Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
RE™
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Staff:
UBO. B. KELLER.
L. E. BOWERS.
\V. N. TYLER.
WM. B. WHITE.
BOSTON OFFICE:
F. II. THOMPSON.
EMILIB FRANCES BADKR.
L. J. CHAMBERLIN.
A. J. NICKLIN.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HAIUJNUKN, 195-197 Wabash Ave.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8013.
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE: MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: ST. LOUIS OFF ICE
ERNEST L. WAITT, 173 Tremont St.
K. W. KAUFPMAN.
E. C. TOKKEY.
CHAS. N. VAN BUREN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: ALFRED METZOEB, 425-427 Front St.
CINCINNATI, O.:
NINA PUGH-SMITH.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter,
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
rending matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lymun Bill.
Directory of Piano The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
__
. .
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
M a n u f a c t u r e r s f Or dealers and others.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE—NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY
NEW
YORK,
F E B R U A R Y
2 4 ,
1906
EDITORIAL
F
^RUM practically all quarters come reports of excellent trade
with the elements which go to make up satisfactory business
conditions—active demand, fair collections and exemption from
labor troubles as well as freedom from financial difficulties. To be
sure there is some difficulty here and there, but the winter thus far
has been so free from storms and blockades which have prevented
the dealers from working the suburban towns that trade has gone
along satisfactorily. It must be admitted that the moderate tem-
perature which has so universally prevailed this winter has con-
tributed to the movement of trade, especially as canvassing in the
country has been continued without anything like the usual inter-
ruption. General business is good, and there is no reason to doubt
the continuance of good times.
I
T must be apparent to all that there is a class of trade which a
man with limited capital cannot handle unless he has easy
bank facilities. That kind of trade, which we colloquially term "the
dollar a week" trade, had best go to the larger institutions which
have enormous capital. The small dealer should not attempt to
divert it. He should rather place his emphasis upon a trade which
insures him good instalments. For if he sells many instruments on
the small payment down and with deferred payments running over
two or three years he is bound to tie up his capital quickly, and
the more business he does of this kind the sooner he will be involved
in such a manner that it may be difficult for him to extricate him-
self from the difficulties which will be sure to surround him.
/
"F V HE small payment, long time instalment trade is not desirable,
X
unless the dealer has ample backing so that his paper can
be handled, but if he relies upon his own capital to swing him over
the rough places he is apt to grate uncomfortably at times because
it will be long before his monthly income will be sufficient from
the payment of instalments to supply the moneys required for his
current expenses.
There are kinds of business which it is well to avoid, and the
more long-drawn-out instalment business done by men of limited
capital means that so much sooner will they reach the rapids of
disaster. It requires good money to conduct the selling of pianos
on the small payment system, and some times it will be better to let
one s competitor capture the long-winded small payment trade with-
out much remonstrance.
REVIEW
T
HE sessions of the various State Legislatures are yielding the
usual quota of "labor" bills, and in a number of these it is
sought to prevent interference by the courts with the methods adopt-
ed by labor unions in carrying on strikes. At Washington the
perennial anti-injunction bill is now before the Judiciary Committee
of the House, and some features of it appear to have the approval ot
members of the committee who have opposed previous bills having
similar general purpose. In Massachusetts a picketing bill has
been introduced, as heretofore noted in these columns, the object
being to give picketers a legal status in the operations they conduct
in the vicinity of plants where the employes have gone on strike,
the purposes for which they may use the streets and ways in the
vicinity of shops being set forth as "in a peaceful way to converse
with persons intending to go to such employer for work, for the
purpose of informing them of actual facts, in order to induce them
not to enter into or not to continue in said employer's service." In
Ohio anti-injunction and eight-hour bills are reported to be ready
for introduction in the Legislature.
As an outgrowth of some recent strikes in Ohio, notably that of
the Iron Molders' Union at Cincinnati, a bill has been introduced
at Columbus, which is designed to make it difficult for employers
to secure employes to take the places of strikers.
A
SUBSCRIBER writing from St. Louis states: "The Review
has opened an interesting trade discussion, and one which, if
continued, will unquestionably bring great results to the trade. I
hope to see the trade press generally take up the subject which you
started last week relative to some change of plan in the rebates Of
allowances which are Inade for old and battered instruments when
taken in exchange. I have been maiiy years a dealer in this city^
and I know personally of many business transactions where the 1
dealers could not have replaced one dollar with another by the
ridiculous allowance which was made on some of the instruments
taken in exchange. It is a subject which I believe every dealer
has thought upon seriously, but there has been no concerted action.
Now, why not take the subject up as The Review suggests for gen-
eral trade discussion, and let us see if some point cannot be gained
for trade betterment in this discussion."
T
H E views of the gentleman who penned the above will be
heartily endorsed by thousands of dealers who have simply
followed piano tradition in valuing old pianos at ridiculous prices
and the sooner some of our old-time, clumsy, mercantile theories
which, have hampered this industry from its inception are demol-
ished, the better it will be for all interested.
The sale of old pianos has figured prominently in the piano
trade for years, and this is the only industry in which allowances
are made to-day by the retailers for old and used products in ex-
change for new.
' I A HE term "second-hand" piano which smacked of the old
JL store became so distasteful that a few years ago it was abaii-
doned and the term "used" pianos substituted in its place. Now
the word "used" may be a trifle pleasanter to the ear, and savor
less of cast-off garments, but it means just the same as "second
hand." If some general policy were adopted by the entire trade
regarding the treatment of these "second-hand" instruments it
would be made in the right direction. Now that the discussion of
this subject has been fairly opened, we shall be glad to hear from
many of our readers upon this interesting" and most important
matter.
W
HEN a well-known merchant the other day was asked the
source from which he obtained the most capable men
among his employes he replied by saying, that in eight cases out of
ten they evoluted from a humble position, possibly that of cash boy,
in his store. He said that he made it a point to encourage bright.
Wide-awake boys and that after a few years their training and
knowledge of the store was most valuable to his interests, and of
course to themselves, because they personally profited by securing
larger salaries.
Other institutions adopt systems whereby salesmanship is
taught, or at least its general principles discussed at regular meet-
ings of the salespeople. No doubt all of this work which tends
towards stimulating and encouraging salesmanship is of manifest
advantage to the mercantile interests,