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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
SUPERINTENDENT THOS. G. BAKER.
Well Known Piano Man Assumes an Import-
ant Position With Sohmer & Co.—In Charge
of Their Factory at Astoria, L. I.—Ex-
perienced and Progressive Piano Man Who is
Destined to do Good Work in the Interests
of This Famous New York House,
Thomas G. Baker, who is well and favorably
known throughout this country and Canada as
an expert in piano construction and case design-
ing, has been appointed manager and superinten-
dent of the great factory of Sohmer & Co., at
Astoria. L. I. Mr. Baker will have as his "right
bowers" and assistants Messrs. Harry Sohmer and
Peter Weber (who has been connected with the
Sohmer institution for the past thirty years as
scale draughtsman, and whose skill is amply dem-
onstrated in the Sohmer creations of to-day), and
Paul Sohmer, with the house for the past
twenty-two years, in charge of the action finish-
TllOMAS Li. 1IAKI01I.
ing department. Associated with these gentle-
men are the competent staff at the Fifth avenue
warerooms, all practical men in their respective
lines—making the strongest kind of organization
for the manufacture of the Sohmer piano.
Mr. Baker has won a splendid record in the
piano trade as an originator and developer. He
learned his business with Mason & Risch, of To-
ronto, Can., with whom he was connected for
nine years. He was later associated with the
Newcombe Piano Co., of Toronto, and afterward
with the Pratte Piano Co., of Montreal, and it is
worthy of note that during his connection with
this house he had the distinction of building the
first player-piano made in Canada. He later
moved to California, and engaged in the making
of pianos in San Francisco. He designed and
built the art pianos exhibited in the California
Building at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
held at St. Louis in 1904. The original and artis-
tic architecture, and the clever construction of
these instruments came in for the highest praise
from the committee of awards who honored
them with a gold medal, as well as from the visit-
ing manufacturers and art loving public who had
the pleasure of investigating these instruments.
Mr. Baker located in New York some three or
four years ago, and has been associated with
Kranich & Bach, and more recently with the
Lindeman & Sons Piano Co. as superintendent.
His record has been one of steady advancement—
a recognition of his ability as a piano maker.
Mr. Baker has attained his present high posi-
tion in the industry at a comparatively early
age, for he is yet a young man, being only thirty-
six. He has, moreover, won a host of friends by
reason of his many estimable traits of character.
While he is first of all a piano maker, well
versed in every department of his craft, he is a
man of wide sympathies with art progress in all
directions.
In writing of Mr. Baker some two years ago
The Review said that he was a gentleman who
was "destined, to be heard from in the industry,"
and it is pleasing to note that tftis prediction is
being fulfilled. The very best wishes of The Re-
view and all his friends go with him for his suc-
cess in his new sphere of activity. It is a great
honor to be associated with the Sohmer house,
which has won such laurels in the piano trade in
this country, and it is safe to say that its in-
terests will be well conserved in his hands, for
Mr. Baker is conscientious and honorable.
SELLING ON CREDIT.
11
salary comes in a monthly check rarely indorses
that over to his wife, while the man whose wages
come in a weekly pay envelope is sure to have
his wife waiting for it.
"Most women have a greater horror of debt
than men. Women who go in debt blindly do so
either recklessly or ignorantly, usually because
tney have never been trained in the value of
money by handling it. This is one of the things
that the poor man's wife has had to learn. Her
horror of debt has been inherited from her
mother, and the careful calculations which she
has to make with her husband's wages are a
continuance of her girlhood's scrimping.
"For these and many other reasons the business
of the instalment dealer is worthy of the sociolo-
gist's study."
Practically Everything Nowadays Can be Pur-
chased Without Ready Cash—Percentage of
Losses Through Bad Debts on Instalment
Sales Less Than Among the Cash Houses on
Fifth Avenue—The Average Honesty of the
Business Men Are Coming to Recognize That
People
Fairly
Illustrated—Vast
Business
Honor and Merit Are Potent in the Com-
Done in the Sale of Pianos on Instalments.
mercial Sphere—Means Improved Conditions
for Both Manufacturers and Dealers.
