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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
costs is cheap; and cheap advertising, if it
is secured without charge, is dear.
There is no getting away from these
conclusions.
A perusal of the figures relating to the
exports and imports of musical instruments
for the past twelve months, which appear
elsewhere in The Review, will prove of in-
terest. It will be found that we are still
cutting down imports, the decrease for the
twelve months being $111,481, while the
exports of musical instruments continue to
expand; the increase for the twelve months
being $152,217. These figures together to-
talled up make a very satisfactory showing,
particularly as the tendency has been run-
ning our way for the past few years. The
chief increase, it will be noted is in special
lines or "small goods," the increase over the
previous year in this field being $205,599.
The development of our export trade here
recorded is a matter for congratulation,
particularly as it is not sporadic, but a
steady growth showing that American mu-
sical products are being appreciated by our
friends abroad.
One of the early days of the week, when
the temperature was flirting with zero and
blustery enough to chill an Esquimau, a
communication was received at Steinway
Hall from Nahum Stetson, who is sojourn-
ing at Palm Beach, Fla., which created
among the usually altruistic piano men a
feeling akin to envy; perhaps discontent
would better express it. He related how
he was enjoying life under tropical skies,
the thermometer sojourning in the 8o's,
with the usual concomitants—bathing, fish-
ing, golfing et al. Now, "wouldn't it
jar you—wouldn't it make you mad? "
Unimaginative exactness—so the Cen-
tury Dictionary defines literalism—may
not always be the highest form of truth,
but commercially it has compensations.
Some American manufacturers recently
sent to their German agent ten thousand
show cards in which their agricultural
machines were drawn by tigers, driven by
an airily attired goddess of liberty. The
agent returned the cards with the criticism
that neither in Germany were tigers avail-
able nor adapted for draft purposes, nor
could such women as work in the fields af-
ford to dress as seems to be the fashion in
wonderful America.
This is a "pointer" so that members of
the trade may be on their guard. If our
Teutonic friends were to receive some of
the artistic designs in piano catalogues and
booklets in which figurative expression
plays a leading role, it would certainly be
interesting to hear their further remarks
regarding this "wonderful" country of
ours.
5
Gabrilowitsch, that clever young wizard
of the keyboard, who is achieving such a
glorious success wherever he plays through-
out the West, is a source of much worry to
the telegraph operators. A. M. Wright
showed The Review this week some of
the originals of telegrams in which this
artist's name was used. A few are worth
quoting: "Gabrial-Owitch," "Gabril O.
Witch," "Gabribourtsch," "Gabritoroischt"
and "there are others."
We notice by the way that the praise ac-
corded Gabrilowitsch by the leading critics
in the Western cities has not been con-
fined alone to his superb playing, but the
Everett concert grand which he has used
has come in for a generous share of the
applause. This is not surprising, for the
Everett has been proclaimed by the most
eminent musicians to be an instrument of
rare musical qualities. Gabrilowitsch thus
far has visited only the largest cities, and
the indications are that he may not be
compelled to seek other fields.
* * * * *
John Jenkins, United States Consul at
San Salvador, has just sent to the Depart-
ment of Commerce in Washington the de-
tails of the new tariff which has gone into
effect in that country. The law is much
more comprehensive than the former one,
and the general tendency is toward the
moderation of the specific duties. The
tariffs on musical instruments and parts
thereof are as follows:
Leather music rolls, $12.88 per 100
pounds. Strings, for musical instruments,
steel, $11.04 per 100 pounds. Music paper,
18 cents per 100 pounds. Sheet music, 18
cents per 100 pounds. Hand trucks for
mechanical pianos, $3.68 per 100 pounds.
Accordions and concertinas, $3.68 per 100
pounds. Organs and organettes, $3.68 per
100 pounds. Music-boxes, $7.36 per 100
pounds. Harmoniums, $3.68 per 100
pounds.
Mouth-organs, $5.52 per 100
pounds. Pianos, $3.68 per 100 pounds.
Dulcimers, $5.52 per 100 pounds. All
other musical instruments, $7.36 per 100
pounds.
