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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
EDWARD LVMAN BILL
Editor and Proprietor.
PUBLISHED
EVERY
SATURDAY
3 East 14th St.. New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including: postage) United States and
Canada, $3.00 per year; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $a.oo per inch, single column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special di*>
•oant i» allowed.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
to miado payable to Edward Lyman BilL
Bmttrtd mi th$ Ntw Y*rk Past Offic* as Second-Oass Mmttm.
NEW YORK, AUGUST 14, 1897.
TELEPHONE NUMBER 1745. — EIGHTEENTH STREET.
THE KEYNOTE.
The first week of each month, The Review
will contain a supplement embodying the liter-
ary and musical features which have heretofore
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing
on our regular news service. The Review will
continue to remain, as before, essentially a trade
paper.
THE TRADE DIRECTORY.
The Trade Directory, which is a feature of
The Review each month, is complete. In it ap-
pear the names and addresses of all firms en-
gaged in the manufacture of musical instruments
and the allied trades. The Review is sent to
the United States Consulates throughout the
world, and is on file in the reading rooms of the
principal hotels in America.
THE WARRANTY QUESTION.
HE editorial which appeared in last
week's Review relating to unjust de-
mands upon piano manufacturers and urg-
ing the necessity of concerted action in this
matter has evidently created wide-spread in-
terest if we may be permitted to judge from
the letters bearing upon this subject which
have arrived at this office during the week.
The subject is certainly worthy of the
closest consideration by members of the
trade, because their pecuniary interests are
involved to a large extent by the unceas-
ing demands made upon them through
their representatives by purchasers of
pianos, who make all sorts of ridiculous
claims—claims which would not be allowed
in any other trade and should not be
tolerated in this.
There is no good and valid reason why a
piano manufacturer should be held respon-
sible for the ignorance of the purchaser of
a piano of some four years'standing. If
any other article of necessity, of art or of
fashion is purchased, and it is not properly
housed, its owners have no recourse, nor
should they have for their negligence in
taking proper care of their property. Why
should a piano manufacturer be governed
by different laws of trade than those
regulating other important industries?
T
An impartial historical sketch of the
Music Trade Associations of America is
presented in another portion of this paper.
It will be interesting to note the growth of
the association idea during the past de-
cade. It has evidently taken firm root and
will not be easily exterminated. The asso-
ciation move has come to stay, and the
success of the business meeting next Wed-
nesday will be looked forward to with
much interest. The question whether the
music trade forces will be nationalized or
whether each association will act independ-
ent is yet unanswered.
One of the most important results ac-
complished thus far by the association
movement is the elimination to a large de-
gree of petty jealousies which were appar-
ent years ago. There is a better feeling
existing, which may lead ultimately to the
handling of business problems which con-
front the trade.
New York will certainly give a hearty
welcome to the members of the visiting
piano trade who come within her gates to
take part in the business and social event
which will occur under the auspices of the
American Piano Manufacturers'Association
next Wednesday.
A complete list of those who have res-
ponded to the secretary's invitation record-
ed up to the time of going to press appears
in this issue.
+
+
Following up our remarks on the reform
of the present system of credits in our last
issue, it is interesting to note the report of
the United States Consul at Chemnitz,
Germany, has sent to the State Depart-
ment at Washington, on the German Credit
Protective Unions, which he considers in-
stitutions of great merit, though almost
unknown in this country. Besides doing
original work, each union supplements that
of the commercial agencies. The motto is,
"International union of merchants and
manufacturers for protection against bad
credit." The organization has over six
hundred branches, and special correspond-
ents all over the world. It gives written
and oral information to members as to the
credit of concerns at home and abroad; it
also collects bad bills, charging nothing
therefor except postage. It'helps to find
debtors who have fled, it warns against
swindlers and bad payers, acts as arbitrator
in doubtful cases, secures the services of
excellent lawyers at reduced rates in all the
cities where unions exist, and furnishes a
union newspaper free.
According to the report submitted at the
last annual meeting of the Chemnitz union,
the general organization has 311 unions
and 315 branches, besides five official
representatives. It has 47,000 members,
and gave out, in 1895, 2,325,000 anbwers
to inquiries. The Chemnitz union's
eleventh year shows an increase in member-
ship from 330 firms to 405. Eleven thou-
sand three hundred and thirty-four written
notices were sent out in this year, against
9,469 during the last, and 6,000 oral answers
were given. Bad bills amounting to 73,266
marks (about $18,000) were handed in.
Of these, 57,361 marks were collected,
26,208 by agreement, and 31,153 as the re-
sult of warnings. Fifty names of those
refusing to pay, after being warned, were
put on the "black list." In 1895, a great
many questions regarding foreign creditors
were asked. These related mostly to
Austria,Switzerland,Belgium and England.
Consul Monaghan heartily commends
the system, and advocates its introduction
in this country. The information he gives
is certainly of value and importance to
American business interests.
+
r
An interesting interview with Mr. Frank
A. Lee appears in another portion of this
paper. Mr. Lee rightly ranks as one of
the leaders in musico-industrial affairs, and
his views upon the situation of to-day de-
mand attention. Aside from very clear
utterances upon the business outlook, he
had some clean-cut and weighty sentences
to express anent the possibilities of nation-
alizing the music trade forces of this
country.
\
-+•
This week in a number of Western cities,
such as Minneapolis, St. Paul, Salt Lake
City, Omaha and Denver, we note that
there are extended announcements in the
local papers of slaughter sales of pianos
and organs by some of the best-known
dealers in the different localities. The
question is, does this slaughter business
pay?
Hardly in midsummer.
Wilcox & White Co.
[Special to The Review.]
Meriden, Conn., Aug. 12, 1897.
A new company, to be known as the
Wilcox & White Co., was organized here
this afternoon, and will purchase the plant
of the Wilcox & White Organ Co., which
recently went into insolvency.
Muehlfeld Troubles.
Deputy Sheriff Mulvaney yesterday re-
ceived an execution against Muehlfeld &
Co., piano manufacturers at 511 and 513
East 137th street, for $1,220 in favor of Her-
man Deffke. The partners are Caroline
Muehlfeld and August Krahnke.