Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
TWENTY-THIRD2YEAR.
7V£\/SIC TRHDE
REVIEW
opinion is that the day of generous, or even substantial factory additions. Take it all in
moderate, profits in regular lines has gone all, the manufacturing department of the in-
by forever, and we believe that piano manu- dustry is in excellent condition, even though
facturers—save in rare instances—will find the individual profit be narrowed down to a
that the rise of prices will be fought dis- very small one.
couragingly
hard. They will have to rely
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
STATE CORPORATION LAWS.
EBITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
more upon factory organization, upon im-
UENRYF.MIL-
Henry F. Miller pre-
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAQINQ EDITOR.
proved machinery, upon a more perfect sys-
pares interesting re-
LER, the distin-
port on corporation
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELANI tem, rather than an increase of price, to
laws in the Old Bay guished Boston piano
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
State—How different
WALDO E. LADD
Executtve Staff:
make up a good year's profit.
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
states view the ques-
manufacturer, and chair-
A. J. NICKLIN
tion of corporation
It is surprising, in a comparative sense,
man of the Committee
taxation.
Eygry satnrtaT at 3 East 14th street, New Yort when we come to consider the values that on Commerce of the Boston Associated
SUBSCRIPTION (including postnge\ Uniteil States,
Mexico ar'l Canada, $2.00 per year: all other countries, piano manufacturers offer to-day. For in Board of Trade, has prepared an exhaustive
f4.00. *
ADVERTISEnENTS, $ 2.00 per Inch, single column, per no other industry can there be found manu-
report on the advantages and disadvantages
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite factured products of human skill in which
reading matter, $75.00.
of incorporation under'Massachusetts laws.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should be there is embodied the amount of brains, in-
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
It is evident from Mr. Miller's report that
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter. telligence and ingenuity there is in the Amer-
he does not consider that his State is doing
NEW YORK, NOV. \6 f J90U
ican piano, which is offered for anything ap- the best it can with the problem of State cor-
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EIGHTRENTH STREET.
proximating a like sum.
porations. He makes the point that the mil-
On the first Saturday of each month
THE
The
Review
contains
in
its
"Artists'
De-
I
f
we
go
into
the
furniture
trade,
which
is,
ARTISTS-
lion dollar steel trust, which pays an enor-
partment"
all the
current
musical
DEPARTMENT Tins
in effected
without
in any
way news.
tres-
passing on the size or service of the trade perhaps, as closely related to the piano in-
mous tax in New Jersey, comes into Massa-
section of the paper. I t has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review dustry as any other, and note the price of
chusetts and has all the protection and bene-
to advertisers.
even
moderately
good
furniture,
it
is
amaz-
fits of a home corporation by the payment of
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufac-
PIANO
turlng firms and corporations found
MANUFACTURERS on page 24 will be of great value as ing to see what little handwork—that is,
a fee of $15, and that Massachusetts is pow-
a reference for dealers and others.
high-priced labor—is required in the produc- erless under its present law either to exact
tion of such articles. Compare this class of taxes or to secure returns which are no more
work with the piano—in which there are than a corporation chooses to give.
EDITORIAL
nine thousand separate parts, all of which
In Ohio the law requires the same cor-
must be carefully adjusted—and at once we poration shall pay a tax of one-tenth of one
THE PRICE PROBLEM.
PIANO manufac- must give the American piano manufacturer per cent, upon the proportion of its capital
Large business but
turer when calling credit for the best application of principles stock represented by Ohio property before it
small profits,the cry of
the hour—Difficult to
upon The Review this which have produced the maximum results is qualified to do a legal business in that
raise—Factory system
and organization the
week, remarked: "While at a minimum price.
State.
factors—Comparative
value of pianos.
I have been busy, ex-
Manufacturers sell on extremely small
New York has modified somewhat its cor-
tremely busy, and have been unable to keep margins, and it would seem as if their in- poration laws so as to compete more success-
up with my orders, yet I feel candidly that vestment, particularly in a limited trade, fully with New Jersey for the incorporation
the net profits at the end of the year will be should pay them even better than it does. of business institutions.
disappointing, when I consider the large But a selling standard has been created and
State taxes of Massachusetts corporations
amount of business which we have done for what they lose in individual profits by the are easily collected by the State. It is a tax
the year. But it is a pretty difficult thing to standard of other days must be made up in which the shareholders do not personally feel,
raise prices, and still, in such times as these, bulk. The men who are getting out the vast as it appears as a part of the expense of the
a man should be piling up a reserve for poorer numbers of pianos, market them at a small business, simply reducing the earnings to
profit on the individual sale, but they turn the extent of the amount of the tax. In the
days which are bound to come."
Probably many a piano man has dwelt them out in thousands. Again, the small Massachusetts system there is but little
upon the same thoughts in substance during manufacturer who may be engaged in mak- chance of evading the payment of this tax,
the past few months. The question of price ;r.g an artistic product finds a clientele who whereas in the case of a foreign corporation
is one of the trade problems which has con- appreciate his good work and personal super- it is left for the assessors of a city or town
fronted the piano man for years, and will vision and will pay him fairly well for it.
to find the property of the foreign corporation
continue to be somewhat of an obstacle in
As a matter of fact, the problems confront- and assess the same, then find out by whom
his way towards business serenity for years ing the piano manufacturer to-day are not any of the shares are owned and assess such
to come. There is no doubt, however, but nearly as serious as those in the past. The shareholders.
many piano manufacturers consider that industry never was in better shape finan-
A number of States now offer special in-
the large increase of business which has cially, and the country never offered the out- ducements to incorporate, and we fail to
come to them during the present good times let of pianos that it does to-day. At no time see how this can be remedied, save by State
will afford them a satisfactory profit in the in the history of the business has there been legislation. It surely cannot be effected by
aggregate, even if individu?' profits are nar- so many unfilled orders on hand at the vari- national legislation, because each State must
rowed down to an exceedingly _ose margin. ous factories, and never before has there been be free to run its own internal affairs, and
In every industry to-day there is the same as great factory facilities; hence the output New Jersey in receiving millions annually
cry of reduction of profits, cutting down here for the first year of the new century will con- from corporations would be loath to give up
and there to a very thin margin; but we siderably exceed that of any previous year. any of her alluring inducements to corpora-
believe that many have accepted the situation Many are considering the advisability of tions to organize within her borders. She
philosophically and have relied wholly upon erecting additional factory facilities, and is getting big money for her attitude towards
making business bulk more dominant than there are others who have considered it and corporations and would hardly care to aban-
the profit on the individual sale. Our
have gone ahead and are now completing don it.
*r
A