These duties are all assessed on gross
weight, and in addition to this there is a
surtax of fifty-five cents per one hundred
pounds for public revenues and thirty per
cent on the total duties for charity. It is
important that invoices should be made
out in Spanish, including name and resid-
ence of the shipper and the consignee as
well as the number, weight and kind of
goods, and their value in the country from
which they were shipped.
* * * * *
In an editorial elsewhere, the probability
of Carnegie being corraled by J. P. Mor-
gan is referred to. The developments
since this was written indicate that Mor-
gan aims not only to be a great railroad
and coal king, but is working to dominate
the steel market. Is this movement a
healthy one? What is it leading to?
The center of the population in the
United States is now at a point in latitude
29 deg. 9 min. 36 sec. north and longitude
85 deg. 48 min. 54 sec. west, which point
is in Indiana, about seven miles from Col-
umbus. Has there not been a mistake of
one or two degrees? Shouldn't it be in
Ft. Wayne? The way the Packard pianos
have been growing in popular esteem
would indicate that if Ft. Wayne is not
the center of population, it is the center
where musical instruments of undoubted
artistic worth are being manufactured.
From the Antipodes.
THE REVIEW CHATS WITH FRANK PASSMORE
OF SYDNEY, N. S. W. WILL DOUBTLESS PLACE
ORDERS FOR AMERICAN INSTRUMENTS.
Frank Passmore, representing W. H.
Paling & Co., Limited, Sydney, New
South Wales, has been in town for several
days on business. He is under instruc-
tions from his firm to investigate the piano
industry in the United States with a view
to arranging for the shipment of an initial
order to the Australian colonies. Mr.
Passmore was present at the N.Y. P. M A.
dinner Wednesday evening as the guest
of Robert Proddow, of the Estey Piano Co.
The Review met Mr. Passmore on Wed-
nesday and chatted with him briefly con-
cerning trade conditions in Australia. In
reply to inquiries, he said that all of the
British possessions in Australia are now
enjoying a degree of prosperity equal to
that now being experienced in the United
States. This applies, he said, to every
trade, every industry. The trade in pianos
and other musical instrument, Mr. Passe-
more said, is large and continually expand-
ing.
Speaking of his travels, Mr. Passmore
said he had visited every European coun-
try of importance during his tour, noting
especially the condition of the piano man-
ufacturing industry in each. "I am very
much impressed with what I have seen of
the American piano," he remarked, ''it
compares favorably with that of any other
I have seen. In durability and case de-
sign, as well as in some other particulars,
it is excellent."
Asked about tariff regulations, Mr. Pass-
more said that at present no duty has to
be paid on instruments entering, but he
thinks that when the new Australian fede-
ration law comes into full force a large, if
not a prohibitive tariff will be imposed on
imports.
The Lindeman Piano in Cuba.
L. W. P. Norris, of the Lindeman &
Sons Piano Co., who is now traveling in
the firm's interests, has established an im-
portant agency in Havana, Cuba, for the
whole island. A large order has been re-
ceived and is now being prepared for ship-
ment. Mr. Norris, after leaving Cuba, vis-
ited Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and
Texas. He is meeting with good success,
and has sent in a number of orders.
An Old Dutch Piano.
George H. Arthur, of Terre Hauie, Ind ,
has a piano 150 years old. It was taken i 1.
on a trade recently, and Mr. Arthur has
repaired it, making new wires, for some 01
which he had to invent a machine, no one
in the United States being able to dii| li
cate them, and it is now in good shapt. li
is a little more than half as large as the or-
dinary square piano and the legs are about
iy 2 inches square at the bottom and 2
inches at the top. It has six octaves only.
It was made in Amsterdam, Holland. In
striking contrast to this wonderful < -Id r« lie
is a new piano just made by Mr A n l u r
The case is of birdseve n a p e an* 1 is stai' < <
a rich, dark green. The efft ct is very rest
ful to the eye. Mr. Arthur has been mak-
ing pianos for two or three years past.