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THE
MUSIC TRADE
ROTO
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
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Directory ol Plaao
__
. .
MannUduren
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
f o r d e a I e r B a n d others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prim
Paris Exposition, 1900 /Silver MedaJ.Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal..St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold 4/PdoI.Lewls-Clark Exposition, 1905
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NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 3 , 1906
REVIEW
to protect their own interests. They will hardly be content to buy
pianos from the same source that supplies the catalogue houses. At
least it is hardly reasonable to believe that they will.
VERY visitor to Germany must be impressed with the im-
mense industrial strides that country is making in all lines
of trade. German piano manufacturers are supplying England and
English colonies throughout the world with thousands of pianos,
and there seems to be no halting in Germany's prosperity. The
great towns are busy producing every kind of manufactured prod-
ucts, and the piano business is particularly good. All of the fac-
tories are being rushed to their utmost.
Once a year the people of Germany have an opportunity to
study their own prosperity in comparison with the progress of the
rest of the world. They have reason to be proud of the showing, as
indicated by the Jahrbuch for 1905, and if they exult over it Amer-
icans know how they feel, for we, too, think we are conquering the
world.
A generation ago France had the largest population of the
civilized European states, except Russia. Now Germany is not
only ahead, but rapidly passing out of the class of both France and
Great Britain. The German population is growing at the rate of
nearly a million a year, England at less than half that rate, and
France scarcely at all.
Notwithstanding this increase, business and manufacturing
have grown still faster, so that the number of unemployed in Ger-
many is now less than ever before. The percentage is one and six-
tenths, or about one-third of the percentage in England.
Railway earnings reflect the general prosperity. During fifteen
years the profits have increased from two and two-tenths per cent,
to six per cent., and the number of miles by eight thousand; and if
further evidence of the general well-being were needed, it may be
found in the bank deposits and the receipts from the income tax,
which there is imposed upon the man of small means as well as upon
the rich.
E
HERE are some other facts about German growth that are not
revealed, or only partially revealed, by statistics. Chief
among them is the bold and successful invasion of the markets of
the world by German productions. German merchants and agents
ENERAL business continues excellent, and the difficulty in
swarm in every commercial city of every continent, pushing their
V J getting goods is still a marked feature of the trade situation.
wares successfully on the tradesmen and consumers of every race.
Not only in this trade, but in many others are manufacturers get-
The reasons for the abounding prosperity of Germany lie largely
ting unpleasantly behind in their orders. Prices, too, owing to the
in
national
character, intelligent, energetic, practical, which mani-
state of things in the iron and metal markets, and the heavy de-
fests
itself
in
the best trade-schools and technical education in the
mand upon stocks and manufacturing facilities, are advancing al-
world,
in
commercial
laws frankly intended to promote German in-
most daily in one line or another. Manufacturing costs still con-
terests.
Every
effort
in this direction is enthusiastically promoted
tinue to creep up, and it is certain that a moderate advance will be
by
an
Emperor
who
is really an alert and immensely energetic
necessary in piano prices ere long.
"business
manager"
for
all his people.
One prominent piano man while discussing the subject of
Alfred
Dolge,
the
well-known piano felt manufacturer, who
prices remarked recently that he had always been actuated by the
passed
his
early
youth
in
Germany, where he learned the art of piano
desire to give his dealers every advantage of the price conditions
making,
recently
remarked
to The Review that it was the practice
of the market, and although he had been compelled to advance
at
the
time
he
was
a
resident
of Leipsic, for the German piano
prices on all his instruments once, he felt that another advance
manufacturers
to
send
their
practical
men and departmental heads
would be imperative within the near future.
to England to learn factory system and piano building according
HE furniture men are considerably exercised over the growth
to the English standard. Germany has well learned her early
of the mail order business, and according to a furniture trade
lessons, for to-day she is selling more pianos to the English trade
paper: "Furniture manufacturers all over the country are taking
than the British manufacturers themselves are turning out. She
the initiative in a movement to curtail the extensive business done
has beaten the Britisher in his own market, and thus if the tariff
everywhere by the big mail order and catalogue houses and the were removed permitting easy access to this country the German
retail furniture dealer in the small town is rejoicing. The manu-
piano would be no small factor in these United States.
facturers now have sent out notices to the mail-order people that
their contracts will hold good only until January I, 1907, and that
HE technical work recently produced by this newspaper in-
after that time they will have to buy upon the same terms as the
stitution known as "Theory and Practice of Pianoforte Build-
retail dealer."
ing" has created widespread interest everywhere, and from present
Certainly if the statement made is correct, the action on the indications it will become the standard work of the piano industry.
The few copies which have been sent out thus far have elicited the
part of the furniture men will go a long ways towards cutting off
warmest praise, and we have now on the press a large edition so
the catalogue house competition. The catalogue house people will
then either have to create their own factories, or sell on the same
that we shall be able to take care of all the demands which come
basis as the retail dealer. It is said that the big catalogue houses
to us.
George Rose, managing head of the great English house of
in Chicago which are offering $87.50 pianos are getting prices on
Broadwood & Sons, and one of the leading scientists of Europe,
their instruments which are far below those paid by the regular
writes: "I have perused the book with much pleasure and 'Theory
piano dealer. If this is the case, it might be well to note the atti-
and Practice of Pianoforte Building' should be in the hands of every
tude of the manufacturers in a kindred trade, and it will not be long
practical and interested man in the trade."
before the dealers themselves—provided the mail order competition
George A. Witney, head of the Brockport Piano Mfg. Co.,
becomes the least bit acute in the piano line—will take some action
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