Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
men in that country, according to statistics from New Zealand.
Industrial arbitration prevents strikes. The contractor has been
abolished; no special favors for big shippers, corporations, or com-
bines. Old age pensionists are in vogue, and immigration is care-
fully guarded. Improvements are not taxable; small farmers and
merchants are favored; speculation and monopoly repressed. By
this system of government the population of the cities is turned
back towards the countrv.
T
H E people of New Zealand have a greater per capita wealth
than any other countrv. As a matter of fact, the people
have been devoting their time to building a model government, and
although there are many features which it would be impossible to
adopt here, yet they have worked out successfully in that small
country.
Our visiting piano friend says that but a small percentage of
his time payments are ever in arrears. While a great manv of his
sales are made on the deferred payment plan, the people respect
their obligations and come up to his store and pay up with unfail-
ing regularity. He says that he can count absolutely on a fixed
percentage of money coming in every month from instalment sales.
This works as regularly as the rising of the sun.
It would seem from his statements that while New Zealand
might not be a piano man's paradise, it is a pretty safe country in
which to do business.
S
PEAKING of deferred payments, a well-known Western dealer
writes to The Review that March was one of the worst months
for collections that his record has shown for many years. He adds
that certain people upon whom he had depended for payments dis-
appointed him, and his holdovers were many.
We do not think this experience was general. Of course, there
are localities which might be hit pretty hard through various causes,
and collections and sales may have dragged in such a manner that
the record for a particular month would be very poor indeed, but
an illustration showing that the recent panic in Wall street did not
have a severe effect upon the business interests of the country,
may be seen in the statement that the bank clearings in New York
and throughout the United States were greater last month than ever
before recorded in March. In nineteen cities they aggregated $14,-
533,394,704; surely such figures do not show a gloomy or pessimistic
condition of business, and there is no reason why men should not
go ahead and place their energies strongly upon business pursuits.
F
REQUENTLY we spend too much time in telling about the
calamities which occur in this world in the shape of fires,
floods and failures, crimes, brain storms, Pittsburg paranoia, and
all sorts of ills' Tt is well sometimes to forget the crimes told of
in the daily press, and tell of the millions of decent people who are
honestly trying to do their duty and who are producing factors in
-the industrial and intellectual life of the nation. Of course, busi-
ness is rarely ever entirely to our liking; that is not to be expected,
because perfect satisfaction breeds an indifference which after a
while leads up to a decadence of some sort, but the man who has
nothing else to do than to discuss hard times, poor business, and
rank competition, is in a decidedly dangerous frame of mind.
I
T does not pay at all times to drift with the tide and simply
wonder why we can't go a little faster—it requires some
kind of propelling power to accelerate the speed. Success in busi-
ness, as in every other line of human activity, consists largely in
plain, everyday, honest hard work. It does not need so much actual
business brilliancy to carve success out of life. There are plenty
of men whom we could name, who have been moderately success-
ful, and some who have moved several points beyond that stage,
who would not rank as brilliant men. But they are men who have
stuck closely to their business, have endeavored to solve every
problem systematically as it came before them.
Now a good many never make the attempt. They simply
wonder why business is poor, collections are not good, instead of
seeking to find a solution for the present problem. Philosophers
long ago gave up seeking for the principle of perpetual motion, but
there are in HJ07 a lot of business men who are still hoping to
discover some principle which will permit them perpetual rest from.
outside aggression. The search will be as useless as that of Ponce
de Leon, when seeking for the waters of eternal youth.
E
VERY industry has its full complement of floaters, drifters,
waiters, dreamers and luck seekers, who hope to ride into
the harbor of success on the crest of some fortunate wave that will
relieve them of the necessity of continuous hard and persistent
effort. As a matter of fact the business conditions which surround
this trade never were better than to-day—never were as good for
that matter. The industry never was buttressed around with as
great security as at the present time. Look at the failures among
both the manufacturers and retailers the past two or three years.
They have been small and inconsequential, and almost in every case
the failures might be traced to business indifference—a drying up
of business forces—a failure to appreciate the present environment
and to get in close touch with the varying modern conditions.
Business is good; look at what some of the younger firms have
accomplished in this industry within the past decade. Their records
should have a stimulating effect on all those who are inclined to
view the business outlook with a tinge of pessimism. Get in line;
get into action, and don't fall asleep at the business switch. A
position there is one full of grave danger.
H
OW many piano dealers take the time to figure out what kind
of things or events, near or remote, have a special influence
upon their immediate business? Every broad-minded merchant, no
matter what the size of his store, or the extent of his business, will
find the study of conditions interesting. Those who keep in touch
with such matters, and take advantage of temporary conditions are
seldom surprised at the good business which they win in alleged
dull times as well as good. In fact, there are many little matters
which seem trivial enough at the outset which enter into our busi-
ness life in all trades as a strong factor.
It is surprising, too, how, if a piano man talks certain styles
and advances them in his locality, what a trade he can develop on
particular styles of instruments.
We know of one instance where a dealer, not ranked as one of
the big ones, last year sold 148 pianos of one style. He simply
decided it was a good thing to push and he took advantage of his
local conditions with excellent results.
I
N the dry goods trade everything is weighed carefully, and in
case of a death of the crowned head, which throws all the
European courts into mourning, for example, the style student
easily foresees that ere long dark shades will be worn both in Europe
and America, for the popular fancy naturally follows in more or
less modified form the styles set by aristocracy, and when they
wear black, or shades approaching it, that usually becomes the
vogue. A piano man, perhaps, does not have to study style in the
same manner, but after all the beautiful lines of a piano help
greatly in its sale, and never has the question of architectural sym-
metry in pianos been so greatly appreciated as to-day.
When we look over the latest catalogues issued by the various
piano houses, one must be forced to admit that emphatic advance
has been made 111 the question of styles in this industry during the
past few years. The heavv pianos of a composite school made up
along irregular lines have been replaced by instruments which repre-
sent with faithful accuracy the different art periods of the world.
The trend is steadily towards plainer and simpler lines, but more
graceful and more beautiful.
T
H E question of woods, too, is more carefully considered, and
the veneer men tell us to-day that the piano manufacturers
demand finer woods than ever before. Years ago they were not so
particular. In fact, in earlier years the finer furniture trade de-
manded finer veneers than the piano men. To-day all that is
changed, and the leading veneer houses ransack the markets of the
world for-fine veneers, and when they secure them they immediately
notify piano manufacturers, because they know that the leading
houses are ever seeking for attractive woods. The piano beautiful
is appreciated more than ever, and while there has been no slack-
ening in the development of tonal qualities there has been special
emphasis placed upon producing exterior results which keep pace
with the advance which America is making in all creative art lines.