Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
FEBRUARY 23,
1918
11
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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N the current number of the Standard Player Monthly Mr.
Le Cato has made a strong argument for the purpose of show-
ing: "(1) That the people of the United States will have more
money this year with which to buy player-pianos than ever be-
fore in history; and (2) that the manufacturers of player-pianos
will have more difficulty in manufacturing the goods this year
than in any year in history." The words are significant and of
their accuracy it would be folly to doubt. The fact is that order-
ing on what Mr. Le Cato aptly calls the "hair-trigger system"
will simply not do during war-times. In order to obtain a decent
supply of material to enable him to manufacture at all, the player
manufacturer is to-day often obliged to contract for twelve
months' supplies in advance; when he can find any one to take
his contract. The Government is every day requisitioning stocks
of some material that heretofore could be obtained in ordinary
industry whenever called for. A system of rationing industry
by doling out supplies from stocks brought together under Gov-
ernment supervision is one of the immediate possibilities. There
is no telling when such a condition of affairs may supervene;
simply because there is no telling what the needs of war may
turn out to be. The lesson, however, is plain. On the one hand
we have the experience of our allies to assure us that the un-
precedented prosperity of the working classes will be repeatd
with us, bringing opportunities for business such as we never
dreamed of before. On the other hand, there is the undoubted
fact that the conditions under which manufacturing must be done
will remain restricted and difficult. The only possible conclusion
is: Take courage, have confidence; and order now, for the whole
year.
HEN the player business was young the general belief of
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retailers and manufacturers alike was that the day of long
terms and low prices, ushered in years before by the cheap up-
right, was gone at last and forever. The new player-piano was
hailed as a means of deliverance and of return towards the
halcyon days of cash. Alas! it was not to be so. The player-
piano, all too soon, was swallowed up in the low-price, eternal
terms maelstrom, and the piano business once more was without
salvation. Is it a mere fantasy to hope that new times, new
methods, new eras, are coming? Perhaps so! But we have
much faith in war as a solvent; not the universal solvent of the
mediaeval alchemist, but one potent and far-reaching in its opera-
tions. It is even possible that we shall see, in the prosperity of
all the producing men and women of the land, an opportunity to
reform the retail selling, of player-pianos anyway, by a salutary
shortening of terms and stiffening of prices. That retail prices
are being advanced is a good thing; but there is not much use
in doing this unless, at the same time, we are able and willing to
stiffen terms in like proportion. With the rapid rise in the cost
of manufacture and the general tendency towards further delay
in transportation, involving still further cost of operation, it is
plain that the manufacturer must revise his own financial plans
to save himself from trouble. He must, in a word, ask the re-
tailer to help carry the heavier burden. The latter, in turn, must
pass on the load to the ultimate consumer. Why not? Why
should we continue to give the purchaser the advantage of terms
that are the outgrowth of overproduction and artificial competi-
tion in days gone by, and that only an artificial process of educa-
cation has impelled the public to expect? With better ability to
buy, the public has better ability to pay up within reasonable
time. Twelve months' contracts would be, just about now, the
very thing; and there is nothing to stop them being put into
practice, without the loss of a single worth-while sale.
HEN the war broke out a great many ideas that up till then
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had passed current as pure gold began to undergo examina-
tion of a more rigid nature; and in many cases were then dis-
carded. The traditions of piano making are among these, and
it is not too much to say that they are going through a process
of readjustment at once healthy and disturbing. The same is
true of the less traditional manufacture of player-piano mecha-
nism. As the war goes on readjustments to meet changing con-
ditions are certain to be almost constantly necessary; and the
discovery of hitherto unsuspected possibilities in economy and
efficiency is as certain as it will be welcome. In fact, one of the
principal results of the industrial phase through which we are
now passing will undoubtedly be the discovery and application,
under stress of sheer necessity, of processes, adjustments and
economies almost illimitable in extent, and incalculable in their
good influence upon the industrial future of the country. The
kind of efficiency that this war is bringing out is the kind that
increases production without overdriving labor, that makes more
money for all concerned in production, that makes, in a word,
two blades of grass grow where but one grew before. It is
precisely this true efficiency that comes about in proportion
as the men of industry come to believe in their product, and
strive to make it something in which others also may, and must,
believe. Sheer necessity teaches many truths that man will not
learn under any gentler treatment. One of them is that when
the real emergency comes the difference between essential
products is shown, not in Government decisions, but by the opera-
tion of natural laws of supply and demand. The player business
is showing itself to belong in the essential class. May it also
show itself, as the war goes on, in the efficient class.
BE PREPARED!
Many thousands of player-pianos and hundreds of thousands of player-
piano rolls were sold during the holiday and post-holiday season.
Therefore, the demand for music roll cabinets during the next few
months will be immense. Be prepared to "Do Your Bit" in taking
care of the demand. Have a full line of our samples on your floor.
Salter Cabinets are Superior. They are the result of 40 years of
manufacturing experience.
SEND FOR CATALOG NOW
SALTER MFG.
^ 4
Capacity
over 80 player rolls.
339-349 N. Oakley Boulevard
CO.
CHICAGO, ILL.