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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
REVIEW OF TRADE CONDITIONS.
European Wars Cause Serious Disturbances
Among Importers of Musical Merchandise.
Notwithstanding that the immediate outlook is
very discouraging, members of the musical mer-
chandise industry in New York are hopeful thai
the frightful wars in Europe will be of short
duration. Representatives of musical instrument
manufacturers with factories in Europe are, of
course, seriously affected by the war, while Amer-
ican branch houses of European manufacturers
and jobbers of imported lines are dubious of the
future, although their present stocks are larger
than is usually the case at this time of the year.
The extent to which the musical merchandise
industry will be affected by the wars in Europe
depends chiefly on the length of the disturbances.
Should peace arrive in a few months it will find
the small goods importers and jobbers ready and
waiting for large shipments from abroad with
practically no cessation of their service to the
trade. Should the war prove of long duration,
however, there is certain to be an absolute scarcity
of imported merchandise with a consequent de-
crease of shipments to the dealers.
In view of the fact that the great majority of
workmen in the musical merchandise factories
abroad have been or will be called to the front
for their respective countries, and as transporta^
tion facilities are utterly demoralized, it is to be
expected that there will be an increase in price
on all imported musical merchandise. Up to the
present time, however, none of the importers or
jobbers has announced definite price increases,
there being an evident intention on their parts to
give the trade every possible co-operation in the
face of a discouraging situation.
WILL JOIN THE COLORS.
Otto Weiss, a brother of Hermann Weiss, man-
ager of the American branch of Ch. Weiss, Tross-
ingen, Germany, manufacturer of harmonicas and
the Fluta, is a member of the regular standing
army of Germany, and as war is declared will go
to the front. Mr. Weiss is a member of a corps of
field artillery.
National Musical String Co.
New Brunswick, N. J .
WILL 0 0 TO J H E FRONT.
Captain Starrak Will Sail for Austria on the
First Neutral Ship Available.
Capt. Victor Hugo Starrak, a son-in-law of Will-
iam R. Gratz, president of the William R. Gratz
Import Co., 35 West Thirty-first street, New York,
NEW "TANGO" HARMONICAS
and connected with the company's sales force, is
a member of the Third Regiment of the Austro-
Are Making a Great Hit with the Musical Mer-
Hungarian army and is planning to leave for the
chandise Trade Throughout the Country.
front on a neutral ship as soon as possible.
"We are actually finding it difficult tD fill the- Capt. Starrak said Monday: "Austria is enter-
ing no war of conquest or aggrandizement. She
orders for our new 'Tango' harmonicas," said
William J. Haussler, advertising manager of M. does not want nor covet Servian territory. She
Hohner, 114 East Sixteenth street, New York. enters a war for peace, paradoxical as it may
seem. Servia is and has very long been an irritant
"Although we only introduced this new harmonica
in the internal and external affairs of the Dual
to the trade a few weeks ago, the demand for
Monarchy. Only peace can come by crushing the
them has already reached co.untry-wide propor-
Slav. Then we may have peace for fifty years."
tions.
Capt.
Starrak does not look for a short campaign.
"When we announced this latest addition to our
line of mouth-organs we felt reasonably certain
that they would achieve a success, as they em-
bodied certain features which were designed to
Matth. Hohner, a nephew of Hans Hohner, man-
create a mo.st favorable impression with harmonica
ager of the American branch of M. Hohner, 114
players and meet with a ready sale. I must admit,
East Sixteenth street, Xew York, arrived in New
though, that our expectations were rather con-
York Monday on the steamer "George Washing-
servative, as the call for the 'Tango' to date has
ton" after a seven weeks' stay abroad, the greater
exceeded by far our first sales figures.
part of which was spent at the immense Hohner
factories in Trossingen, Germany. The "George
"There are numerous reasons for this popu-
Washington" was one of the very last ships to
larity, but primarily it is the unique character of
the dappled design that characterizes the 'Tango,' leave European ports.
together with the appropriateness and up-to-date-
ness of the- name we bestowed on them. It should
also be considered that the manufacturing cost of
the 'Tango' is considerably more than the average
cost of mouth-organs of this class, while the price
the dealer pays for them is no. higher than that
of the ordinary mouth-organ of twenty and forty
reeds. Tone, of course, is the keystone of any har-
monica's popularity, and when I say that the
new 'Tango' harmonicas are in every way typical
of Hohner tone quality it is needless to say any
MATTH. HOHNER ARRIVES.
The oldest arvd
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