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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
temporarily the social, domestic, artistic,
religious, scientific, amusement, and many
other ordinarily legitimate and important
interests. It stimulates purely news enter-
prise in one line, and feeds the craving for
the earliest information. The daily news-
papers at war times are greatly stimulated,
as evidenced by the immediate increase in
the price of common print paper. It seems,
at this rate, the whole world will be in a
war flame before the close of the century,
and so soon after the peace conference at
The Hague.
TRUSTS AND COMBINATIONS.
T H E position of the journalistic Judas,
who is advocating the formation of a
piano trust, is one not entirely devoid of
humor. Here is a man who for years has
maligned and abused individual members
of the trade. He has been openly accused
of being a thug, both in trade and in musi-
cal circles.
He early fell in with the scheme of a
man whose business ventures resulted in
colossal failure to organize a trust in this
industry. His aim in this, like everything
else with which he has been connected, was
purely selfish. The gain to him was to be
a fat commission. He advocated this and
became special envoy to interest manu-
facturers. The germs of success which
may have been lurking in the original
scheme were effectually killed by him
because the manufacturers have grown to
look with suspicion upon any matter with
which he was associated.
gives even a casual glance at the industrial
evolution which is steadily going on
can deny that the era of the jack-knife
method of doing business is past. The
piano industry of the future will be con-
ducted on broad and comprehensive lines.
More capital will be employed, because the
industry is capable of showing such returns
that it will interest capital, and there is
always capital to be employed when the
field can be shown to be remunerative.
The superfluities will be lopped off here
and there, certain excrescences which have
hung on will be removed and the business
will be conducted on clean, compact lines.
Changes, of course, will occur—marked
changes at that. The whole industrial
system of the country is rapidly undergo-
ing a complete metamorphosis and it is
only reasonable to expect that the piano
industry should conform to certain condi-
tions which exist in other lines.
That has been one serious draw-back to
this business. It was cumbered up with
antique ideas and principles; lately it has
burnished up a bit, and is glowing with a
good healthy color. Of course there will
always be trouble, labor troubles, price
troubles, installment troubles, all sorts of
troubles. We expect them in this queer
old world of ours.
U
Boston will decide to cross Twenty-third
street and be in the van of the up-town
piano movement, or whether John Wana-
maker will capture the Chickering prize, is
a secret which the future and the manage-
ment of the Chickering corporation have
not as yet revealed.
T H I S is just about the time when rumors
begin to fly thick and fast regarding
deals. If one's ear is pressed close to the
piano earth, sounds may be heard coming
from all directions. Just at present there
are distinguishable murmurs from Chicago
regarding an impending colossal deal
which threatens to overshadow anything
which has yet occurred. We shall await
developments with considerable interest.
One thing is sure, it takes combinations to
meet combinations.
T H E article which we present in this
issue, " T h e Piano Palaces of New
York," will show to the world just how a
portion of the retail trade of New York is
wareroomed. We are unable, however, to
cover the entire field, and then the Borough
of Brooklyn is left out entirely. Such im-
mense institutions as are owned by Free-
born G. Smith, the Sterling Co. and Otto
Wissner, will be treated of in a later issue.
Next week we propose to show a portion
of the piano manufacturing district of New
York, that portion of it which is compara-
tively new in the Harlem district. We are
now preparing views of important facto-
ries which will show some of the great
manufacturing establishments of New York
above the Harlem.
THE WALL ST. CRASH.
T H E crash which occurred in Wall street
Monday should serve as a warning to
innocent investors who are tempted by al-
luring prospectuses to invest their money
in certain industrials. The "highly wa-
Having failed in his lesser newspaper en- tered, over-capitalized trusts" are going to
terprise, and having lost control forever of pieces precisely as we predicted. The peo-
T N making the appropriations for the New
this industry, he seeks revenge in advocat- ple, that is the masses, have been led to
Year every manufacturer should count
ing a destructive scheme. Nothing would believe that these highly watered organi-
carefully whether a paper has been a con-
please him better than to see this trade in zations, whose directorate too often is filled
sistent supporter of trade honor and es-
a condition of complex chaoticness, from with men high in finance and politics, are
teem, and whether that journal has a circu-
which no amount of business talent would sure and safe. The result is not different
lation and influence which entitle it to a
extricate it for a term of years. Healthy than was anticipated by many. The trusts
business consideration. Patronage to the
combinations, the introduction of new cap- which are not healthy must go. Wall
traitor only adds fuel to the fires of black-
ital, are indicative of a healthy sign of street men will find it more and more diffi-
guardism.
trade, but an absorptive trust which con- cult to float these new organization as time
trols an industry is a degenerate move, and rolls on. The decline in the value of in- DEVIEWING trade conditions this week
has in many instances ended in failure to dustrial stock during the past week amounts
^ R. G. Dun & Co. say: "Never has
the men connected with it.
to many millions. Where would the infla- production been greater, the number of
There is a vast difference between a ted piano trust be in the flurry which over- hands employed larger, the wages dis-
healthy combination and an absorptive took us this week? These things will tributed higher, or the purchasing power,
trust. The whole tendency of the times cause thoughtful people to consider that a based upon earnings, greater than at this
is to conduct business on larger lines, to modest factory property is worth infinitely time, and never have conditions of trade or
returns of earnings and traffic given cer-
denude trade dealings of all superfluities; more than a lot of worthless trust paper.
tainty of greater business for transporters."
in other words, the age is more keenly
DOTS AND DASHES.
practical than any other since industry
T FRANK CONOVER has won a repu-
began. Combinations work effectively T H E R E is keen interest manifested over
* tation as an inventor. A detailed
the future of the Chickering piano in
provided there are the elements of success
in the organizations. A combination of New York. Only a few months will have account of one of his latest inventions
capital and business ability works advan- elapsed ere Chickering Hall as a retail relating to piano actions may be found in
tageously. This is the age of larger en- point for the Chickering pianos will be but the patents and inventions column in an-
terprise in everything, and no man who a memory. Whether the management in other portion of this paper.