Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TWENTY-SECOND YEAR.
KEMEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J . B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR,
EMILIE
FRANCES
BAUER,
EDITOR »«TI«T-« DIPT.
Executive Staff :
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
WALDO E. LADD
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
PnWlshefl Erery Saturday at 3 East Hit street, New Yort
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
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount
is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite reading matter
$75.00.
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, HARCH 9, 1901.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
On the first Saturday of each month The
Review contains in its ' Artists Department"
all the current musical news. This is effected
without in any way trespassing on the size or
service of the trade section of the paper. It has
a special circulation, and therefore augments
materially the value of The Review to adver-
tisers^
TRADE IMPROVEMENT.
A S the Spring 1 season advances the trade
situation is improving. Piano ware-
room stocks throughout the country are
much lower than a year ago, hence manu-
facturers may depend with reasonable cer-
tainty upon a plentiful supply of Spring
orders.
Reports which have reached The Review
office during the past week indicate that
Spring activity is already apparent in the
retail department of the business in differ-
ent localities throughout the country.
The absence of failures of any conse-
quence in every department of the business
is indicative of a healthy condition, and
with the encouraging' trade reports which
reach us from the distributive sections of
the country there is every indication that
the spring months will be marked by ex-
cellent conditions in that industry to which
The Review directly appeals.
Bank clearings and railway earnings are
fair measures of trade volume, and they
indicate a considerable gain in business
over a year ago. A revival in export trade
in various lines, particularly the cotton, is
noted among the encouraging features.
One result of the high price of cotton is
the immediate improvement of business
conditions throughout the South. Letters
which we have received from Texas dur-
ing the past week show that that vast State
will enjoy a veritable boom during the
year.
There are a great many of our
manufacturers who have availed them-
selves of the great possibilities of Texas as
a distributing State tor pianos. We have
information that there are a number of
new firms forming which will naturally
add considerably to the piano energy of
the State.
The territory will be better covered and
more systematically worked than hereto-
fore and what is true of Texas applies
equally as well to other parts of the South.
they purchased, and the local dealer felt
inclined to gratify this whim provided he
could do it at no cost to himself. In other
words, he proposed to follow the old-es-
tablished plan and work the manufacturer.
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFECTS?
THHERE are no manufacturers in the This manufacturer,suspecting something of
world who have as many ridiculous this nature, requested the pianos reshipped
claims made upon them for rebates as pi- to him if they were unsatisfactory and had
ano manufacturers, and unfortunately proven deficient. Upon examination he
there is no apparent decrease in the varied found them in as perfect condition as could
line of arguments brought to bear upon be expected from having been under hard
them in alleging deficiencies. It appears usage for a year. It was only after he had
to be in the regular weekly formula of cer- been put to considerable expense that he
tain dealers to claim allowances for de- learned that it was merely a whim on the
fects which they claim have been discover- part of the purchaser, who desired another
piano. It would be just as reasonable to
ed in certain pianos.
We know of one particular firm who have expect a tailor to replace a suit of clothes
hardly permitted a month to elapse for which had been worn a few months for a
years without making specific claims upon new one as to expect a piano manufacturer
piano manufacturers for certain deficien- to respond with willingness to every pass-
cies which they claim exist in instruments ing whim of the retail purchaser, and
supply new pianos in place of old ones.
shipped to them.
Still another: A dealer complained bit-
Piano manufacturers have submitted to
this sort of extortion—for that is what it terly to a manufacturer regarding a certain
amounts to in many cases—for years with instrument which a customer had used
quiet and lamb-like submission. The worm something over a year. The manufactur-
will turn, and the piano manufacturers re- er told him if the instrument was not sat-
fuse to be worked perennially; and there isfactory to return it, provided there was
are indications that they are beginning to any deficiency in material or workman-
take a more decided stand and will not pass ship. The piano came and an examination
upon these rebates in an affirmative way disclosed the fact that the strings were
so easily as in the days of yore. Recently covered with rust, as might be expected
one local manufacturer who had been re- when it was learned that the instrument
ceiving claims which he felt positive were had been used in a seashore resort on the
not just, from a certain dealer, at last Southern Coast. The manufacturer paid
demurred and requested him to reship un- the freight upon the instrument.
People seem to think that a combination
satisfactory pianos at once. The dealer's
reply to this was in effect that he had of wood and metal will endure all sorts of
found upon investigation that the defects climatic changes and still be at all times
were not as bad as reported, and he would in perfect condition. Some purchasers be-
be willing to accept half the rebate first lieve that they can stand a piano out under
claimed. This the manufacturer refused the eaves and after having permitted a
to admit and again stated that if any de- few gallons of water to dash over it and
fect existed to reship the instruments. In in it, can then put it in a room where there
the last letter the dealer became a little is 1 a roaring fire and expect it to suffer no
more evasive and said that upon further deterioration therefrom.
investigation he was willing to stand the
Reputable piano manufacturers will
expense of repairing himself.
gladly make good any reasonable defects
The first claim was a dishonest one and which may appear in their instruments,
this case is only one of many, made to but they cannot be responsible for the lack
grind a few more dollars from the manu- of care manifested in housing a delicately
facturer and reduce his meagre profit still susceptible mechanism such as is embodied
in a piano. If a buyer of a watch drops it
smaller.
Another case which came up recently: into the sea he does not blame the maker
A well known Harlem manufacturer had if rust appears and seriously injures the
received some letters from his local agent finely adjusted machinery, and the piano
in reference to two pianos which he had purchaser has no reasonable claim against
sold. For these instruments he desired a manufacturer when such an utter lack of
new ones, and after two or three weeks, ordinary precaution is exhibited in the
during which considerable correspondence care of their instrument. Dealers too
passed between them, the whole thing frequently lend a willing ear to the
boiled down to this: The parties who pur- ridiculous claims made by purchasers
chased the pianos had decided after a and carry them still further along the
year's use that they would prefer mahog- lines to the manufacturer, thus reliev-
any casings rather than the walnut which ing themselves of any responsibility or