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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
wholesale, with a lively call for the Webster
player piano. The Webster factory in Leomin-
ster, Mass., has been quite busy filling orders and
Business Steady but of Small Volume—Jacob
Bros. Remodeling Store—Notes at Wissner
the future prospects for fall are very encourag-
Hall—The New Pease Location—A Hand-
ing. Freeborn G. Smith, Jr., is expected home
some Store—At the F. G. Smith Headquar-
shortly from the Pacific Coast, where he has
ters—Big Demand for Webster Player Piano
been sojourning for some time in order to regain
— W h a t Other Houses Have to Report.
his health. His condition is now much im-
proved and he will be able once more to take an
(Special to The Review.)
active part in the conduct of the establishment.
Borough of Brooklyn, N. Y., May 18, 1908.
A great deal of interest is manifested in the
Business in this borough thus far in May has local trade regarding the forthcoming convention
been rather disappointing, especially in view of and a large number of the dealers are looking
the business revival experienced during the two forward to it with a great deal of pleasure, espe-
preceding months. While some houses report a cially in view of its being held in what is really
satisfactory average of sales the majority are another part of the same city.
not at all overjoyed at the situation and while
doing a steady business are not enthusiastic over
AMERICAN GOODS CRITICIZED.
its volume. Those houses who handle player
L. G. C. Money, M. P., Bitterly Arraigns
pianos state that they have aided largely in main-
Products Exported by This Country—Con-
taining a presentable sales average and are more
tinual Hurry Given as the Cause of Poor
than holding their own as compared with the
Quality.
regular styles of pianos. No radical improvement
in business is looked for until fall and possibly
L. G. Chiozza Money, M.P., recently discussing
after election, although it is conceded that in the new British Patents and Designs Act, pre-
view of the present political situation the an- viously described in The Review, ended in a
nouncement of the nominations will practically bitter arraignment of American workmanship,
settle the latter question. A peculiar feature of which, while the matter was greatly exaggerated,
the trade is that despite the spotty character of should nevertheless provide much food for
business—now good, now bad—the collections thought among the manufacturers. Mr. Money's
have kept up remarkably well in every case and remarks were in part as follows:
have only dropped below a certain per cent, for
"I continue to receive evidence of the extraor-
short periods.
dinary effect of the new Patent Law. A well-
At the warerooms of Anderson & Co. business known engineer tells me he has just received
has kept up at a very fair average with a good an order from an American patentee to make
demand for the Idelia player piano made by that fifty expensive machines as a direct consequence
company. Frank P. Anderson, head of the com- of Lloyd George's Act. The American has had
pany, is now fully recovered from the strain he his patent registered here for some time, but,
sustained in lifting a piano recently and is back wnile enjoying an absolute monopoly of the sale,
at his desk.
has, of course, been under no obligation to give
The Jacob Bros, branch on Fulton street, have us a new industry. The new act, however, com-
taken advantage of the lull to have their quar- pels him to make the machine here in order to
ters redecorated and a steel ceiling put in. Their save his monopoly. Surely it is the least we
store is well located in the heart of the business should ask of a man who is granted such a
district and is attractively arranged.
privilege.
The Sterling Co. report a steady trade, though
"The act is affecting all sorts of trades. There
not of unusual volume, with collections keeping are the American, Canadian and German type-
well up to the mark. They are making special writers, for example, which have been, I believe,
efforts to increase their player piano trade with exclusively made abroad and sold here in a
excellent results.
monopolized market. Now they must be made
William Wissner left last week on a two here or lose the monopoly. Another big trade
months' trip to the Pacific Coast, visiting all the is the piano-player industry. We are flooded
large cities en route. The vacations have begun with badly-made instruments of American pat-
at the Hall, G. J. Hossfeld, Otto Wissner's confi- enting. They will gain greatly by being made
dential secretary, having left upon a three here by British artisans under the Lloyd George
weeks' pleasure jaunt. Trade with this house Act. American organs of several patented types
keeps up very well and the factory is busy. A are freely sold here; in future they must also
strong and growing demand is noted for the be made here. There are German pianoforte
Wissner player piano equipped with the Blec- patents in danger, too, I imagine. Indeed, there
trelle mechanism.
