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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
OUR FOREIGN CUSTOMERS.
PIANOS IN MEXICO.
Pianos and Other Musical Instruments Shipped
Abroad from the Port of New York for the
Week Just Ended—An Interesting Array of
Musical Specialties for Foreign Countries.
Imported Almost Entirely from the United
States and Germany—Better Grades of
American Pianos Liked—Tariff and Freights
Same on All Grades of Instruments—No
Organs Made in Mexico—Chief
Selling
Centers of the Republic.
(Special to The Iieview.)
Washington, D. C., Dec. 24, 190fi.
The following were the exports of musical in-
struments and kindred lines from the Port of
New York for the week just ended:
Amsterdam—63 cases organs, $786.
Antwerp—3 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $230.
Berlin—252 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $2,343.
Bremen—32 cases music, $3,950.
Bristol—1 case pianos, $150.
Buenos Ay res—2 cases pianos and material,
$270.
Calcutta—12 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $259.
Callao—6 pkgs. talking machines and material,
$325.
Cardiff—12 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $159.
Cape Town—1 case piano players and material,
$169; 8 cases organ material, $487; 4 pkgs. talk-
ing machines and material, $121.
Colon—2 cases pianos and material, $350.
Corinto—5 cases piano players and materials,
$262; 1 pkg. talking machines and material,
$172.
Florence—1 case pianos and material, $200.
Glasgow—28 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $207.
Guayaquil—5 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $147.
Hamburg—2 cases organs and material, $220;
7 cases pianos and material, $199; 5 cases music
goods, $418; 12 cases piano players and material,
$1,300; 2 cases organs, $218.
Havana—3 cases pianos and material, $178;
25 pkgs. talking machines and material, $1,410;
6 cases pianos and material, $780; 9 pkgs. talk-
ing machines and material, $770.
Havre—16 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $773; 6 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $238.
Kingston—6 cases organs and material, $200.
Lisbon—1 case pianos and material, $127.
Liverpool—77 cases organs, $3,710; 1 case
pianos and material, $150; 2 pkgs. talking ma-
chines and material, $150.
London—6 cases music, $450; 3 cases music
goods, $540; 17 cases piano material, $5,169;
1,900 pkgs. talking machines and material, $18,-
625; 14 cases organs, $5,817; 30 cases piano play-
ers and material, $7,600; 16 pkgs. talking ma-
chines and material, $998.
Montevideo—18 pkgs. talking machines and
material, $1,996.
Moscow—1 case organs and material, $150.
Newcastle—1 case pianos, $300.
Para—7 pkgs. talking machines and material,
$361.
Rotterdam—27 cases organs, $795.
Santiago—15 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $485.
Santos—4 pkgs. talking machines and material,
$172; 1 case pianos and material, $152.
St. Petersburg—21 pkgs. talking machines and
material, $860.
Santo Domingo—3 cases piano material, $294.
Stettin—6 cases organs and material, $187.
Sydney—78 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $1,776.
Trinidad—11 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $169.
Vera Cruz—367 pkgs. talking machines and
ir.aterial, $5,489; 2 cases piano players and ma-
terial, $233; 3 cases musical instruments, $174.
Vienna—11 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $246.
Zurich—2 cases pianos and organs, $450.
"Germany and the United States supply the
very large majority of pianos sold in Mexico,"
says the City of Mexico Herald, "the German
pianos being in general considerably cheaper
than the American. The principal cause for the
cheapness, of the German piano is the lower price
of labor in Germany, while in the United States
first-class piano makers receive large wages. All
the American pianos shipped to this country are
good, and the same holds true in regard to the
German pianos in general, the exception being
in the case of the cheaper makes, for which there
is a considerable demand in many parts of the
interior of the country. As there is a high duty
on imported pianos and the freight rates are also
high, it has been found by piano dealers to be
poor policy to import inferior grades of these
instruments, as the duties and freights are prac-
tically the same for a cheap and a dear piano.
The duty is about 65 cents a kilo on pianos, and
it is said by the dealers that the total duty and
freight charges equal the cost of the piano at the
factory in many cases. The pianos sold in this
country range in price from $250 to $2,500.
"There are no organs manufactured in Mexico,
all those sold here coming from Europe and es-
pecially from Germany.
Mandolins, violins,
horns, strings, harps, etc., nearly all come from
Germany. There is a good trade in all of these
articles as well as in pianos and organs through-
out the republic. Mexico City ranks first in the
trade for the sale of instruments, while Guada-
lajara, Monterey, San Luis Potosi and other
large cities of the republic follow. Yucatan a
few years ago imported a good many pianos, and
the city of Merida has a large number of pianos
scattered among the homes of its wealthy resi-
dents."
