Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JULY 13,
1918
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Trade Not To Be Disrupted By "Work or Fight" Law
Washington Correspondent of The Review Outlines the Intent of the Recent Ruling
By General Crowder—Law Really Applies Only to Minor Clerks of Draft Age
WASHINGTON, D. C, July 11.—Unquestionably
the so-called "work or fight" order signals a cer-
tain amount of readjustment in the sales field
in the music trades, but the indications are
that it will not prove as drastic as some piano
merchants have feared. Letters of inquiry com-
ing to the U. S. War Department indicate that
not a few piano merchants have become un-
duly alarmed over the prospect. The summons
to men of draft age to get into what is known
officially as "productive employment" does not
mean that the music trade is to be shorn of its
salesmen.
It does not even mean that the
average piano dealer will have to say good-bye
to every one of his salesmen of draft age, al-
though the intent of the authorities is that, by
and large, there should be replacement of young
salesmen by men beyond draft age.
While the instructions sent to local draft
boards by Provost Marshal General Crowder do
not contemplate any ruthless disruption of re-
tail merchandising it is well for all concerned
to recognize that no exceptions are to be made
in favor of classes of the business community
because heavy or bulky articles of commerce are
involved. Some of the more optimistic piano
men have figured that the order didn't mean
them, because women could not do the work of
men in their establishments.
They had the
idea that the whole purpose of the order was
to supplant men with women where this was
practicable and that consequently whereas rib-
bon clerks and other employes of dry goods and
department stores would have to shift positions
there would be no interference with young men
whose duties require them to arrange pianos
in all the positions that are necessary to show
them to advantage.
Scope of the Regulation
In refutation of this idea it must be empha-
sized that all lines of business are on an even
plane and none is to be given preferential
treatment because of the character of the goods
handled. Furthermore, in order that no illu-
sions may be cherished it is only fair to set
forth that wholesale houses as well as retail
stores are affected.
The regulation reads
"stores and other mercantile establishments"
and the disposition at Washington is to give
this latter the widest possible interpretation.
Wholesale and retail stores are both counted in
and so are all mercantile establishments en-
gaged in selling goods and wares, which would
seem to encompass mail order houses but may
leave some doubt as to the status of concerns
doing a rental business exclusively and not en-
gaged in "selling."
Further indication of the disposition to make
this order of wide application is found in the
recent ruling of General Crowder to the effect
that the term "sales clerks and other clerks,"
as used, applies to the clerical force in the office
of a mercantile establishment as well as to the
salesmen in store or wareroom. However, it
has been made clear that this call for diversion
to war work does not in any instance hit store
executives, such as managers, superintendents,
etc., nor the heads of departments, such as ac-
counting, advertising, credit, purchasing, de-
livery, receiving, shipping, etc. Nor, of course,
would it affect piano tuners, repair men in the
player and talking machine departments, and
workers who are clearly classable as mechanics.
Several piano men have raised the question
as to the status of men on their staffs who rank
as department heads but a portion of whose time
is given to retail salesmanship. No hard and
fast rule has been made as yet on this score,
and it is doubtful if one can be. Each case
will probably have to be considered separately
on its individual merits, but the presumption
at Washington is that department heads who
are such in name only and are really sales
clerks will be brought within range of the new
regulations whereas it would not disqualify a
department head as such if it was found that
he occasionally stepped out of his executive role
to serve a customer.
Status of Outside Salesmen
A situation under the "work or fight" order
that deeply concerns the music trade and that
has not yet been cleared up is that which in-
volves the consideration to be shown outside
salesmen. It has been ruled that the order
does not apply to "traveling salesmen," but at
this writing the authorities are yet pondering
the question of whether equal immunity is to
be extended to city salesmen, calling either on
the local trade or upon ultimate consumers in
their homes. The assumption is that if a music
trade house has a representative who "makes"
any outside towns, no matter how restricted
his territory, he can claim standing as a travel-
ing salesman, but if his orbit is the city where
condition, and that commercial reverses have been remarkably
moderate the insolvency statistics plainly demonstrate. Yet
the distinction between volume and value of transactions, for
many weeks clearly discernible, becomes increasingly apparent
as tightening of the war restrictions continues, and the amount
of regular commerce that may be done is lessening steadily from
one cause or another. While the extreme living costs and the
practice of economy are not insignificant factors, the confining
of ordinary operations within still narrower limits results mainly
from the growing pressure of national requirements, and not a
few things that had come to be regarded as necessities by the
civilian trade are no longer appearing on the markets, or are
only being produced in comparatively meager quantities."
