Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Hugo Sohmer on Current Topics.
HEAD OF THE FIRM OF SOHMER & CO. TALKS ON EXISTING TRADE EVILS WHY PIANOS MADE
ALONG ARTISTIC LINES COST MORE TO BUILD—DOES NOT BELIEVE IN CENTRALIZING
REPRESENTATION HOPES FOR REMEDIAL LEGISLATION TO RESTRICT PRICE-
CUTTING AND OTHER QUESTIONABLE METHODS OF SELLING PIANOS.
Hugo Sohmer, head of the firm of Soh- people with the fact that whereas the
mer & Co., courteously yielded a few makers of low-priced pianos buy their lum-
minutes of his valuable time to The Re- ber to-day and use it to-morrow, those who
view on Tuesday when asked for his opin- take a pride in their instruments keep their
ion on several of the most interesting- cur- lumber three, four and five years before
rent topics of interest in the trade.
preparing it for factory purposes. This
"The music trade industry," said The keeping of lumber means capital invested
Review, "doubtless has its quota of exist- and interest to be paid.
ing evils, or, at any rate, there are certain
"Then, too, the mechanic who makes
first-class pianos is paid twice, sometimes
thrice as much as he who merely throws
his work together in a purely mechanical
haphazard fashion. Not only that, but
the finer work takes twice or three times as
long to complete. There is nothing new
about all this, but one cannot help feeling
that purchasers are much slower to recog-
nize actual conditions in the piano trade
than in many others."
Mr. Sohmer was asked if he considers
the piano industry to-day in this country as
on a broad, permanent and healthy basis,
and answered affirmatively, qualifying his
statement however by saying that it is true
only, in his opinion, in so far as high-
grade pianos are concerned. Changing
the current of conversation, The Review
broached several other topics of deep in-
terest to many manufacturers.
"Concerning out-of-town representa-
tion, Mr. Sohmer, do you consider the
system of locking up large areas of terri-
tory in the hands of a limited number of
agents preferable to having a greater num-
ber of representatives with less extended
responsibilities?"
"It has always been our policy, and
HUGO SOHMER.
events have justified this course, to avoid
conditions that require adjustment and centralization as much as possible and thus
amelioration. What strikes you to-day as increase representation, at the same time se-
being a vital subject for discussion relative curing a maximum of efficiency and a much
to the betterment and solidification of the more satisfactory control from headquar-
industry? "
ters. As a rule, we prefer not to place
"One of the most alarming evils, to my the representation of any State in the hands
mind, now existing in the trade," Mr. of a single individual or firm."
Sohmer replied, "is the growing tendency
"What do you think of the indulgence
among manufacturers and their agents to by some retail firms in price-cutting and
belittle, by direct condemnation—or by other questionable methods of selling pia-
damning with faint praise—the products nos?" was then asked.
of their competitors. This is not right.
"That is another evil in this trade and it
It is not proper. There is no legitimate is growing. The practice has spread in all
excuse for it. To my mind, it is a mean, directions and reputable manufacturers are
contemptible practice. No words can con- powerless to stop it, or even check it. In
demn it too strongly. It is a rule of our various European countries, notably Ger-
house never to speak ill, or even slight- many and England, merchants and manu-
ingly, of any competing manufacturer. facturers are protected by the law against
Apart from the question of trade ethics, it the same kind of rascality that prevails
is bad policy, and should be discounte- under this heading in all large cities of the
nanced by all in authority.
United States. We are absolutely helpless,
"Another grievance, if I may call it and the end of it will be, I hope, remedial
such, is the apparent failure on the part of legislation forbidding the use of a manu-
retail piano purchasers to realize that there facturer's name in such a fashion without
are excellent reasons why a manufacturer his knowledge or consent."
of pianos—artistic creations—made con-
scientiously to sound well, to look well and
From the statistics recently gathered, it
to wear well, should and must charge more is learned that twenty-two combinations or
for his products than the maker of inferior trusts in this country employ nearly three
instruments. There ought to be some million men, which is computed to be about
easily-acquired method of impressing these one-third of the American working men.
Exports Largest in History.
INCREASE FOR THE EIGHT MONTHS ENDING
WITH AUGUST $ 1 2 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 OVER
LAST YEAR.
Washington, D. C, Oct. 16, 1899.
Present indications warrant the belief
that the exports of the calendar year 1899
will be the largest in our history. The
total for the eight months ending with
August showed an excess of $12,000,000
over the corresponding months of 1898,
which was the largest calendar year in
our exporting history, and the September
statement of breadstuffs, provisions, cot-
tons and mineral oils just issued by the
Treasury Bureau of Statistics shows for
those four classes alone an excess of $12,-
000,000 over September of last year. When
to this is added the fact that the exports of
manufactures are now much larger than
at this time last year, and that even in the
re-exportation of foreign goods the figures
of this year exceed those of last, it seems
probable that the calendar year 1899 will
show a larger total of exports than that of
any preceding year.
The increase in exportations shown by
the figures of the eight completed months
is chiefly in manufactures. While the ex-
portation of agricultural products is heavy,
it is naturally and almost necessarily below
that of the corresponding months of 1898,
when the shortage in .crops abroad gave
unusually high prices as well as an unusual
demand.
Illustrating the growth in the exporta-
tion of articles other than agricultural prod-
ucts, the table which has been published
by the Bureau of Statistics shows an in-
crease in almost every line of manufac-
tures from musical instruments, with a
gain of $236,827 for the eight months, up
to iron and steel, which shows a gain of
some $16,000,000 for the same period. The
exports of musical instruments for the
eight months of 1898 was $946,3- 6, and in
the similar period of 1899, $ I i l8 3> I 43-
This percentage of increase seems to pre-
vail in mostly every industry culminating
in the grand total referred to at the open-
ing of these remarks.
Does Not Nullify Purchase.
[Special to The Review.]
San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 14, 1899.
G. O. Heine, a piano dealer of this city,
who sued Harry Nordman for the price of
a piano, has been given judgment by Judge
Murasky. Mrs. Nordman testified that
the men who delivered the piano scratched
it badly and otherwise injured it. Judge
Murasky ruled that for the damage to it
an offset should life allowed, but the
amount of the damage not having been
stated in dollars he could not make the
deduction. As the instrument was bought
by the Nordmans the injury done by
Heine's men when delivering it would not
nullify the purchase.
What is good enough for Dewey should
satisfy ordinary mortals. The great Ad-
miral wears a souvenir made from historic
metal. An opportunity to secure a fac-
simile of the watch which Dewey wears is
now afforded. Full particulars on page 16.