Twin City Dealers Close Unusually Successful
Holiday
Season—More
Instruments for
Christmas Delivery Than in Any Previous
Year—While the Opinions of the Dealers
Visited Differ Somewhat in Degree Yet All
Concede That Business Is Ahead of Last
Year—The News in Detail.
(SDecIal to The Review.)
Minneapolis and St. Paul, Dec. 24, 1906.
If a successful holiday trade means Christmas
cheer, the dealers of the Twin Cities will sit
around the festive board to-morrow in a happy
and contented frame of mind, as the results this
year have been highly gratifying.
"The best holiday business we have ever had,"
said R. O. Foster, of Foster & Waldo. "The re-
sults the past two weeks have been surprising.
There isn't a man on our force that has not ex-
celled himself in bringing in sales. The trade
has been of good quality, and we had a good de-
mand for Mehlin and McPhail pianos, and a
big call for the Knabe-Angelus piano."
"There were more orders for Christmas deliv-
ery than in any previous year," said E. R. Dyer,
of the Metropolitan Music Co. "The holiday
business was much better than last year, and
we are feeling highly pleased over the results.
We had good Steinway sales during the month."
"A little disappointing in some ways, but still
very satisfactory," said S. W. Raudenbush, of St.
Paul. "Taken as a whole, the holiday trade has
been very good; but we have a large number of
prospects who desired to hold over until after
Christmas. Sales have been of an excellent
quality, and last week included two Sohmer
g;ands and one Sohmer-Cecilian."
"The holiday trade was a hummer," said
Grant P. Wagner, of Howard, Farwell & Co.
"We have had the best results at both our stores
here, as well as the one in Duluth, that we have
ever had. It has been of the best quality, too,
and the bigger proportion of the sales were
Fischer and Chickering pianos, with a nice cash
business."
"We run somewhat ahead of last year," said
TO PREVENT PIANO KEYS FROM STICKING. W. J. Dyer, of St. Paul, in speaking of the holi-
day trade, "and the trade was mostly in high-
C. J. Peterson, piano dealer, Joliet, 111., claims
grade goods. The sales in our Steinway line
to be the inventor of a contrivance to prevent have been highly gratifying."
piano keys from sticking in any kind of weather
"We close our books for December to-day," said
when they are liable to contract or expand in
David McKee, of the Cable Company, "but even
ordinary cases. The details of the device are
with the short month we are able to wind up
not given, but it is claimed that it does not im- a big average month's business. The results
pair the appearance of the instrument in the have been very satisfactory, the trade tending
least.
to higher grade instruments, and we made quite
a few sales of Mason & Hamlin and Conover
AMERICAN PIANOS IN HOLLAND.
pianos, as well as Kingsbury inside players."
"The Christmas trade was very good," said
An American commercial agent writing from Fred J. Hill, of the W. W. Kimball Co., "and the
Holland, is of the opinion that there is a big results are somewhat better than last year."
field in that country for American organs, and
"The best holiday trade we ever had," said
suggests the establishment of branch warerooms Elmer Brooks, of the Brooks-Evans Piano Co.
in the principal cities for the purpose of build- "Sales for the month included three Everett
ing up the trade through direct representation.
grands."
"Haven't a kick coming," said C. M. Raugland,
CARTER GIVING WEEKLY MUSICALES.
of Northwestern Music Co. "Trade has been
good and steady, and sales in the Packard line
J. W. Carter, piano dealer, 1009 Capital ave- have been excellent."
nue, Houston, Tex., has been holding a series of
weekly musicales at which artists of recognized
MAY BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO REFORM.
ability have appeared. At each musicale about
twenty-five invited couples are present, both ar-
Burrell Northam, the 20-year-old timekeeper
tists and list of guests being changed weekly. employed by the Farrand Organ Co., Detroit,
Light refreshments are served during the even- Mich., who was arrested some time ago charged
ing, and the affairs prove most successful. As a with embezzling $644 of the firm's money, ap-
result of the musicales a number of profitable peared before Judge Connolly last week and
piano sales have been made to the better class of changed his plea of not guilty to guilty. He said
Houston citizens.
he took the money to buy good clothes with and
to have a good time. W. R. Farrand, treasurer
of the Farrand Organ Co., made a strong plea
CONCERT HALLS IN LONDON.
that leniency be shown the young man.
London has a number of small concert halls— Northam was remanded for sentence.
the Steinway, Bechstein, ^Eolian, Brard, Broad-
The De Kleist musical instrument factory at
wood—but these five together seat only about
2,000 persons. Queen's Hall seats 2,500, but is North Tonawanda, N. Y., is advertising for girls
Frederick J. Mayer, a piano tuner, has pur- acoustically unsatisfactory, and the huge Albert to learn the making of musical instrument parts.
chased a line of pianos and will open warerooms Hall is much worse. A new hall is now being It seems almost impossible to get girls enough
in Auburn, N. Y.
to supply the requirements.
built in Great Portland street.