HERE are at least two characteristics that the successful
T man
must have. They are the sine qua non of success. First,
the ability to see the adverse side of a picture—in business, for
instance, the adverse side of rising costs; delayed shipments;
difficulty in financing; changed habits in living due to this world
war and hence changed demands upon business; increased fixed
burdens upon commerce, etc.—and seeing all these things clearly
to have (second) the will to meet squarely problems which these
forces, working against him, impose. As J. H. Tregoe points out
in the Credit Men's Bulletin, blind optimism in business to-day
is as foolish and hurtful as is pacificism in our body politic. They
he makes his headquarters or that city and its
suburbs he may be called upon to thresh out
the question with the local draft board.
Vagaries of the Draft Boards
These local draft boards in the various com-
munities are, indeed, the instrumentalities that
are responsible for the primary interpretation
and application of the new regulations. Their
decisions are reviewed automatically by the dis-
trict boards and one dissenting vote in a dis-
trict board will permit a case to be carried on
appeal direct to the President. Communications
that have come to Washington indicate that
local boards in different localities are interpret-
ing in widely different manner the application
of the new regulations to some classes of music
trade workers and that appeals to those higher
up will be necessary before the atmosphere can
be cleared. For example, some local boards
have notified piano movers that they must seek
other employment whereas piano movers are
not, by any stretch of the imagination, to be ac-
counted sales clerks. That it is the intent of the
Provost Marshal General to leave undisturbed
not merely piano movers but store porters, etc.,
is seemingly indicated by a ruling made a few
days ago in which General Crowder held that
his much-talked-about order did not apply to
delivery drivers "nor any employes doing heavy
work outside the usual duties of clerks." Where
the meaning of the order has been "stretched"
as in the case of piano movers the merchant or
his employe owes it to himself to make appeal.
The outstanding fact to be borne in mind by
every merchant is that this "work or fight" or-
der aims to mobilize for war service the sales
clerks who can change tasks without financial
loss that would work hardship upon their fam-
ilies. The young piano salesman, with a fam-
ily, who has been earning, say, $40 per week, is
not to be ruthlessly uprooted if it develops that
he could not earn more than, say, $20 in a war
industry and his family would suffer loss of
comfort.
"Compelling domestic circumstances" are al-
ways to be taken into consideration as General
Crowder has said. So, too, is it considered a
reasonable excuse for "non-productive employ-
ment" if a change from non-productive to pro-
ductive occupation would involve a change from
place of residence that would cause unusual
hardship to the man or his family.
are both what they are because they go about with eyes shut
and ears stopped.
Business never has been confronted with problems so
gigantic and intricate as those of to-day, just as the financing of
the Government has never met so great problems, and if we
think that we can go about our business as we always have, the
truth is not in us and hence the danger is great.
On the other hand there is no place for pessimism, for though
the problems are great there never has been a time when men's
minds have been so prepared to have the truth explained to them.
To-day they listen where yesterday they could not be interested.
Credit men can get under the epidermis of their customers as
they never could before ; they can institute in a few weeks such
new collections methods, new policies regarding sales terms and
the giving of financial statements as previously it took years to
develop.
So while blind optimism is dangerous, there is yet no room
for pessimism but rather the demand that we set our minds with
more energy and skill than ever to our problems, feeling sure
that while they look bigger than ever, yet they will yield more
readily than ever.
The greatest thing in this war is the spirit. It is stronger
than the flesh and there can be no question about our country
having the spirit which shall make it possible to overtop the.
spirit of our enemies.