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THE
MUJIC TRADE
VOL.
LXVII. No. 10
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., at 373 4th Ave., New York.
Sept. 7, 1918
8ln
*&£°K?
Plan For Post-War Activities
T
HERE is one thing this great world war is going to do that will prove of some benefit to the business
world generally: it is going to emphasize the line of demarcation between those concerns which have
been built on a solid foundation—which have progressed wisely and cautiously—which are in a position
to stand a shock without collapsing"—from the other houses in the industry that have depended, or for
that matter are depending", upon smooth sailing" in peace times and upon a wave of prosperity to carry them along.
As one sage member of the trade succinctly expressed it, put a certain amount of material in a solid rubber
ball and then hit it, and it will bounce, but it will remain in the same condition as before. Put the same
amount of material into the covering of an inflated balloon and a blow of equal strength will burst the balloon
and leave nothing" but a few useless shreds behind.
It is the same with business. Earnest effort concentrated in a business that can be handled safely in
times of financial storm and stress means building in a most substantial way for the calm that follows the
storm—it means the development of a permanent business structure. On the other hand, the same amount
of energy scattered unwisely and under a feeling of false security, and at the same time bolstered up by an
oversupply of "hot air," means the rearing of a structure that is bound to "cave in" at the first sign of bad
business weather.
Fortunately, the piano trade has, as a whole, shown a remarkably solid front in face of the adversities
the industry has had to meet thus far in the war. A calm courage and confidence has prevailed that does much
credit to every individual in the trade. There has been little or no talking of shirking responsibilities, nor
has there been any apparent forecasting of the disintegration of the industry as has been the case in other
lines of trade. On the contrary, the spirit has been one of optimism and fortitude.
Piano men have acted on the theory that there are certain conditions to be met when' the nation is at
war—not pleasant conditions, to be sure—but conditions that could not be sidetracked, and they have set
themselves to work to overcome them successfully.
The "Business as usual" slogan has been thrown overboard and all efforts concentrated in conducting
business on a war basis. This means a business that is not onlv going to survive the war, but which will be
in a position to step out with the proper stride and move rapidly ahead after the war.
To conduct a business in war times solely to meet current conditions and without some definite plan for
the future is not going" to help preserve the industry for peace times that are to come. This is just the period
of training, as it were, for the future—the period when every effort should be put forth, not only to meet the
situation as it exists, but to lay definite plans for such time as things return to normal, and the fight becomes
a business fight pure and simple.
For members of the industry to confine .themselves to the study of existing exigencies alone would mean
that- the trade had become dormant and had lost its power and possibly its organization. Power and
organization will be essential after the war, and the industry that emerges from the conflict weakened and
disorganized, and without a definite program, is going to have a mighty hard light to keep from succumbing.
The demand for musical instruments, now greater than the supply, will be bound to increase after the
war. Peace will bring with it a sufficient supply of labor and materials to overcome the problems now
confronting the trade by reason of the shortage of these items, and the concerns which have tended and nurtured
their business during the present unsettled period will be the ones which will reap the bountiful harvest which
will follow close in the wake oi peace.
'
A realization of the fact that effort must be made not simply to exist, but to plan ahead for a definite
purpose, in view of post-war activity, is going "to mean the salvation of the industry.