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our judgment, translations of American
trade literature are very little more useful
than the English originals. What are
special advantages from the American
viewpoint may not be advantages worth
considering from the Continental view-
point; and, conversely, what are here
of no consequence as selling feat-
ures may there be regarded as of
prime importance.
Generally speaking,
it is a mistake to write and print in
one country trade literature intended for
circulation in another country. Any one
may convince himself of this by looking
through English circulars and trade cata-
logues, and speculating as to how much
business they would be likely to bring an
American agent.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
custom in your wonderful country, and
would not deem such garments with mod-
esty to consist. Also we do not tigers for
draught purposes cultivate, they not being
to the country native, nor in our experi-
ence for suck work well suited. I have to
my customers explained with earnestness
that your picture is a sinnbild (allegory)
and does not mean that your admirable
machine shoull be operated by women too
little clothed, nor is it necessary that the
place of horses shall be animals from the
Zoologisher Garden be taken. I cannot
use them as you instruct, and your further
advices, respectfully await."
A GREAT SHOWING.
TN another part of The Review will be
found some interesting figures bearing
on the trade of the United States for the past
nine months. The showing is a remark-
able one and to comphrehend its huge-
ness comparison is necessary.
'T'HE importance of putting one's self in
Our total imports for that period aver-
the position, as to viewpoint, of the aged $71,000,000 per month, which indi-
one addressed is admitted by all who have to cates a yearly volume of imports of the
do with the compilation of trade literature; value of $845,000,000. Twice only, in
but its difficulties are so great as to be in- 1891 and 1893, has so large a total of
surmountable by any one who attempts to imports been recorded.
make trade literature for foreign circula-
In the same nine months we have ex-
tion without an intimate knowledge of ported merchandise at the rate of $117,-
temperamental characteristics and habits 000,000 per month, or over $1,400,000,000
of thought among those addressed. A per year. This exceeds all export records
very amusing illustration of this came to in the history of the country.
our knowledge some time ago, which is no
Assuming the conditions of the last nine
less instructive than entertaining. A com- months to continue for the next three
pany making a line of agricultural machin- months, the fiscal year will show at its
ery were anxious to extend their export close an excess of exports over imports
trade in reapers and mowers, and were amounting to $550,000,000.
advised that a market existed in Germany.
It will be nearly if not quite the best
They were enterprising and liberal adver- trade balance-sheet that the United States
tisers, and their first idea was to flood Ger- has ever had. It indicates a condition of
many with advertising pictures which would commercial health and prosperity on which
be hung up in stores and shop windows, the American people may fairly congratu-
and which could not fail to attract atten- late themselves.
tion.
NEEDHAM LITERATURE.
The design, which was executed in
the highest style of color in lithography, I TNDER the title of "The New York
represented a mowing machine driven by
Musical Score," a publication is issued
the Goddess of Liberty in shining and "every once in a while" by the Needham
polychromatic garments of scanty pro- Co. It contains much humorous and
portions, and drawn by a team of Bengal catchy matter which shows the personal
tigers. It was a brilliant placard. Any imprint of Chas. H. Parsons. "An Organ-
American country store keeper would ist's Dream" is particulaly interesting.
gladly have hung it up for its decorative There are a number of clever hits on the
value, and the average American farmer "thump box," "personal journalism," and
would have been greatly impressed by it, all of that. One article is particularly
and would probably have understood its amusing, inasmuch as the editor expresses
symbolism without explanation. The net .surprise that valuable space should be giv-
result of the effort to circulate it in Ger- en by trade paper editors to each other,
many was a letter from the company's nevertheless he proceeds along the lines of
agent in that country, from which we are "personal journalism" and opens his bat-
teries gently upon one of the papers. In
permitted to quote as follows:
"The picture of your admirable ma- truth, brother Parsons, it is tantalizingly
chine, of which I the receipt of 10,000 hard not to reply to a fellow who has in-
acknowledge, is not useful in this country,
and it is of much regret to me that I re- sulted the intelligence and dignity of the
quest to return them permission. The trade. Is it not? There are times when
women of our country, when by circum- it requires excellent self-control to sit still
stances to do agricultural work compelled,
do not dress as your picture shows is the and say nothing.
Credits and Failures.
The question whether or not to extend
new credit to a merchant who has failed
in business, and has compromised his
debts, or relieved himself of them through
the operations of the bankruptcy law, is
always a "live" one in the commercial
sphere.
In dealing with this class of applicants
for credit several questions present them-
selves for consideration. If the failure
was premeditated or fraudulent, credit
should, for all time, be refused, and it is
a question whether goods ought to be sold
to such a party even for cash, as such com-
mercial pirates must, if possible, be kept
out of business. Those who yield to the
temptation of cash sales to do business
with a dishonest buyer will find that such
purchases will be used as an entering
wedge to the credit man's confidence, for
the ulterior purpose of abusing it again
whenever it will pay to do so.
If, however, the failure was what is
called an "honest" one (that is to say, if
the debtor has made a clean and clear ex-
hibit of his assets at the time of his failure,
and has made such a settlement as under
all circumstances may be regarded as a fair
adjustment of his liabilities), it will then
appear necessary to inquire "what were
the causes that led to the failure?" One or
the other of the following are usually found
to have brought about the collapse: Either
unfavorable conditions, such as failure of
crops, unfair competition, an epidemic,
local or national panic, and frequently poor
location; or lack of ability and bad man-
agement.
Where the unfavorable conditions have
superinduced the failure, and the credit
man feels satisfied that this cause no long-
er exists, the extension of new credit may
be properly considered in proportion to
the margin that remains in the assets after
settlement for the purpose of future busi-
ness operations, and basis of credit, pro-
vided that the management has not been
seriously at fault; but where the latter has
been the prime cause of non-success it may
be fairly assumed that the new venture
will not be productive of better results
than the old one, unless the party has
profited by his experience, and starting
out anew abandons the old rut and adopts
better business methods.
The principal questions to consider are,
therefore, first, have the unfavorable con-
ditions changed for the better? Second,
is the management likely to be a better
one? Where either or both of these
causes of the previous failure continue, it
is natural to conclude that a second failure
will follow the first, and the credit man
will be wise to " stand from under."
Ernest Troy.
Among the western members of the mu-
sic trade industry who will attend the con-
vention of the National Association of
Manufacturers to be held in Boston on
April 24, 25 and 26, will be Frank A. Lee,
of the John Church Co., and Geo. W. Arm-
strong, Jr., of the D. H. Baldwin Co., both
of Cincinnati.