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THE
flUJIC TIRADE
VOL. XLIV. No. 5.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at I Madison Ave., New York, February 2,1907
SINGL
»1OO 0 PEI S VEA£ E N T S
of music in Belgium, located at Brussels, Ghent,
Liege and Antwerp, all of international renown.
There are also two schools of music at Louvain
Transportation Companies Endeavoring to Relieve Themselves of Their Common Law Liability
and Bruges. These numerous excellent musical
and Squeezing Up Rates Besides—Some important Facts Presented by Thos. C. Moore..
institutions indicate that the Belgians are a
Which Will Interest Manufacturers and Dealers Alike—Forcing Bill of Lading
on the
music-loving people, and the retail trade in mu-
Smaller Companies Particularly—Interstate Commerce Commission Advised.
sical instruments of all kinds is good. The sale
of pianos is principally confined to uprights,
this office, and from correspondence had with tnere being also a fair demand for the 'baby
(Special to The Review.)
many shippers that the transportation com- grand.' The best manner for introducing
Review Office, 195 Wabash avenue,
panies have again started in on an active cam- American pianos and organs, piano players and
Chicago, 111., Jan. 28, 1907.
J. P. Byrne, president of the National Asso- paign for eifiorcing this document.
phonographs into Belgium would be through
ciation of Piano Dealers, has just received the
"It is doubtful whether any shipper has the personal French-speaking representatives, who
following important communication from Thos. right to accept the conditions of the bill of lad- would sell goods direct from manufacturer to
C. Moore, freight traffic manager of the associa- ing, as immediately after freight is delivered to dealer. The duty on pianos and organs and all
tion, which should be read and acted upon by a transportation company it becomes the prop- other musical instruments is 10 per cent, ad
every piano dealer throughout the United States: erty of the transportation company and the con- valorem." (Dealers in various musical instru-
"Dear Sir—1 desire through you to call the signees, and the consignor parts with his rights. ments at Brussels are named, and the addresses
attention of all piano dealers to the fact that In other words,
•
would have no right can be obtained from the Bureau of Manufac-
the transportation companies are again endeav- in making a shipment co
'- to sign this tures, Washington, D. C.)
oring to enforce the uniform bill of lading with bill of lading and its conditions, as so soon as
its obnoxious conditions upon the general the property was received by the railway com-
EBERHARDT & HAYS BRANCH OUT.
public.
pany
it would belong to your firm,
"You no doubt are familiar with the fact that and the transportation company would have no
under the uniform bill of lading the transpor- right to deliver it to any one else except on an Secure an Additional Building Which W i l l
Give Them 14 Separate Rooms for the
tation companies are endeavoring to relieve order bill of lading. If
accepted the
Various Branches of Their Business.
themselves of their common law liability, or if uniform bill of lading and signed it, thus re-
they assume that liability, which they have al- leasing the transportation companies from all
(Special to The Review.)
ways heretofore assumed, they insist that the risk of damage, you would have to look to them
Wichita, Kans., Jan. 28, 1907.
shippers shall pay them 20 per cent, higher rates to reimburse you in case of loss, and not to
The Eberhardt & Hays Music Co. are making
than have prevailed heretofore. Under these the transportation company.
conditions if you were to ship a carload of
"I have written the cxiairman of the Interstate extensive improvements at their present quarters
pianos from New York to Chicago via the Penn- Commerce Commission to-day, asking his de- at the corner of Douglas and Emporia avenues.
sylvania Co., or any other of the trunk lines, cision as to the legality of this bill of lading, The old Goodyear Hotel, back of the present
having its terminus on the New Jersey side of and whether we are not justified in refusing to quarters of the firm, has been leased and a con-
the river, and these pianos were lightered sign or accept the same, and whether it is not nection with it is made in the rear, so as to give
across the river, and the lighter sunk, they a violation of the Hepburn bill for a transporta- the firm about three times as much space as they
would not hold themselves liable for the loss tion company to have two tariffs for the trans- formerly occupied.
of such shipments, unless you had paid 20 per portation of one kind of freight. I am not an
In the hotel building the firm will have about
cent, more than the regular tariff rates. Or if attorney, but 1 believe my opinion on this mat- fourteen separate rooms. On the first floor there
these same pianos should meet with a railway ter is sustained by attorneys of prominence, who is a phonograph room, three piano parlors and
accident, such as is occurring daily on so many have given the matter a great deal of study, two store rooms. In the center of the building
of our roads at the present time, and should be and who view this from a legal standpoint.
there is a stairway leading up to the second floor,
badly damaged, the transportation companies
"I know that the transportation companies are where the building is divided into a piano-
would not pay your claim for damage, unless not insisting on all shippers accepting the uni- players room, two organ rooms, three stock
you had paid them 20 per cent, over the pres- form bill of lading and its conditions, but they rooms and the factory. An elevator has been
ent tariff rates. To illustrate: In order to se- seem to be forcing it upon small firms who have put in at the rear of the building to be used in
cure yourself against loss or damage via rail or no thoroughly organized traffic department with moving the pianos from the first floor to the fac-
water, instead of paying the present tariff rate which to consult. I am ready to give my serv- tory on the second floor. In this factory and
of 75 cents per hundred from New York to ices without charge to the members of both as- repair room the equipment is such that a piano
Chicago you would be compelled to pay the sociations in protecting their rights against this may be repaired and entirely rebuilt if neces-
transportation companies a rate of 90 cents per and any other encroachments which the trans- sary.
hundred, or stand your own loss. This seems to portation companies may attempt to make in
be simply a method for increasing the freight their freight dealings.
PRAISE AEOLIAN ENTERPRISE.
rates of the railroads 20 per cent., and only
"I think you should advise all dealers, no mat-
give the shippers the protection which they ter what the size of their shipments may be, to
J. T. Miller, manager of the Munson Music
have the right to under the common law, and decline to receive or accept the uniform bill of Co., Zanesville, O., was the subject of a column
the ordinary tariff rates.
lading with its unfair conditions, or to pay the article in the "Times-Recorder'- of that city re-
"The transportation companies are now insist- 20 per cent, advance over tariff rates for non- cently, in which the superb recitals "offered sev-
eral times each week by the Aeolian Co. at their
ing that the railroad receipts and the bills of acceptance of the same."
hall in New York, several of which he enjoyed,
lading shall be signed by the shippers, accept-
were referred to, as well as the size and scope of
ing the conditions of the uniform bill of lading,
PIANO PROSPECTS IN BELGIUM
the business of that great company.
releasing the transportation companies from
their common law liability. This matter has As Reported by Our Consul at Brussels—Up-
been under discussion for several years past, and
FIRE DAMAGES PIANOS.
rights and Baby Grands Most in Demand.
we have had conference with the railway of-
ficials, and after fighting this matter for a long
During a fire in the warerooms of Reich &
(SDeeial to The Review. 1
time they receded from their position, and agreed
Plock, piano dealers, of Meyersdale, Pa., thirteen
Washington, D. C, Jan. 28, 1907.
not to enforce the uniform bill of lading with
Consul-General George W. Roosevelt, of Brus- pianos were rendered worthless, either by flames
its very obnoxious clauses. Recently, however, sels, in a report of the musical instrument trade or water. The loss, although heavy, was fully
I have learned from the bills of lading sent to in Belgium, says: "There are four conservatories covered by insurance.
TRADE SHOULD RESIST ENFORCEMENT OF BILL OF LADING.
i