Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Flourishing War Trade in Canada, Says A. P. Willis
President of Willis & Co., Piano Manufacturers and Merchants of Canada,) Tells
of General Prosperity That Has Followed in the Wake of War—American Piano
Men Can Draw Much Encouragement From the Experiences of the Canadian Trade
The growth and development of Canadian in-
dustries have not been injured by the war so
far, excepting as was natural when the people
were panic stricken at the opening of the war
for about six months. Since that period, busi-
ness has flourished, until within the last six
years, and especially in the period since the
commencement of the war, Canada has become
a creditor nation instead of a debtor nation.
During the first fiscal year of the twentieth
century, the export of manufactures amounted
to about $16,000,000. The growth of exports of
different classes of Canadian products is most
remarkable.
In 1916 farm products were exported to the
amount of close on $353,000,000, and there have
been large improvements in forest products,
fisheries, minerals and manufactures. Canada
exported in manufactures in 1911, $35,000,000,
and in 1916, $243,000,000. It must be admitted
at a glance that the war has put in circulation
a large amount of money in Canada. All the
Entente Governments have placed large con-
tracts in Eastern Canada, especially Ontario
and Montreal, and also in the Maritime Prov-
inces, thus circulating hundreds of millions of
money among the people, as the population is
less than 8,000,000 and 500,000 have gone to
the front, while hundreds of thousands are giv-
ing time and attention to the interests of the
war at home, many of whom are, of course,
paid by the Government. There is naturally
a scarcity of labor and a great dearth of men
for offices and business generally, so those
that are in the country have no excuse not to
find employment at liberal wages. Some men
to-day, who were formerly satisfied with $2.50
and $3 a day, are now able to make double that
amount in munition factories.
Prosperity Generally Evident
As far as the West is concerned, the crops
are generally excellent since the war, and espe-
cially in '15 and '16. The price of wheat has
gone up from 50 cents or 60 cents a bushel to
$2 and even higher. Prices have been high
with farmers and crops abundant. All this has
brought immense sums of money into the coun-
try. The spirit of business and the pushing
of the industries of the country have been aug-
mented by a spirit of patriotism, and the peo-
ple are not grumbling at all at war taxes, which
are many and large, therefore trade is brisk,
and while the Government has put on heavy
war taxes on importations on top of regular
Are YOU
Saving Your
Money
to Invest
in the
NEXT ISSUE
of the
LIBERTY
LOAN
duties, the people have never grumbled at these
taxes, and for one reason or another connected
directly or indirectly with the workings of the
war in Canada, the revenue of the country is
increasing immensely, and this accumulation of
wealth is widespread amongst the people.
The result is that the people are willing to
spend their money; the cry of saving and econ-
omy has had influence only on a few. It is
human nature to spend money when you have
got it to spend. Many people have been af-
fected for want of money, and now they have
got the money they will get what they wish to
have. This being the case, it is only fit and
proper that piano manufacturers and dealers
serious situation in the Northwest for want of
rain; they had very late frost in the spring, but
then next week we may hear of a splendid crop
in the West. A few showers of rain make a
great difference, and I think the crops will be
all right in the Northwest notwithstanding the
extraordinary weather we have been having.
Even if the crop is below the average, there are
many millions of bushels of wheat yet to be
sold of last year's crop. It has I think in
many instances been tied up on account of rail-
way conditions. There never has been in the
history of Canada so prosperous a period as
the present. The war with all its horrors has
not yet intercepted the commercial developments
of this country; indeed, Canada has profited
commercially from three years of carnage in
Europe; profited by higher prices of products
and by an unlimited demand for clothing and
munitions. Money is freely circulated in the
country; it is being circulated, and it is being
spent. All of the greater earnings of the peo-
ple have not, however, been dissipated; much
of it has been placed for safe keeping in the
banks. Within a year, deposits in the banks,
which means savings of the people, have
risen from $767,000,000 to $910,000,000. This
great increase is equivalent to nearly $20
per head of the population, so judging by
bank deposits, the people of Canada have on
deposit in the banks, upwards of $150 per head,
a much larger sum than ever before.
Some Cheering Statistics
Business in Canada is brisk. Railway con-
cerns confirm the statement, so do clearing
house figures and the statistics of imports and
exports.
Foreign trade has reached a new altitude. A
year ago $123,000,000 of note circulation suf-
A. P. Willis
should emphasize their business methods and ficed business needs. To-day the note circu-
get a fair share of what is going. It may be lation amounts to $166,000,000. Of course,
that times will be bad in the country after the prices are higher, but still trade has increased
war is over; as I am not a prophet I cannot greatly. Business in Canada is brisk beyond
tell. It may be that there is something pos- precedent.
For a number of years, owing to the overdo-
sibly a little uneven and unnatural in the great
ing
of real estate in the Northwest, especially
progressiveness of the country, caused by war
conditions, just as when a man goes on a big in British Columbia, there has been terrible de-
spree and makes the taverns hum while the pression, but in the past eighteen months busi-
money lasts, and there are good times amongst ness has improved immensely in Vancouver
the barmen and barmards, but when the money and Victoria, while in the Middle West and
runs out and the clock runs down, then we know Winnipeg trade has gone forward by leaps and
the result. Governments and people are spend- bounds.
Large Revenue Increases
ing money extravagantly. Certainly the allied
nations are using every effort in reason at any
Glancing at the customs revenue for Canada
cost to secure an honorable victory for the free- we find increases of more than $3,000,000 for
dom and uplift of mankind. The purse strings the month over and above the corresponding
may be drawn tighter later on, but it would be month of 1916, while from the same source dur-
criminal on the part of the piano men if they ing the four months ended July 31, 1917, re-
did not make hay while the sun shines.
ceipts aggregated $61,000,000 in round numbers,
The Great Field for Music
as compared with $46,500,000 during the same
Music is generally considered a necessity period in 1916, or an increase of $14,500,000 in
for rich and poor. In sorrow and pain, music four months.
The piano people should be able to get their
soothes and comforts, in joyous enthusiasm with
our boys at the front and elsewhere, it makes share and they are getting it, but the question
them happy and cheers them on, while in the is now: "Can they get material and transpor-
camps and barracks all over the country they tation?" and "Can they get men to carry on the
work?" We believe we should go ahead and
are getting pianos for the soldiers everywhere.
Of course, we cannot tell what is in store have faith that we can do it and do our part
for us in the future or what effect the last year's (and then it will be all right) to carry on the
drive of the war-may have upon us financially, industries of the country in 1917 and 1918, as
and especially in regard to transportation and we did during the first three years of the war.
the securing of material. The only thing is to Let us try it anyway.
prepare for all emergencies as well as possible,
but this we can say, that up to the present our
RYDER CO. TO OPEN NEW STORE
country is flourishing and never was so rich
as she is to-day or so progressive.
The Ryder Music Co. will open a new store
Crop Outlook Good
in the Girard Building at Pawhuska, Okla. The
In Eastern Canada the crops are apparently new quarters will be remodele4 and an attrac-
good; the weather has been very wet; but the tive room will be the result.
crops amount to a very 'small thing in Eastern
The Scell Music Co. will open a branch store
Canada compared to what they amount to in the
Northwest, and sometimes we hear there is a at Linn, Mo., with J. A. Sterling as manager.