Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1907 Vol. 45 N. 6

Page 3 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
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.
. ."

Page 4 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
Gno. B. KELLEB,
W. H. DYKES,
F. H. THOMPSON.
BMILIE FBANCBS BAUMB,
L. E. BOWERS, B. BHITTAIN WILSON, WM. B. WHITE, L. J. CHAMBEELIN, A. J. NICKLIN.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE:
F). P. VAN HARLINGEN, 195-197 Wabash Ave.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8643.
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
REVIEW
now feel in regard to the trade future and to a desire to await
further developments in connection with business and with crops.
In many cases merchants do not feel quite so secure as they have
in recent years in regard to a general continuance of prosperous
conditions. In our opinion, however, the policy of delaying orders,
except in special cases, is not dictated by wisdom. We are in-
clined to predict that many piano merchants who delay purchasing
until later will find things in an unsatisfactory condition as far as
stock is concerned. It should be understood that there is no pros-
pect of over-production in pianos and it would require a very
serious and general setback to cause any marked check in pur-
chases, but so far as can be seen at present such a development is
by no means to be looked for.
BBNEST L. WAITT, 27SA Tremont S t
PHILADELPHIA :
R. W. KAUPFMAN.
ADOLF EDSTEN.
CHAS. N. VAN BUKEN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GEAY, 2407 Sacramento St.
CINCINNATI, O.: NINA PUGH-SMITH.
BALTIMORE, MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
LONDON, ENGLAND:
69 Baslnghall St., E. C.
W. Lionel Sturdy, Manager.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York.
Entered at the New York Post Office ms Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (Including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50 ; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount Is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
Directory ol Piano
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
~
~ ~
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
wnuiaciuren
f o r dealers and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal.. .St Louis. Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. . . .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 1745 and 1761 GRAMERCY
Connecting all Departments.
Cable address: "Elblll New York."
NEW
YORK, AUGUST 10, 1907
EDITORIAL
WESTERN dealer asks The Review: Would you advise me
to stock up largely on pianos? Do you think the business
outlook for the fall justifies a big piano stock accumulation? I
should be glad to hear your views upon this subject and I am sure
that many others of your readers will be pleased as well as myself.
Can you not say something editorially in The Review concerning
this?
We should say in reply to this query that every business man
should carefully study his own local environments before taking
chances by stocking up in a large way. If the country is a purely
agricultural one surrounding him he should know the condition of
the crops as well as the financial condition of the people upon whom
he depends for patronage. He should know, too, the condition
of his own business and his finances—just how his instalment paper
stands—what proportion is overdue and what chances he can afford
to take by increasing his own obligations by piling up new stock.
It is a question for the individual to decide rather than for the
editor of any trade publication.
A
I
F in a manufacturing section the dealer should acquaint himself
thoroughly as to the possibilities of the mills running full time.
He should know, too, the inner conditions and be in position to
figure in a better way than any outsider. In a general way, how-
ever, we do not consider it good business judgment to wait until
the fall trade is fully on before ordering stock. If all dealers do
this then some will be badly left, for there will be a tremendous
congestion of orders at the various piano factories.
Trade conditions as a whole are encouraging and we are in-
clined to an optimistic view of the business outlook. In fact, we
believe that the fall trade for the present year will surpass that of
a year ago. There is no denying that trade has been somewhat
quiet during the present spring. Piano merchants and piano retail
purchasers have apparently deferred their piano purchases to a
date somewhat later than has been the rule in previous years. This
policy may be attributed in part to the uncertainty which many
P
IANO merchants should also realize that the manufacturers
cannot be expected to carry all of the burdens. It takes a
long time to plan ahead—to manufacture pianos in quantities to
meet the demands of a varied trade, and the sooner piano manu-
facturers can come to a knowledge of the exact demands which
may be made upon them the better it will be, not only for them-
selves, but for the dealers who purchase from them. Dealers
should be expected to carry their share of the burdens as well as
the makers. The purchasing power of the people is certainly very
large, and outside of one or two disputes between manufacturers
and operatives there is nothing to indicate that labor will not be
fully occupied for months to come; therefore it is reasonable to
assume that employees in the various factories who have bought
pianos can meet their payments in a fair way. They will not only
keep up instalments on the instruments which they have pur-
chased, but they will be willing and able to buy new pianos.
to the crop outlook the weather of late has been favorable
A S through
the grain producing section and there has been a
lack of rain reported from the cotton belt, but taken as a whole
it would seem that nothing is to be gained by delay on the part
of dealers and much may be lost, but every business man should
figure that he must be up-to-date in his stock and in his methods
in order to win success. The present day tendency is to place
orders of moderate size and we do not believe that retailers can
lose by placing fair sized orders for early delivery. It is time that
attention should be drawn toward the fall season, and while it is
yet early, perhaps, to interest the public, yet the merchant who
places himself in a position to take an early advantage of the first
trade breezes of the earlv fall is wise.
T
HE progressive dealer must be up-to-date at all times if he
proposes to meet competition successfully. Competition in
the piano industry is increasing in keenness with the passing of
the years. The time was when the business was run indifferently
—when men did not have to figure so far ahead to capture trade,
but it is different now. There is a modern spirit running the
length and breadth of the trade and a -man must recognize and
obey it by becoming a part of that progressive element or he will
be left. It's an eternal hustle and the piano dealer who is forging
ahead always has that word "hustle" in a prominent position over
his desk.
•
W
E are going to have a National Music Show in Madison
Square Garden next month, to be exact, from the i8th to
the 26th of September. The affair has been well advertised, and
it is proposed by the management to have some attractions which
will interest the public as a successful drawing card when the
exhibition opens. Certainly from the letters of commendation
which have been sent by exhibitors of last year it would seem
that the exhibition of 1907 would be a successful one from every
standpoint.
T
HE necessity of a technical education is becoming more pro-
nounced all the time, and some of the sons of the wealthiest
Americans upon completion of their collegiate course are put to
work in some factory to learn the technical side of the business
from the bench up. There are thousands of young men, however,
who can never have the advantage of a collegiate education. They
have to take the hard road of experience to obtain their informa-
tion and sometimes the road to the temple of learning is paved with

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