CHANGING FOR THE BETTER.
The New York World of recent date had an in-
teresting editorial upon how easy it is to buy on
credit in this city, and as our piano dealers do
quite a business in this way the article may be
found of interest:
"How easy it is to get things in New York.
Without any money beyond his weekly wages,
a sober, well-appearing man can marry, furnish
a flat and start up housekeeping. From the en-
gagement ring to the piano in the parlor, every-
thing can be bought on credit and paid for on
long-time instalments.
"It is really remarkable to what liberality this
system of long-extended personal credit is car-
ried. Manufacturers and wholesalers, before they
give credit, consult the mercantile reports, re-
quire detailed statements and employ special
credit detectives. The retailers who sell to the
Fifth avenue trade maintain expensive credit
bureaus, and even then have many losses. But
the dealers who sell the average citizen any-
thing he may desire on the instalment plan find
it necessary to make no investigation beyond
being sure of his identity and occupation, and
find then that their percentage of losses through
bad debts is less than the Fifth avenue jewelers
or tailors.
"This speaks well for the average honesty of
this city. Between the gorgeous expenditure of
the multi-millionaires and their imitators and
the work-evading existence of the cheap lodging
houses there is a great middle class of the popu-
lation composing three-quarters of its numbers.
Evidently this multitude can be trusted, or the
instalment dealers would be going out of business
instead of multiplying.
"It is easy to swindle an instalment man—
much easier than passing a forged check or pick-
ing a pocket or sneak-thievery. Yet how few peo-
ple attempt it. Most of the times when the in-
stalment dealer does lose money are when his
customers have over-bought and to keep up the
payments is beyond their means, or when sick-
ness or loss of work has suspended the paying
power.
"It further appears that in the descending scale
of wages the proportion of loss decreases. Fam-
ilies which buy expensive things, even though in
proportion to their means, are less likely to pay
for them. The more modest the furniture and
tne fewer carats in the engagement ring, the
more likely it is that the payments will be con-
tinued promptly until the end.
"There seems to be something of a social code
in this. To dwellers in an expensive west side
apartment house the instalment man taking back
his property does not seem as disgraceful as it
would be to the laborer in his three-room tene-
ment. The man with small wages does not buy
more than he thinks he sees an assurance of
paying for. The man on a larger salary or with
some easily gotten money in his possession is
much more prone to figure out how he can make
a splurge for a few months without paying for it.
"Most likely the reason for this is that men
with small wages usually have their wives man-
aging their financial affairs. The man whose
"There are tricks in all trades," is an adage
that is year by year becoming more out of date.
And for two reasons. Business men more and
more generally are coming to recognize the truth
of the proverb, "Honesty is the best policy."
Greater and ever greater is the number of con-
cerns doing business on the merit of its products,
due possibly to the enforcement of the "money-
back-if-you-want-it" policy, adopted by many lead-
ing houses, especially in merchandise lines.
Again dealers cannot be deceived or fooled, as
in the good old days. Competition has forced
them out of the old, easy-going rut. They take
nothing on trust. Quality, cost and all other fact-
ors of value are relentlessly sifted. The buyer,
except in rare instances where style en(ters
largely into the question of price, is apt to know
pretty nearly as well as the seller what the in-
struments ought to bring.
Thus to-day goods are usually found to pretty
nearly answer their descriptions. When they do
not the dealer, at any rate, is not deceived,
though his customers may be. He is getting
what he pays for, depend upon it.
This condition is a satisfactory one for the
retailer and for the straightforward, progressive
manufacturer. The "fakey" producer who con-
tinues to work on the "tricks-in-all-trades" princi-
ple, however, has no show amid these modern
methods. He is simply left at the post.
A. C. Edwards has just returned from a trip
through Pennsylvania.
George Street, of the Jesse French forces,
Nashville, Tenn., is visiting New York.
DNDGRSOH
PIANOS
Are as exceptional in
lasting tone quality as
in their superb con-
struction.
'' A first class piano
in every respect "—
G. Campanari.
ANN ARBOR ORGAN CO.
ANN ARBOR..
MICHIGAN