are a great host of machines, tools, instruments,
Following the trend of subway improvement, etc., which are touched by the new act and com-
the Pease Piano Co. after years of prosperity at pelled to take origin here if they are to remain
657 Fulton street, have opened their store at 34 monopolies.
"The Americans will never gain a secure foot-
Flatbush avenue. The location is a most ad-
vantageous one. The store runs through to Liv- ing in foreign markets while they so utterly
ingston street, having a big show window and neglect workmanship. They make clever things,
entrance on that thoroughfare, while the entrance but they are content to make them up as rub-
to the Nevins street station of the subway is bish. If it is an American corkscrew, the device
alongside the front door. The store is light and will be clever, but the metal will not withstand
spacious and affords an abundance of room for use. If it is a pair of American scissors, it will
the display of their extensive line of grands and have really comfortable handles, but if dropped
uprights. The color scheme is green, red and it will break like glass. The same fault extends
white throughout. The walls are wainscoted to American engineering. The locomotives which
with red burlap to a height of ten feet, then they export are rough and unfinished. It is
oomes a narrow strip of pure white moulding, quite otherwise with the Germans. A German
above which is a dado of green burlap and a toy is often better finished than some American
wide white frieze. The ceiling is of white organs. It is a pity our friends across the At-
throughout, and great clusters of crystal globes lantic are always in 'such a hurry.' "
As a matter of fact, the American manufac-
shed brilliant light for evening inspection of
turer gives first thought to the quality of the
pianos.
Manager J. B. Cohen and his assistants have materials and often consider? the finish as of
just cause to feel proud of their new store and second importance, but it is generally acknowl-
edged by those qualified to judge that with prices
are out after business with added vim.
The local branch of Hardman, Peck & Co., are considered, the American article is infinitely
maintaining a steady average of sales throughout superior to the foreign-made article of equal
their line and have disposed of several of the price. American articles of the better quality
new 88-note Artist Style Autotones within the will be found to cause dissatisfaction, and when
cheaper grades are bought, price and not quality
past couple of weeks.
At the F. G. Smith headquarters trade was re- should be the basis of comparison. German and
ported to be of fair volume in both retail and British products of cheaper grades will, as a
TRADE ACROSS THE BRIDGE.
rule, be found much less reliable than the same
grade of American goods, and this lack of dura-
bility is not to be overlooked simply because the
articles are highly finished. In fact, a superior
finish on an inferior article is more in the na-
ture of a deception than a basis for judging
quality.
CHECKING IS UNIVERSAL.
Highly
Polished
Surfaces Succumb
Countries.
in All
Regarding checking in British-made pianos,
the London Musical Opinion in a recent issue
had the following to say, illustrating the fact
that checking troubles are universal: "It might
safely be said that there is no such thing as a
piano two years old in any part of the country
that is not checked. Some show it more than
others. The light-colored woods show checking
more than the dark ones, and it is more apparent
in certain lights and at certain angles than at
others. A large majority of pianos stand at such
places in a house that it is not readily seen.
People often say that their piano is so many
years old and has not checked; but there never
has been found one of these pianos that did not
show checks when examined in the right light.
Black and dark mahogany pianos show the
checking less than others, because of the color;
bird's-eye maple, figured birch, Hungarian ash
and figured walnut show the checking more
plainly than other woods. The thicker and the
clearer the varnish the more lustrous and highly
polished it is, the more distinctly the checks
show. This is true for the same reason that a
crack in heavy plate glass is more prominent
than a crack in thin glass; there is more of the
crack to show."
A VALUED TESTIMONIAL.
The Baldwin Co., Cincinnati, O., have received
the following letter attesting to quality of a
Hamilton piano which had traveled over 10,000
miles in various conveyances before reaching its
destination, and came through them all in per-
fect condition:
"De Aar, Cape Colony, Sept. 3, 1907.
"Dear Sirs:—The Hamilton piano supplied by
you in April last arrived in perfect condition,
and at the present date five months later, is
still correctly in tune. This in itself is a boon
to up-country residents, in places where the visits
of piano-tuners are few and very far between.
"The piano is certainly a splendid instrument,
delightful in touch, brilliant in tone, and ex-
ceedingly handsome in appearance,. I do not
think a more generally satisfactory instrument
could be obtained.
"Yours faithfully,
PERCY SMITH,"
"Of the Cape Colony's Civil Service."
REGARDING PIANO "VALUE."
O. G. Swanitz, manager of the Guest Piano Co.
piano store in Des Moines, la., had the following
to say regarding piano value, in a recent adver-
tisement:
"The most essential point in piano choosing is
value. The term in itself has a wide scope and
means much or little, but when attached to such
makes as Chickering, Packard, Chase and
French & Sons, Armstrong and others, then the
meaning of 'value in pianos' is most essential
and represents something tangible."
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