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REVIEW
V O L . XXX1I1. No. 2 4 . Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 3 East Fourteenth Street, New York, Dec. 14,1801.
OUR EXPORT AND IMPORT TRADE.
[Specially Prepared for The Review.]
Washington, D. C, Dec. 9, 1901.
The summary of exports and imports of
the commerce of the United States for the
month of October, 1901, the latest period
for which it has been compiled, has just been
issued by the Treasury Department. The
figures relating to the music trade industry
are of interest.
The dutiable imports of musical instru-
ments during October amounted to $91,132,
as compared with $101,733 worth of instru-
ments which were imported the same month
of 1900. The ten months' total, ending Octo-
ber, shows importations valued at $827,431,
as against $841,667 worth of musical instru-
ments imported during the same period of
1900.
This gives a decrease in imports for
the ten months ending October, of $14,236.
The import figures for the ten months'
period for the three years are as follows:
1899, $928,606; 1900, $841,667, and 1901,
$827,431.
The total domestic exports of musical in-
struments for October, 1901, amounted to
$398,361, as compared with $223,248, which
was the value of the instruments exported
the same month of the previous year. The
ten months' total exportation of musical in-
struments amounted to $2,846,317, against
$1,541,495 for the same period in 1900. This
shows an increase in exports for the ten
months ending October, of $1,304,822.
The export figures for the ten months'
period for the three years are as follows:
1899, $1,547,881; 1900, $1,541,495; 1901,
$2,846,317.
Of the aggregate exportations in October,
1901, there were 2,089 organs valued at
$125,763, as compared with 1,319 exported
in 1900 and valued at $100,108. The ten
months' total shows that we exported 13,712
organs, valued at $887,838, as against 11,310
valued at $721,409, for the same period of
1900, and 14,075, valued at $858,998, for the
same period in '99.
In October, 1901, we exported 224 pianos,
valued at $46,919, as against 125 pianos, val-
ued at $30,739, in October, 1900. The ten
months' total exports show 1,605 pianos, val-
ued at $302,583, as compared with 1,245, val-
ued at $268,133, exported in the same period
in 1900, and 1,199, valued at $250,493, for the
same period in 1899.
The value of "all other instruments and
parts thereof" sent abroad during October,
1901, amounted to $225,679; in the same
month of 1900 their value was estimated at
$92,401. The total exports for the ten months
under this heading foot up $1,655,896, as
against $551,953 exported during the same
period of 1900, and $438,390 exported dur-
ing the same period in 1899. This shows an
increase for 1901 over the previous year of
$1,103,943.
FOR THE CH1CKERING EXHIBITION.
[Special to The Review.]
Boston, Mass., Dec. 8, 1901.
The old organ in the Episcopal chapel
in Portsmouth is to be brought to this city
and will be part of the great Chickering ex-
hibition, it being the oldest organ in America.
It was brought from London, England, in
the year 1713 and placed in King's chapel,
Boston. Prior to the Revolution Benjamin
Franklin, who was the organist at that chapel,
was the player, and the keys on which Handel
performed before it left London, were fin-
gered again for some years by Franklin. It
remained in Boston some eighty years and
was then sold to St. Paul's Church at New-
buryport, where it remained a long time. In
1836 Rev. Dr. Charles Burroughs, then the
rector of St. Johns, purchased it at his own
expense and donated it to the State Street
Chapel, Portsmouth, where it has since re-
mained. The organ has thus been in con-
stant use and its notes are still very sweet.
Chickering & Sons are to put the organ in
complete repair and return it to Portsmouth.
The records show the funeral dirges at the
time of the memorial services of President
George Washington in 1799 were played on
it by Franklin at King's Chapel, in Boston.
WORTHY OF GENERAL ADOPTION.
The Springfield (Mass.) Music Trade
Association is to be congratulated. At a re-
cent meeting an amendment to the by-laws
was adopted whereby the dealers "agreed not
to put pianos in people's houses on trial."
This is an admirable law, and we shall be
glad to see local associations throughout the
country adopt it. The practice is a repre-
hensible one and has done much to "cheapen"
retail business.
LEFT FOR PARTS UNKNOWN.
fe.oo PBR YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
MERCHANTS ON BANKRUPTCY ACT.
Approve Ray Bill Amendment in the Matter of
Preferences.
The committee of the Merchants' Asso-
ciation, of this city, appointed to study the
Bankruptcy act has just made its report. The
most mooted point of the present Bankruptcy
law is the matter of preferences. The solu-
tion of this problem, as finally arrived at by
the committee, consists in approving the
amendment to that section as contained in
the Ray bill, in connection with the provis-
ions of Section 60 B. This method will per-
mit every creditor to retain all moneys paid
to him by the bankrupt even within four
months of bankruptcy, unless the creditor
had reasonable cause to believe that the bank-
rupt intended to give him a preference by
the payment.
The report has been unanimously adopted
by the Board of Directors of the Merchants'
Association. The work of the committee ap-
pointed to study the Bankruptcy act was
prosecuted by a sub-committee of five, con-
sisting of Ora Howard, chairman; W. T.
Evans, E. D. Page, R. B. Hirsh, E. W. Riker,
and S. C. Mead, secretary.
SELECTED ELEVEN FISCHER PIANOS
For a Washington State Conservatory—The
aker Co. Win Out In Big Shape.
The Vashon College and Musical Conser-
vatory at Burton, Wash., has just purchased
through the Ramaker Music Co., of Seattle,
eleven upright and grand Fischer pianos.
The Ramaker house has made excellent use
of their achievement, and in a specially de-
signed page in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
pictures of the conservatory and of President
Jones and Henry B. Fischer appear with a
fanciful design showing eleven pianos wend-
ing their way from the station to the conserv-
atory at Burton. In this connection they
affirm that the competition was entirely
on quality of tone and superior workman-
ship, and that this was the largest order ever
given at retail in the "sound" country. They
further emphasize that hundreds of conserv-
atories of music and many schools give testi-
mony to the sterling worth of the Fischer,
adding that Professor Jones, president of the
college, after carefully weighing the subject
for many months, selected the Fischer for the
Vashon College and placed the order with
the Ramaker Music Co.
The following interesting item is clipped
from the Mansfield, O., News: "Holley &
Barnes, piano dealers, of Ashland, left town
Saturday for somewhere and also left a
Chandler W. Smith, of Boston, is finding
number of unpaid bills, ranging from $20
to $75. The saddest mourners are George an excellent demand for the Apollo piano-
Hemmingway, the Press, the Times and the player, which he handles. He is well pleased
Gazette."
with business, generally speaking.