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THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
President, C. L. Bill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Vice-President, J. B. Spillane,
373 Fourth Are., New York: Second Vice-PresidenL J. Raymond Bill, 373 Fourth Ave.,
New York; Secretary and Treasurer, August Jf. Timpe, 373 Fourth Ave., New York.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
J. RAYMOND BILL, Associate Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
1
B. BIITTAIN WILSON, CAKLKTON CHACK, L. M. ROBINSON, WILSON D. BUSH, V. D. WALSH,
WH. BRAID WHITS (Technical Editor), E. B. MUNCH, A. J. NICKLIN, L. E. Bowni
BOSTON OrriCK:
IOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
E.
P. VAN HAELINGSN, Republic
Building.
Telephone, Main 6950.
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NEWS 8EBVICE IS SUPPLIED WEEKLY BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
LOCATED IN THE LEADING CITIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA.
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Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
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REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill, Inc.
PJ««A . . J
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
-rionO aua
t^n, 0 { » technical nature relating to the tuning,
n<>iia>tia*ii(< regulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
D e p a r t m e n t s a r ; dealt with, will be"found in another section of
this paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concern-
ing which will be cheerfully given upon request.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Priw
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal. .Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.. .Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Utdal
St Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Afrrfa/.. Lewis-Clark Exposition, 190S
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NEW YORK, AUGUST 24,
1918
EDITORIAL
T
HE death of August J. Timpe, treasurer of Edward Lyman
Bill, Inc., publisher of The Music Trade Review, which was
chronicled in last week's issue, has brought keen sorrow to those
who have been associated with him in the most intimate and
closest relations for more than a decade, and who learned daily
to appreciate his sterling character and well-balanced manhood.
Mr. Timpe was an earnest, unassuming and capable execu-
tive, who had made a close study of the music trade industry, and
through his co-operation with the staff of The Review assisted
in winning for this publication a measure of the success which
it has attained. His passing after a few days' illness was shock-
ing in its suddenness, and a host of people who had intercourse
with the business department of The Review have written eulo-
gistically of his very fine character, and of the pleasant relations
they have always had with him. His death is a great loss to his
family, to his friends and to The Review.
'T'HE organization last week of the National Musical Merchan-
1 dise Association of the United States, following, as it does, the
bringing together of the supply interests recently, marks a most
important step in the work of unifying the music industry. This
new association, the first of its kind in the musical merchandise
field, marks the realization of the manufacturers in that field of
the fact that the business problems of to-day are not to be met
by the individuals, but rather by industries as a whole. It is
only through strict co-operation and through working together
whole-heartedly and trustfully that the trade can hope to take
care of the problems that have been brought about by the war.
In the matter of fuel, metal and other supplies, for instance, it
has been proven by the experience of individual manufacturers
in other lines that the Government officials w r ill consider only
industries as a whole and have no time to deal with the. prob-
lems of one manufacturer.
Through membership in the Music Industries Chamber
AUGUST 24, 1918
of Commerce, the musical merchandise men are not only acting
to protect and benefit themselves, but are at the same time lead-
ing their united support to the music industry as a whole. The
trade now has the unique experience of seeing every element
interested in the production of musical instruments, with the single
exception of the talking machine trade, united under one com-
mon banner, and it must be acknowledged that the array is im-
posing. When the statistics regarding the musical merchandise
trade are compiled, and combined with the statistics of other
branches of the industry, there will be facts available that will
undoubtedly make a strong appeal for consideration in Wash-
ington.
A few years ago when Paul B. Klugh first presented his ideas
for the organization of a Music Industries Chamber of Com-
merce, there were a number of prominent men in the trade who
did not hesitate to refer to the plan as visioriary, even though
most desirable. In other words, they regarded the ironing out
of trade differences and the bringing together of the various
divisions of the industry as an almost impossible task, but events
have proved that the theories advanced by Mr. Klugh were dis-
tinctly practical, and required only a situation such as that facing
the trade to-day to insure their working out successfully.
We now have a unified trade, every branch working in har-
mony for the common good. In these critical times there is not
likely to be any lack of interest, and when the war is over the
success of the plan will have been so well proven that a unified
trade may be looked upon as a fixture for the future.
T
HE recent appointment of a Committee on Merchant Marine
by President Mark P. Campbell, of the New York Piano
Manufacturers' Association, to work in conjunction with the
United States Shipping Board, places emphasis on the great work
to be done by the manufacturers of this country toward winning
supremacy for American goods and utilizing the twenty-five-
million tons of merchant shipping which will be ready for em-
ployment in this country inside of two years, thanks to the mag-
nificent work of the Emergency Fleet Corporation.
The piano trade has long been interested in the development
of our Merchant Marine, and this newly appointed committee
under the chairmanship of Geo. W. Gittins, will do much to bring
to the attention of the industry our especial obligations to pre-
pare for a great export trade after the war, so that the total ton-
nage of this great merchant fleet can be devoted to the carrying
to all parts of the world our finished products, particularly musi-
cal instruments.
In this connection Edward N. Hurley, Chairman of the
United States Shipping Board, in his article in The Review last
week pointed out some important phases of this question when
he said:
"Amid all his splendid effort in producing equipment to win
the war, the American manufacturer must be asked to take
thought for to-morrow and think in terms of shipping and for-
eign trade. This might appear like a distraction now—something
which will take the attention from the supreme duty of winning
the war. But far from being a distraction, it fits in with war
production and war psychology. While our factories and factory
employes are building war material to-day, they are also building
foreign trade, if we can only see things whole and make one fac-
tor work with another.
"When the business man turns his attention to export trade
lie looks abroad and thinks of foreign customers. But foreign
trade actually begins in his own factory. He looks abroad and
studies such factors as ocean freights, foreign exchange, export
packing, and international salesmanship. If he would look into
his own factory first, and study factors close at hand, such as
labor turnover, wages, manufacturing costs and efficiency, he
would be laying solid foundations for export trade.
"In a recent study of factors that make successful, lasting
foreign trade, Prof. Taussig places first of all the element of man-
ufacturing 'effectiveness,' as he calls it, which he defines as a
combination of capital, labor, invention, salesmanship, and trans-
portation, all working together under first-rate business leader-
ship, to make goods capable of holding markets in competition
with the products of other nations. These elements of effective-
ness are largely right at hand in our factories—it is not necessary