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THE
MUSIC TRADE
KLYKW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Stall:
GLAD. HENDERSON,
A. J. NICKLIN,
H. E. JAMASON,
AUGUST J. TIMPE,
C. CHACE,
B. BKITTAIN WILSON,
WM. B. WHITE,
L. E. BOWERS.
BOSTON OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HARLINCEN, 87 South Wabash Ave.
Telephone, Main 6950.
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
Telephone, Central 414.
Room 806.
^MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUISt
ADOLF EDSTEN.
CLYDE JENNINGS
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 88 First St.
DETROIT, MICH.! MORRIS J. WHITE.
CINCINNATI, O.: JACOB W. WALTERS.
BALTIMORE, MD.i A. ROBERT FRENCH.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDa STANLEY H. SMITH.
MILWAUKEE, WI9.J L. E. MEYER.
LONDON, ENGLANDt 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall St., E. C.
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
Enttttd at the Neto York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada,
$3.50; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $3.50 per inch single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts, a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
[
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning, regu-
lating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos are
p
. deajth with, will be found in another section of this
paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning which
will be cheerfully given upon request.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal. . .Charleston Exposjtion, 1902
Diploma. .. .Pan-American Exposition. 1901
Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 5982-5988 MADISON SQUARE
Connecting all Departments.
Cable address " "ElbllL New York."
NEW YORK, JUNE 22, 1912.
EDITORIAL
W
tution from offering or presenting their views, which, whether
valuable or not, evidences a spirit to be commended—it shows that
the parties proffering suggestions are interested in the business.
As a means of "getting together/' and of stimulating the latent
abilities of employes, the weekly, monthly, or quarterly meetings
of the sales and executive staff is undoubtedly a most effective
means of stimulating interest in a business. The interchange of
ideas is not only helpful, but a certain reserve is broken down and
any possibility of cliques with hidden grouches is removed. The
day has gone by when the head or heads of a business can engineer
things successfully without the closest intercourse and co-operatioa
of those associated with them even in the humblest way. Co-
operative effort spells success.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
PHILADELPHIA:
REVIEW
ITHOUT underestimating- the value of initiative and indi-
viduality as assets to the piano manufacturer and travel-
ing man, yet "he who hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." It mat-
ters not whether knowledge is gained from books, through inter-
course, or absorption of the views of others. The most valuable
piano traveler to-day is he who keeps in the closest possible touch
with conditions in the territory of the dealer, consults the latter and
seeks his advice regarding the good or bad qualities of the pianos
which he handles; keeps his hand on the credit pulse and receives
or notes such suggestions, if there be any, that may be transmitted
to the home office. In this way much is learned that adds to the
value of the traveling man as an ambassador for his house.
And the same policy should be followed out by the head of
the manufacturing business. There is no use having a representa-
tive on the road unless he has the implicit confidence and support
of the institution with which he is connected, to the end that his
suggestions may be received in the best possible spirit and given
due consideration.
It matters little whether the head of the business is a Colossus
mentally, and so confident of his own ability to run things that
council is distasteful, for it is a well-known fact that the hardest
man to advise and the one who needs it most is he who prides
himself on his judgment. The man most open to advice is usually
the one who is most competent to choose his own course. A wise
writer has well said that wisdom and humility are handmaids who
travel together, and we all know that some of the wisest of the
world's philosophers and scientists have acknowledged their in-
debtedness for ideas to some of the humblest and most ordinary
people.
Success in modern business must be attributed to the co-opera-
tion of all departments. There must be a manifest desire to invite
and consider the helpful suggestions of employes, and not a display
of superior knowledge, or "I-know-it-all" attitude on the part of
those in authority, which prevents those connected with an insti-
S
OME time ago we took occasion to remark that the extinction
of hold-up journalism in this trade was certain.
It would now seem from recent developments that the wheels
were grinding with swift and relentless force.
Well, let them grind.
It is quite time that the reputation assassins should be treated
with a little of their own. medicine and it would seem as if they
were getting it in good, plentiful doses.
It is being rammed down their unwilling throats with a force
sufficient almost to produce strangulation, and things at present
seem to be going but one way.
It is absurd for any man or coterie of men to believe that they
can threaten, bulldoze and terrorize an industry for an unlimited
period.
Hold-up journalism has long exercised a baleful iniluence upon
the music trade. It has injured its growth—it has destroyed the
happiness of many individuals, and some assert as well the lives
of good men.
It has long been a disgrace to the industry itself, which is the
only one which has not purged itself from unclean journalistic in-
fluences.
When the statement is made in days to come that a set of
journalistic thugs actually throttled and threatened members of this
trade for a long series of years it will be almost unbelievable.
Men of later days will shrug their shoulders and say: "Im-
possible, it could not be. No line of business men would submit
to such insolent dictation for long."
And yet they have and they have paid a mighty high tribute,
but it would seem from present indications that hold-up journalism
will be loosened from its clutches upon the music trade industry.
O
NE of the most constant complaints from United States Con-
sular agents in foreign countries is the failure of American
manufacturers to place sufficient postage on their letters, thus caus-
ing recipients a great deal of expense, considerable annoyance and
creating moreover an impression of ignorance regarding the
postage laws, or indifference on the part of those connected with
the business sending these communications.
It matters little whether in this country or abroad, people are
unfavorably impressed by poor stationery, sloppily written letters
and an indifference to the necessity of placing sufficient postage on
all letters mailed. This matter has become such a serious one that
the Bureau of Manufactures at Washington, D. C, has warned
those particularly interested in the development of foreign trade,
to pay closer attention to this very serious defect in their business
relations.
In this connection the Bureau recently received two letters,
one from California, the other from Illinois, in which the same
method of preventing short payment of postage is suggested. Each
firm advises the use in foreign correspondence of envelopes differ-
ing in color from those employed for domestic mail. One firm
writes:
"All stenographers are trained from the time they begin work
at our place to use for domestic mail United States light-colored
stamped envelopes. All letters addressed to foreign countries must
have a blue envelope without a postage stamp on it. Every even-
ing the clerk who has charge of attaching stamps takes the letters
in blue envelopes, and after first selecting those that go to foreign
countries where 2 cents is sufficient, such as Mexico, Canada, Cuba,
Great Britain and Germany, he affixes 5-cent stamps to all other
blue envelopes."