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Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL. XLI. No. 8.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Ave., New York, Aug. 26, 1905.
PIANO BUSINESS IN CUBA.
How the Trade of the Island Has Expanded—
An Early Prediction—Exports Over a Hun-
dred Million—Chance for Piano Sales—Some
Figures Presented—Growing
Small Goods
Trade—The Isle of Pines.
During the American occupation in Cuba the
editor of The Review visited that island and
wrote a series of articles concerning its business
future, for which he was personally compliment-
ed by Estrada Palma, who was then residing in
New York State, and who became the first presi-
dent of the Republic. We stated at that time,
among other things, that within half a dozen
years, provided fair reciprocity laws were en-
acted, Cuba would be sending forth exports
amounting to one hundred millions, and that not
before 1905 would the island he a market to an
appreciable extent for our pianos.
Our words were prophetic, for in 1905, Gon-
zales de Quesada, Cuban minister at Washington,
remarked:
"The prosperity of Cuba is such that even the
most optimistic are surprised at the results which
are shown by the latest statistics. There is no
section of the country that has not received a
great impetus commercially or industrially, and
the influx of tourists and investors during the
last year has been such that there were not
sufficient hotel accommodations for them, and
new modern hotels will be built for them the
coming winter. With the continuance of the ex-
cellent sanitary conditions of the island and the
increasing production and investments, it is to be
expected that in a few years the wealth of the
country will be doubled.
"The greatest proof of the development made
by Cuba during the administration of President
Palma can be found in the study of the last fig-
ures of the official report of the Cuban treasury,
showing the results of the conservative, wise and
progressive government which has ruled the isl-
and during the last three years.
"The receipts for the fiscal year ended June 30,
1905, were $61,751,092.72, of which $25,944,322.60
were from public revenues and $35,806,773.12 from
special accounts, of which $31,677,336.53 were the
product of the loan for the payment of the Cuban
army, there remaining a surplus of $4,129,446.49
of the said special accounts. In the year 1904-05
the custom house receipts yielded $23,168,845, or
$4,848,942 more than the previous year, this be-
ing due to a great extent to the increased com-
merce.
"The exportation reached $101,000,077, the im-
portations $95,015,000, from which should be de-
ducted the $31,677,000 from the loan, leaving a
trade balance in favor of Cuba of about $40,000,-
000. The total taxes received for the year were
$29,258,599, or $6,736,838 more than tne previous
year.
"The special taxes devoted to the payment of
the interest and sinking fund of the said loan
amounted to $3,576,865.90, or twice as much as
was needed to meet this disbursement, which,
added to the balance of $42,460.04 on July 1, gave
a total of $4,619,325.24. This splendid result
moved the government to buy in a million of the
bonds in the market, for which it paid $1,062,500,
thus reducing the capital of the loan and $50,000
annual interest.
"During the year payments were made to the
amount of $44,510,373.38, of which $17,286,400.11
were for the regular budget and $23,066,688.36
for paying the army claims, leaving $8,610,648.17
to the credit of the latter.
"The total receipts for the year were $61,751,-
092.72, plus $7,099,584.86 balance of the previous
year, showing a grand total of $68,984,714.63, and
if $44,564,407.43 be deducted a balance remains
of $24,340,307.20, which was the amount in the
Cuban treasury on the first of July last, which,
after suffering some deductions for outstanding
creditors, left about $22,000,000 of surplus."
The possibilities for the piano business are
growing with each year, and already the small
goods trade is assuming splendid proportions.
Cuba is now a field worth developing for piano
sales.
There seems to be some misconception regard-
ing the Isle of Pines, and The Review recently
printed a report that a Buffalo dealer had given
up his piano business in Buffalo, and was to en-
gage in a similar occupation in the Isle of Pines,
believing that it would shortly come under the
American flag. Well, if he does, he will starve
to death, because the Isle of Pines is not at pres-
ent a prolific market for pianos. There is abso-
lutely no opportunity there for sales. In the
first place, it is difficult, owing to irregular serv-
ice, to reach by steamer from Havana, and when
you do finally land after a tedious journey, there
are no hotels, and no settlements save a few huts
clustered together, which they term a town. Any
man who intends to engage in the piano business
in the Isle of Pines had better have his return
fare in his pocket. As for its coming under our
flag, it will when Cuba ceases to exist as a re-
public, and that time seems a long way off.
