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THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
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Music Publishers'
Department V ^«
An interesting feature of this publication is a special depart-
ment devoted exclusively to the world of music publishing.
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
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EDITORIAL
A
N expense account unless carefully watched will grow to large
proportions in any business, whether manufacturing, jobbing
or retailing, but it may be pared so fine that the efficiency of the
business becomes seriously crippled. No man who believes in his
business future can afford to curtail expenses so that his trade is
crippled when by increasing his expenses he can materially build his
trade and increase his profits.
There is just now a wave of retrenchment sweeping over the
entire country. Everyone is more or less affected by the desire to
cut down expenses, and no doubt many much needed reforms will
be established by scrutinizing what is going on in all departments
of the business. In flush times a great many unnecessary expendi-
tures are apt to creep in and become a fixed part of a business policy
owing to the fact that it is not an absolute necessity to watch details
closely. When a time of depression comes along then the cutting
and slashing process begins, but the retrenchments should not be
carried to such an extreme that business is seriously crippled.
I
F a niggardly store policy is adopted, encouraging cheapness, the
result will be a lessened trade. All expenditures should be
figured out carefully, but they should not be pared down to the
danger point. Store equipment should be kept up. Warerooms
should be made attractive to callers. The brightness and cheerful-
ness of a store is a trade drawing force.
Plate glass windows are an advertisement in the front of the
store, but common panes are good enough for the rear. This prin-
ciple will bear application in a great many directions. If a business
.establishment is going to be made unattractive if certain methods
of publicity are not fully maintained then it might be just as well to
leave the spiders' webs in the windows and put up the shutters.
Exceeding care and good judgment should be exercised in adjusting
business expenses. Success comes by planning work and by work-
ing plans.
W
ITH the coming of spring there appears to be a reasonable
return of cheerfulness. On the whole things are far bet-
ter than they might be and there never' has been a time when it was
not possible by the right kind of effort to secure business. The
REVIEW
man who sees trade sunshine all about him is the one who will suc-
ceed. Of course, things are not running along with that smooth-
ness which most of us desire. Conditions will never be wholly to
our liking. There are plenty of people who believe in the great
"conspiracy" arranged by the greedy capitalists. There are some
who believe that a few of the men who control the railroads are
planning, by reducing wages, to secure a monumental strike as a
political scheme. There are others who believe that the "moneyed"
interests are determined to punish Roosevelt. To hence with all of
such reasoning. That would be desperation running amuck. Rich
men suffer much more than the poor men proportionately when.
times are depressed, but there are always many people who are on
the lookout for tricks and deception. They like to believe in plots
and schemes.
The interests of stockholders in the great corporations have not
always been protected when the personal interests of managers in-
tervened, but to put these interests in jeopardy for spite against
Roosevelt would be a new manifestation of frenzied finance. It
would be indeed Lawsonian theories served up-to-date, piping hot.
"Let me in or I will smash things" may have been in vogue in high
finance, but "let me alone or I will smash things" is equivalent to
"Hold up your hands or I will shoot." Some people seem in doubt
which the country will choose—to make it easy to evade the law or
bv heroic measures make it hard.
I
F half the time which is devoted to building fanciful and absurd
theories were devoted to the legitimate prosecution of business
interests it would be better for all.
This country is all right and is so financially sound that busi-
ness will continue at a fair rate and when the Presidential nomina-
tions have been made in June the world will have evidence of the
renewed faith which our people have in our own Government.
Everybody claims to believe in reform, but some of them desire it
evidently without interference with their business. On the whole,
merchants and manufacturers have shown good judgment and all
are aware that legitimate trade can not be stimulated by cutting
prices and perhaps there has never been a time of depression when
there was so little recourse made to unwise price cutting as there
has been in the past few months. The fact that prices have been
maintained has helped to avert many evils.
There are some piano dealers who have stated that they would
make purchases from manufacturers provided certain liberal price
cuttings were made. So far as we know these propositions have
been rejected, as they should have been, because every successful
dealer knows that piano manufacturers would be justified in ad-
vancing prices rather than cutting them down. They know that
they have certain fixed expenses that cannot be decreased and when
the factory output is curtailed there is a larger cost per instrument,
and how can any reasonable man expect a manufacturer to slash
prices under such conditions is beyond 'our comprehension, unless
we conclude that the desire of the dealer is to find the manufacturer
hard pressed financially.
T
H E R E is, however, a much better trade feeling apparent with-
in the. past few days, amounting to a decided improve-
ment over last month. March was not a satisfactory month.
In fact, it showed a sagging off in trade which was not looked for.
April, however, has brought with it better things and everyone is
feeling much better than a short time ago. Dealers' stocks are low
and there is no inclination however to stock up in a liberal manner.
Sales have been constantly made from pianos which have been taken
back on account of non-payment instalments. These have been
re-sold, so that there has not been the necessity of ordering new
stock which would have been felt under normal conditions.
Now, however, dealers are beginning to tniy a little more freely
and while there is no inclination to place large orders it is' a fact
that there is a freer buying than for some time past, and collections,
too, have improved materially. There will be conservative buying
and purchases will be limited to that which is actually needed by
consumers. Business in the large cities, where there are great fac-
tories and machine shops, has not been as good as in the smaller
localities where so many wage earners have not been laid off. Our
special reports from correspondents indicate a better condition of
business in towns depending upon agricultural trade.
One large dealer in the Southwest recently, in summing up
trade conditions/said to The Review that the business of his house