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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TWENTY-FIRST YEAR.
jt j* jt EDWARD LYMAN B I L L . * J* ^
Editor and Proprietor.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage). United States, Mexico
and Canada, $2.00 per year ; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
jnsertron. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount
is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite reading matter
$75.°°-
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, JUNE 30, 1900.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745--EIQHTEENTH STREET.
THE KEYNOTE.
The first week of each month The Review
oontains a supplement embodying the literary
and musical features which have heretofore
appeared in The Keynote. The amalgamation
is effected without in any way trespassing on
our regular news service. The Review con-
tinues to remain, as before, essentially a trade
paper.
BUREAUS OF INFORMATION.
P L S E W H E R E in this paper appears a
statement regarding a swindle which
is said to have been worked by two men in
Peekskill who made many manufacturers
their victims, among whom was the McPhail
Piano Co., of Boston. Such illustrations
firmly establish the necessity of a private
bureau of information concerning mer-
chants who seek credit from manufacturers,
and it is a fact that the high rates by which
the great mercantile bureaus are operated
in a measure prohibits many from becom-
ing subscribers to that service, particularly
when more valuable information, informa-
tion along specialized lines, can be secured
from other bureaus for one-tenth or even
one-twentieth of the cost which Dun's or
Bradstreet's charge to-day.
There are no institutions in the world
which are in constant receipt of proofs of
the necessity of authentic personal infor-
mation to a greater degree than are influ-
ential trade publications. One reason is
because innumerable letters of inquiry
touching upon almost every trade topic
constantly reach them. Again, manufac-
turers themselves frequently apply to
papers for specific information regarding
certain dealers.
This applies not only to the piano indus-
try, but to all others, and how any trade
paper that alleges to have the best inter-
ests of the trade at heart can attack any or-
ganization like the Piano Manufacturers'
National Association, for the establishment
of a bureau of information, is quite beyond
our power of comprehension. The insin-
cerity and real motives underlying such an
attack becomes more and more apparent,
the more the subject is investigated. The
honest dealers are only too glad to support
a bureau which is established for the dis- industry when one manufacturer would
semination of correct information regard- wilfully hold back from giving informa-
ing individual members of the trade, for tion concerning a dishonest dealer, owing
what have they to fear in the matter? to the fact that he would like to see his
Moreover, the maintenance of such a brother manufacturer suffer from the
bureau will drive out of the piano in- effects of the overdose of credit medicine
dustry such frauds as now and then which he had been taking.
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carry on dishonest operations.
We have interviewed a number of im-
Talk with manufacturers in other lines portant dealers concerning this matter,
of trade and they will tell you that the and they are most outspoken in favoring
specialized information which the great the establishment and maintenance of a
mercantile agencies do not furnish and the national bureau of information relating to
correct information which they do obtain the music trade industries. They feel that
through their own organization bureau, is the deeds of the dishonest dealers have a
of infinite advantage to them, and they certain reflex upon them and they are
wonder why they have continued business more than anxious to see that element
so long without the establishment of such eliminated entirely from the sphere of ac-
a source of business knowledge.
tive work in disposing of musical instru-
Take the great agencies in critical re- ments. There is no question but that the
view. It is a fact that business men can trade tendency is toward specializing re-
obtain credit reports from European ports. The National Piano Manufactur-
sources concerning foreign institutions at ers Asssociation has taken a step in the right
a very materially reduced price from the direction from which no retrograde move
rates charged by Dun's and Bradstreet's, should be made.
and still these two agencies for years have C R O M the reports, it would seem that
practically controlled the local situation,
the Parisians are indulging in a royal
maintaining branches, of course, but charg- game of roast and visitors at Paris are
ing exorbitantly high rates for the oft- at least having a warm time as far as
times unsatisfactory information furnished. charges are concerned.
Contrasting the difference between for-
A TRADE EVIL.
eign and American service we may state
that rating books accurately reporting the n \ U R I N G the .past two months we have
hundreds of thousands of firms in the entire
been in receipt of many communica-
United Kingdom can be purchased in tions from dealers m different sections of
London for $220 which amount, if spent the country complaining of the fraudulent
through Dun's or Bradstreet's for the "house" method of disposing of pianos
same service, would bring reports on ex- and asking information regarding what
actly forty-four firms. This and graver steps, if any, have been taken in this city
reasons have caused the establishment of to prevent such frauds. We wrote to the
agencies which work along special lines Attorney General on this subject, who
and even now in many industries there are forwarded us the Maher Bill which was in-
established bureaus of information which troduced in the Assembly last spring. We
have practically supplanted the old mer- suggested to those who wrote us that they
cantile agencies among class manufacturers. advocate the passage of a measure similar
Steadily the mercantile reporting monopoly to that proposed by Assembly Maher in
is being broken, and it was only recently their several State legislatures.
that the great agencies resorted to unfair
The bill made it a penal offense for any
methods in the dissemination of informa- person, firm, association, or corporation,
tion concerning the Philadelphia Commer- occupying or using any dwelling house,
cial Museum, which institution is devoted private residence, hotel or club, for the
to the extension of international commerce. purpose of trading or dealing in musical
Later the agencies have offered a partial instruments, furniture, etc., to carry on
apology to this institution and admit the sales unless they should conspicuously dis-
propriety of its receiving assistance from play his or their trade mark together with
public funds.
the name or style of the business on the
The Museum has in preparation a list
of reputable credit bureaus in all parts of
the world, and naturally its influence is
being felt by those agencies which have
long enjoyed a monopoly of the mercan-
tile reports of this country. After all, such
facts tend to demonstrate the absolute ne-
cessity for each industry to have its own
special reporting organization or bureau of
information, and the day is past in this
front of said dwelling, private residence,
hotel or club, so that the same may be
plainly visible to all persons entering the
premises during the time when any of the
said goods should be offered for sale.
This bill was made to do away with one
of the trade evils which exist, particularly
in the piano trade, in every large city
in what is generally termed "the pri-
vate house sale." By misrepresentation