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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
It is obvious that those who claim that
failures are on the increase cannot have
read statistics rightly or are generalizing
for a purpose. The failures.for this por-
tion of the present year, as given by R. G.
Dun & Co., reached a total of 2,519, with
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
liabilities of $27,119,996, against 3,757
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
failures, with liabilities of $73,224,649, in
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
the corresponding period four years ago.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER,
It is true an increase is shown in the
THOS. CAMPBELL COPELAND
number of failures and liabilities for the
WALDO E. LADD
Executive Staff :
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
nine months of the present year as com-
A. J. NICKLIN
pared with those of the same period of
Every Saturday at 3 East 14th Street, New Yort
1899, but this is largely owing to the un-
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico
and Canada,$2.oo per year ; all other countries, $4.00.
usually small number of failures in that
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount
is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite reading matter
year and to the fact that during the earlier
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be
portion of the present year many business
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the Neiu York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
disasters occurred as a result of the inflated
prices and overproduction that followed on
NEW YORK, OCT. 13, 1900.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745--EIQHTEENTH STREET.
the remarkable prosperity of 1899.
On the first Saturday of each month The
It is also shown by the statistics that
Review contains in its "Artists Department"
all the current musical news. This is effected
there
has been a marked lessening of fail-
without in any way trespassing on the size or
service of the trade section of the paper. It has
ures with each quarter of the present year,
a special circulation, and therefore augments
the
liabilities of the third quarter being
materially the value of The Review to adver-
tiser^
$14,600,000 smaller than those of the sec-
THE LABOR SITUATION.
ond quarter, and $5,900,000 less than those
of the first quarter.
T H E results of "special agent" Dold's
activity among the piano workers dur-
The calamity howlers will have mighty
ing the past few months have now mate-
hard work to convince the intelligent voter
rialized in Cincinnati, where, to offset the
that business conditions are not more fa-
demands of the local union regarding the
vorable now than before prosperity's "ad-
hours of labor and pay, the Krell Piano
vance agent" made his entree to the
Co. and the Harvard Piano Co. have had
White House. They can't prove their
to close down their factories and lock out
case, anyway, from statistics. Like the
their men.
poor, business disasters are with us even
This course has not been taken willingly,
in the most prosperous times in our his-
for it is extremely desirable, for many rea-
tory, and they will be as long as human
sons, that under existing conditions labor
nature is weak and human beings are not
Meanwhile we must not be understood endowed with an even quantity and qual-
troubles should be avoided.
Manufacturers realize the responsibility as maintaining that the workmen have not ity of intellect.
resting upon them of keeping customers a perfect right to organize for their better-
THE " DEMANDS OF BUSINESS."
supplied probably just as much as they ment, for we believe that organization in ""THERE is one complaint in piano retail
appreciate the desirability of securing a every line of effort to-day means progress.
circles which, like Banquo's ghost,
steady, full output on account of the profits But when a labor organization acts as a co- will not down, and that is the indulgence
involved. They have endeavored by all ercive agent and denies to an employer in price cutting and its corollary, a prone-
reasonable means to keep their workmen who is devoting his capital, time and ness to misrepresentation.
satisfied and to remove possible causes of brains to the development of an enterprise,
The excuse, if excuse there be, for this
friction, which might compel the stoppage the right to employ or discharge labor—to ac ion, is the "demands of business."
reward employees according to their indi- How any thoughtful man can justify such
of operations.
This has been manifest in various forms vidual abilities—in other words, deny him a conclusion amazes.
by voluntary advances in wages and in the right to be a free agent in the conduct
To sell an instrument marked $400, say
of
his
affairs,
why
then
such
an
organiza-
other ways of preserving peace and har-
for $300, educates the buyer and immedi-
mony. But despite all efforts to keep tion becomes a tyranny and menace to in- ate circle of friends to expect similar value
things moving smoothly, a feeling of per- dividual freedom—the worst kind of a in the future for the same price. This is
versity and dissatisfaction has been engen- trust.
the most injurious feature of such work,
dered through the agitation of Dold and
next
to sacrificing legitimate profits which
FAILURES AND BUSINESS.
his associates, which, owing to the absence '"THE condition of business as reflected in a business requires to keep it healthy and
of prudent counsellors, may lead to serious
the failures for the months of July, solvent. Then, again, one cannot practice
consequences.
August and September of the present year the price-cutting plan very long, for a com-
It is, of course, assumed by those who as compared with those of the correspond- petitor hears of it quickly, and to meet his
are fomenting these troubles, that the prop- ing quarter of 1896 is being utilized by price, invariably starts in to do worse by
er time to act is when business is brisk and campaign orators of one political party to cutting down still lower.
The piano man who endeavors to in-
a strong pressure is on in all manufactur- offset those made on the other side regard-
crease
sales at the expense of profit should
ing departments of the industry—that em- ing the prevalence of prosperity.
TWENTY-SECOND YEAR.
EDITOR AHTIST'S DIPT.
$75.00.
ployers may then concede a point or two
rather than have operations suspended by
a strike.
The piano workmen evidently have short
memories or they would realize that indi-
cations are visible of a pugnacious spirit
among employers in the West, especially
among those managing important inter-
ests, and that the demands of labor when
pushed too far will be met with stern re-
sistance.
Months ago when Dold was so active in
organizing the unions in the different cities
we then predicted that it was his purpose
to inaugurate a national strike if his de-
mands in certain cities were not complied
with. This plan of campaign is now evi-
dent, for the threat is held out that if the
demands made by the Krell workmen are
not complied with the union shops of Bos-
ton and New York will be "tied up."
There are no employers of labor in the
world so well disposed to treat their men
fairly as the manufacturers in this indus-
try. Few of them are millionaires, or
men who inherited great wealth. They
have made their way from the bottom of
the ladder, so to speak, and have a full and
considerate appreciation of the conditions
of the underman. They do not, however,
intend to submit to arbitrary and unjust
demands and purpose, as American cit-
izens, to run their business according to
their own ideas—to reward those in their
employ who are entitled to a reward and
discharge those who are incompetent—ir-
respective of the opinions or orders of any
organization.