usually so well
in
the early part of the year, and refer to
posted as T H E MUSIC TRADE REVJKW
should repeat, with a surprising show of credulity, the matter now owing to the important dis-
the New York World's unjust article about a piano play which the makers of artistic furniture
boycott at the Atlanta Exposition. — The Presto.
are going to make at the forthcoming ex-
If our esteemed contemporary had read hibition. The suggestion, we think, is
the last paragraph commenting on the ar- pertinent, and might be considered with
ticle referred to, it would have seen that profit by some of our manufacturers.
we termed it "a mass of inaccuracies."
The injustice done the Everett Piano Co.
AST Thursday was a day of "thanks-
by some uninformed scribe was so apparent
giving," and members of the music
that a lengthy explanation was not at all
trade ,in common with the country at large,
necessary—at least in a trade paper.
ate turkey and congratulated themselves on
the improved business outlook to-day as
HE Music Trade Protective Associa- compared with that of a year ago. The in-
tions of this city and Chicago should dustrial gloom which then prevailed has
not fail to place themselves on record in been dissipated to a very large extent, and
T
W
L
T
UR esteemed London contemporary,
the Music Trades Review, makes
the following broad-minded remarks in its
last issue concerning the outlook for Amer-
ican pianos made expressly for the English
market:
"One indication that trade has taken a
decided turn for the better lies in the in
creased activity of our foreign friends.
Last month we spoke of a suggestion by
an eminent American manufacturer to
place cheap-grade, or, more correctly,
cheap-priced pianos on the English market.
Whether this scheme succeed or not re-
mains, of course, to be seen. At any rate,
we have no jealously whatever of our
transatlantic competitors, and, inasmuch
as we buy plenty of German pianos, dealers
and the public will doubtless extend an
equal welcome to the American, always
supposing that they are of suitable quality
and price. The competition may, indeed,
lead British manufacturers to introduce
further improvements, particularly in case
work, which, by the way, has of late greatly
improved. So far as the interior of the
piano is concerned, price for price, no for-
eign instrument is likely to surpass those
of the leading British manufacturers."
We might take issue with the closing
sentence of the foregoing; but then this
matter of the superiority of one instrument
over another is a matter of opinion, and
might be discussed pro and con indefinitely.
In the opinion of the English manufacturer
the English piano is "the best on earth,"
and American manufacturers are to be
found who hold the same opinion about
their products.
O