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THE
flUJIC TIRADE
VOL. X L V . No. 6. Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 MadisonAve., New York, August 10, 1907
THE SHERMAN ANTITRUST LAW.
How It Affects Piano Agencies in Texas—in-
teresting Address by Ex-Comptroller Dawes
on This Subject.
Business men all over the country have com-
mented upon the many unjust provisions of the
Sherman Anti-Trust Law, which is so broad in
its scope that it interferes with many perfectly
legal attempts to regulate various phases of
business. Even a piano company was charged
with violating the law because in obtaining the
exclusive agency for Texas it was specified that
a stipulated list of prices should be maintained.
Charles G. Dawes, former Comptroller of the
Currency, in an address before the Wisconsin
Bankers' Association, recently, clearly denned the
defects in the Sherman Anti-Trust Law and
suggested remedies. Mr. Dawes spoke as fol-
lows:
"The trouble with the Sherman Anti-Trust Law
is that it makes equally criminal (with an agree-
ment to extort an unreasonable price) an agree-
ment in restraint of trade which is inherently
innocent, which may be for the benefit of the
public, which may be simply for the purpose of
preserving natural rights, which may be at any
rate not injurious to the public.
"Take, for instance, an agreement among com-
petitors to compete only upon pure goods, as dis-
tinguished from adulterated goods, unquestion-
ably in the interest of the public, and yet it is
as criminal under the Sherman Anti-Trust Law
as an agreement among competitors to combine
for the purpose of extorting an unreasonable
price.
"Take an agreement among manufacturers to
preserve high standards in their products. That
agreement is criminal under the law.
"Take an agreement among competitors on
perishable goods designed to prevent an over-
supply at a particular point of perishable com-
modities like meat and fruit, where, if they were
allowed to accumulate, loss of wealth would be
the result, which is injurious to both the pro-
ducer and the community. Such agreements are
criminal under the law.
"There are two kinds of agreements in re-
straint of trade, those which are beneficial to the
public and those which are injurious. An agree-
ment in restraint of trade not to sell below cost
is not of necessity of injury to a community,
for certainly we have heard a great deal recently
about great institutions selling below cost for
the purpose of crushing out competition in order
that they may later exercise a monopoly and
raise the price.
"Under the laws of trade and commerce as we
have them to-day, competition is running riot
in this country, as we hear all over the country
criticism of the kind of competition that these
great institutions are giving some of the smaller
institutions of this country. And yet anything
on the part of the small institutions destined to
prevent that kind of crushing out competition
which is building up the true monopolies of the
United States is as guilty under the Sherman
Anti-Trust Law, is as criminal as any other
kind of an agreement designed to extort from
and injure the people.
"The very effect of the law has been to en-
courage the more rapid crushing out of compe-
tition in this country.
"If real progress is to be made toward the
solution of the vexed industrial problems which
confront the nation, this law should be amended
so as to clearly define what shall constitute il-
legality in trade agreements.
"It also should be amended so that a trade
agreement, whether in restraint of trade or not,
may, prior to its consumption, be considered by
a commission in its relations to the public in-
terest.
"Beneficial trade agreements should then be
legally sustained and indorsed, and bad ones
forbidden, and, if consummated, punished."
DUTIES ON FOREIGN CATALOGS.
Manufacturers Who Ship to South Africa, Au-
stralia, New Zealand and Canada Will be
Interested in Some Facts in This Connection.
We have had several inquiries recently about
the duty on catalogs sent to Australia and South
Africa, and present some details herewith in
this connection that will interest inquirers:
DUTY ON CATALOGS IN
SOUTH AFRICA.
The duty on catalogs and price lists, imported
into South Africa, has been fixed at the rate of
25 per cent, ad valorem, or 4 cents per pound,
whichever may be the greater, except when the
packets are less than 8 ounces in weight, in
which case they enter free. The tax is collected
as a surcharge, and the best method to adopt
when forwarding catalogs through the post is to
remit the duty on each packet to the postmaster-
general in the capital town in each colony (Dur-
ban for Natal, Cape Town for Cape Colony,
Pretoria for the Transvaal, Bloemfontein for the
Orange River Colony) and mark the package
"Duty paid to the postmaster-general," remitting
the amount to the postmaster-general by money
order.
DUTY ON CATALOG A IN AUSTRALIA.
The Australian colonies have one common
tariff under which catalogs, price lists, etc., are
charged with a duty at the rate of 6 cents per
pound. The duty is waived on all packages sent
through the post, whose total weight does not
exceed 4 pounds in any one ocean mail to any
one state. On packages heavier than 4 pounds
duty should be remitted by postal or money order
to the deputy postmaster-general of the state to
which catalogs, etc., are addressed (Melbourne
for Victoria, Sydney for New South Wales, Bris-
bane for Queensland, Perth for Western Aus-
tralia, Adelaide for South Australia, Hobart for
Tasmania). Each package marked as above
mentioned; if this is not done the duty will be
collected as a surcharge.
DUTY ON CATALOGS IN NEW ZEALAND.
There is no duty on catalogs sent by firms
(other than printers) to New Zealand, excepting
on leaflets and circulars sent out in quantity for
distribution.
DUTY ON CATALOGS IN CANADA.
An order-in-council has been passed by the
Canadian Government, which reads as follows-
"That the regulations heretofore established for
the free delivery of certain catalogs and price lists
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
for wholesale trade only be repealed, and in-
stead thereof that remission of duty be author-
ized in respect of bona fide trade catalogs and
price lists not designed to advertise the sale of
goods by any person in Canada, when sent into
Canada in single copies addressed to merchants
therein, and not exceeding one copy to any mer-
chant for his own use, but not for distribution."
OUR FOREIGN CUSTOMERS.
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.
(Special to Tlio Kevlew.)
Washington, D. C, August 5, 1907.
The following were the exports of musical in-
struments and kindred lines from the Port of
New York for the week just ended:
Antwerp—3 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $400.
Bangkok—4 cases music, $212.
Buenos Ayres—8 pkgs. talking machines and
material, $423; 8 cases pianos and material,
$1,072; 1 case musical instruments. $193.
Christiania—£ cases organs, $1,612.
Colon—3 pkgs. talking machines and material,
$309; 13 pkgs. talking machines and material,
$128.
Corinto—6 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $112.
East London—63 cases organs and material
$1,887.
Guayaquil—6 pkgs. talking machines and ma
terial, $229.
Hamburg—1 case talking machines and ma-
terial, $155; 7 cases music goods, $558.
Havana—9 cases piano players and material,
$1,093; 8 pkgs. talking machines and material,
$297.
Havre—25 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $784.
Iquitos—2 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $125.
Iquique—2 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $184.
Limon—12 cases organs, $363.
Liverpool—181 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $5,118; 3 cases pianos and material, $575;
21 cases pianos and material, $6,000.
Melbourne—25 cases pianos and material,
$3,900.
Naples—2 cases pianos and material, $220.
Para—3 cases piano players and material,
$557.
Rotterdam—1 case pianos and material, $320.
Savanilla—1 case pianos, $200; 3 pkgs. talking
machines and material, $443.
Shanghai—18 cases organs, $545.
Sydney—27 cases piano players and material,
$5,200; 2,608 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $29,649; 4 cases organs, $200.
Valparaiso—7 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $160; 1 case pianos and material, $250; 2
cases pianos and material, $2,640; 3 cases organs
and material, $710; 7 pkgs. talking machines
and material, $359. .
.
.
Vera Cruz—65 pkgs. talking machines and ma-
terial, $1,561.
. ."