REGARDING CANADIAN TARIFF.
Referring to the Canadian tariff The Canadian
Music Trades Journal says: If the association
has no more important matter to occupy its time
the matter of tariff revision should receive at-
tention. As previously reported in this journal
the sittings of the Government tariff commission
will commence in September next. Asked if the
piano manufacturers individually, or as an asso-
ciation, proposed making any request, the presi-
dent stated that no action had been taken and,
as far as he knew, no discussion had taken place
in this connection. While the tariff as it exists
may be at present adequate, the advisability is
pointed out of making a request in order to an-
ticipate, and thereby offset a possible recommen-
dation by the Commission to reduce the duty on
pianos. While the duty on the finished article
may be protective enough, though it does not pro-
hibit importation of the cheap grades, there is
room for discussion in the matter of material.
Under present conditions, with the piano and or-
gan manufacturers enjoying the banner trade of
their history, it is not unreasonable that the com-
mission would report the present tariff unneces-
sarily high, particularly if individuals in whose
interests a lower one would be, made requests
and the manufacturers did not.
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
FOUNDED A GOOD BUSINESS.
The
Late John M. Hoffman Held a Leading
Place in Pittsburg for Many Years.
In the recent death of John W. Hoffmann,
Pittsburg, Pa., loses one of its leading business
men, and one who has been prominently identi-
fied with the musical growth of Pittsburg and vi-
cinity. It was in 1863 that he established a mu-
sic store in the city which has been carried on
without a break to the present time. His name
will long be perpetuated in the trade establish-
ment which he founded, and in which his sons
have taken such a prominent part for many years.
Mr. Hoffman was born in 1829 in Kirchbrum-
bach, Hessen, Darmstadt. Educated at Fried-
burg, in 1849, he came to America, and located in
Beaver County, Pa., where fof some time he
taught school. Later he removed to Pittsburg
and taught school and music. During the Civil
War he published the first German newspaper in
western Pennsylvania, "Der Republikaner,"
which was a stout defender of the Union and
wielded unusual influence among its readers. For
a time he published the German-American Maga-
zine.
Mr. Hoffman was married in 1858 to Miss
Helen Siemon, of Cassell, Germany, who survives
him; also five children, three sons—Julius, Theo-
dore and Edward Hoffman—and two daughters.
Theodore is treasurer and Edward is secretary of
The J. M. Hoffman Co., which is one of the lead-
ing music trade institutions of Pittsburg.
THE HARTFORD DEALERS ORGANIZE.
The Hartford (Conn.) dealers have formed an
association with Emil C. Wander, president;
John M. Gallup, vice-president; A. F. Woods, sec-
retary, and F. A. Sedgwick, treasurer.
With this line of men who take an active in-
terest in the association there is no reason to
doubt its success. The members propose to
stand together for trade good, and will eradicate
many of the evils which have crept into the
business. The commission claims in many cases
amount to nothing more nor less than graft.
DELIGHTED WITH EXPOSITION WORK.
When W. V. Robinson, the well-known Orien-
tal dealer with stores at Hong-Kong, and a half
dozen other important points, registered at The
Review booth at the Lewis and Clark Exposi-
tion in Portland, Ore., he expressed himself as
amazed at such enterprise on the part of a trade
publication. Mr. Robinson stated that such work
was unusual in any industrial line, and he was
delighted to see The Review so splendidly repre-
sented and doing such excellent work for the
trade.
MAY BE A MUSIC TRADE MAYOR.
William H. Daniels, of Denton, Cottier &
Daniels, Buffalo, N. Y., is again strongly men-
tioned for the office of Mayor.
Mr. Daniels is
one of the most popular men in Buffalo, where
he served with much credit as county treasurer.