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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
posed to me I listened. I was interested
and tip to this time nothing has been pre-
sented to me in a way that I feel that my
interests will be advanced by joining a
trust." It is in a sense interesting to follow
up the trust rumors. Some have even
gone so far as to assert that a tentative
trust already exists and that in ten days
the leading firms will have openly an-
nounced their intention of joining the piano
trust.
There is one thing mighty sure, that
the trust promoter has elongated the truth
materially if all the sayings or even one-
half attributed to him were ever said. The
facts are, some of the men who are alleged
by the promoter to be just hungry for the
trust are, as a matter of fact, exceedingly
frigid. We have in mind one or two
notable cases wherein the heads of firms
were claimed to be all in save the signing.
These very men assert that not only are
they not in but there is little probability
that they ever will be, at least not as far as
they can now determine.
The promoter seems to have adopted
methods similar to those used by a certain
class of advertising solicitors, who make
up a dummy work, take a dummy page of
a distinguished house, paste it in a pre-
ferred position, call upon a close competi-
tor and show him that so-and-so is in and
he cannot well stay out.
The bait is taken and an order secured.
Then a call upon the other man with this
fake page removed, but with the page of
his competitor well displayed, thus play-
ing one against the other before an order
is secured.
It would seem as if the trust promoter
had familiarized himself with this process
and that he was playing one against the
other, when as a matter of fact neither
had given the slightest assurance of join-
ing.
Well, the promoter has to do something
for his money.
A NOTHER man said while reviewing
the matter, "To my mind, the element
that would be most injurious to the trust
in this trade would be the guerilla element.
By that I mean the small manufacturer,
who oftentimes would be a mechanic of
means who would make a few pianos.
Such a class of competitors would be most
injurious, they would be in every city,
would run on light expense and the output
from such little home factories would be
considerable as the number of such men
would run into the hundreds. Then again
there are plenty of men, the small manu-
facturers, who will constantly harass the
trust. They will have the support of the
What has the quality of paper and ink
dealers and salesmen throughout the coun-
try, who in turn will work upon the public to do with copyright anyhow ? Our great-
mind as against the trust and it is this sort est writers are not pulp makers or chem-
of guerilla warfare which will hurt the ists nor yet our poorest.
trust if it comes, if it does not entirely
IN the doctoring of our patent laws the
wipe it out."
abuse of common sense is as evident as
And it was guerilla warfare which beat
in the proposed legislation affecting copy-
Napoleon's army in Spain. The best dis-
rights.
ciplined army in Europe beaten and de-
During the last session one measure in-
moralized by the men who fought behind
troduced, which failed to reach a vote, pro-
each rock and in each mountain defile. It
vided for the establishment of a court to
was impossible to dislodge them and they
hear patent causes exclusively, and it is
had the sympathy of the country with them.
now proposed to revive the bill and urge
its passage. The expediency of such a
TN The Review's opinion, a trust can be measure is questionable, its practical value
successfully formed in this trade only is not generally admitted by experts, and
when less than ten firms have succeeded in there are many reasons why it should not
annihilating all the others, so that compe- be enacted.
tition, no matter how small, shall have
Too much legislation will seriously affect
ceased. If that time ever arrives they can any system, and in patent-law practice,
absolutely control the market, which can which at best is complicated and greatly
not be done when we have one hundred involved, it has a tendency to cause confu-
and fifty firms outside of Canada.
sion. The leading patent lawyers of the
Then suppose we have an "open door" country have recognized the great danger
to Europe, would anyone refuse to sell or threatened by the enactment of special
buy European pianos?
laws for particular cases which conflict with
Would not the factories across the Cana- general rules of practice, and wherever
dian border multiply?
possible they have endeavored to discour-
age this tendency.
PATENTS AND COPYRIGHTS.
F E W laws have been the subject of such THE MANUFACTURERS' MEETING.
tinkering during the past few years as
A N understanding in the matter of sten-
those relating to patents and copyrights.
cil manufacture is apparently as diffi-
Ill-advised amendatory measures have cult of solution as the much-debated ques-
been proposed from time to time, but for- tions of tariff, currency, or States rights.
tunately very few bills of this character The sentiment of the majority of manufac-
have received serious consideration. The turers who attended the meeting at the
busy-bodies in this particular field mean- Union Square Hotel on Monday—a report
while never tire. It is an actual fact that of which appears elsewhere—was, in brief,
in the Legislative, Executive and Judicial that State legislation would be utterly in-
Appropriation bill, which covers copyright, effective as a panacea for the stencil evil,
an amendment has surreptitiously been and, moreover, that such legislation would
slipped in which declares that on and after work injury to the best interests of the
July i next the right to secure copyright music trade industry of this State.
shall be dependent upon the quality of the
In the opinion of the speakers in opposi-
paper and ink used in producing the book, tion to the bill, a national law would cover
play, music, essay or poem which it is the ground. Messrs. Baus and Spies were
sought to copyright.
appealed to, to withdraw the bill and allow
Nothing more uncouth and unreasonable the National Association of Manufacturers
could be invented or imposed upon those to take definite action on the subject at
who are anxious to protect their literary its meeting in April. Mr. Baus, repre-
or musical productions. It contemplates senting the forces in favor of the Reding-
a grotesque miscarriage of right and jus- ton bill, declined to accede to the request,
tice. As one of our leading papers says it and the consequence is that unless better
must, of course, be the result of either counsels prevail later, the spectacle will be
complete misconception or total ignorance. presented of a number of manufacturers
In whose interests, to what possible end fighting each other in Albany on next
could such a "rider "be attached to an Tuesday.
otherwise fair measure ?
This is a deplorable situation.
As strong advocates and supporters of
We have not heard of the right of title
to real estate being made dependent upon the Association idea, we think in view of
the character of the crdps raised or upon the sentiment against the bill, it would
the style of architecture of the building have been advisable for those interested in
the measure to have withdrawn it for the
erected thereon.