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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
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tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
^gulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
I W h l a l I V k C p a r l l l i e i l l S are
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Vol. LXVIII
NEW YORK, MARCH 8, 1919
No. 10
EDITORIAL 1
J
UST before George W. Pound, general counsel of the Music In-
dustries Chamber of Commerce, was scheduled to start a coast-
to-coast speaking tour in Pittsburgh, on Monday of this week, he
was called back to his office from Buffalo, where he had been pre-
paring for the trip, in order to take up with the authorities in Wash-
ington several problems of vital interest to the piano trade relative
to the new War Revenue law. The result is that the coast-to-coast
trip has been postponed for an indefinite period, until the Revenue
law problems can be cleared up.
It will, of course, mean keen disappointment for those piano
merchants who had planned for the visit of Mr. Pound within a
few days, and who had completed arrangements for the big meetings
and dinners for the purpose of bringing the trade together to hear
Mr. Pound talk, but it must be remembered that the trip was called
off temporarily in order that Mr. Pound might render service of
immediate necessity and of prime importance to the trade as a whole,
the story of which appears in the news columns of The Review
this week.
It is likely that Mr. Pound will not be able to start on his
speaking tour for at least a fortnight, and it will, therefore, be neces-
sary to prepare a new itinerary, which will be announced in due time,
so that new arrangements can be made by local chairmen, or arrange-
ments, already started, completed. The retailers can rest secure in
the thought that any results obtained through Mr. Pound's visit to
Washington will redound to the benefit of the trade as a whole.
ROHIBITION and its effect on the piano industry was the sub-
P
ject of a very interesting analysis in last week's Review by W. S.
Gannon, the well-known piano man, who has made a very careful
investigation of this subject from a purely economic standpoint.
He sought information from dealers in States which recently -went
'"dry," and despite the fact that business men generally are opposed
to prohibition, yet the conclusions arrived at by the majority of
dealers who made reports are substantially to the effect that only a
temporary disarrangement followed the inauguration of prohibition,
REVIEW
MARCH 8, 1919
and that the instalment business generally was greatly benefited by
the change. This article by Mr. Gannon should be carefully read by
dealers operating in so-called "wet" territory, who are solicitous as
to how business will be affected, favorably or unfavorably, by this
new and very radical amendment to the Constitution.
A prominent credit man of a Western piano manufacturing
organization, in speaking with The Review this week, stated that
so far as he had been able to secure reports and carefully review
them they indicated that where prohibition prevails credit risks, so
far as retail sales were concerned, were greatly improved. He made
the point that the abolition of the liquor traffic from any community
improves the general economic condition of the community to such
an extent that credit risks in every line of industry are materially
benefited. His reports indicate, as do Mr. Gannon's, that dealers
found that instalment obligations were met more readily and that
larger cash payments were more frequent in the States that became
"dry"' than as compared with similar conditions when the State
permitted traffic in liquor.
These facts are presented not because of any special views pro
or con on the matter of prohibition, but simply as information to the
trade on a subject which is one of paramount importance these days.
HE suggestion made by Cabinet members and others at a meet-
T
ing in Washington recently to the effect that the CGovernment
appoint a special commission empowered to study post-war condi-
tions and endeavor to fix prices on materials, particularly raw
materials, that would encourage manufacturers to stock up on sup-
plies and resume production on a normal, or close to normal, basis
is worthy of deep consideration. It is believed that if such a com-
mission could accomplish the work laid out for it the result would be
the solving of many of the problems that face industry today, par-
ticularly that of unemployment, a condition which would be over-
come, it is believed, if production was brought up to a normal basis.
There is no question but that the majority of manufacturers
have, since the end of the war, gone ahead on a hand-to-mouth basis.
They have, it is true, endeavored to resume normal production, but
at the same time have tried to protect themselves from any sudden
drop in market prices by buying materials only in such quantities
as were actually needed. The result has been a feeling of uncer-
tainty that has served to hinder production materially.
There will, of course, be some question as to the advisability of
encouraging the Government to enter upon any extensive price-
fixing campaign which might, by a sudden change of conditions,
prove a burden where it was intended to act as a help to industry.
But certainly fixed prices on raw materials within limitations should
do much to stimulate manufacturers and enable them to proceed
with their work at full speed, and with the confidence that for a cer-
tain period, at least, they will be protected from any sudden loss
through dropping markets.
HAT "a well-defined attempt' is being made to create in the
T
minds of the public and of the business men of the country an
impression that "an unheard-of cessation of industry' will take place
in the near future was revealed at a joint meeting of the commit-
tee on adjustments after the war of the National Association of
Manufacturers and representatives of the State organizations of the
National Council for Industrial Defense, held at the Hotel Astor
recently, at which resolutions were adopted to the effect that the
country, on the contrary, is "'standing on the threshold of unprece-
dented business expansion," due to the depleted stocks of stores and
factories all over the United States.
The discussion which followed the passage of this resolution
revealed the optimism which prevailed not only regarding the early
return to a pre-war basis of industrial conditions, but regarding the
splendid prospects existing for the development of export trade. It
was the general opinion that the development of export trade will
naturally follow the prestige gained by the United States of America
in the markets of the world and that it is the duty of all manufac-
turers to foster and encourage such expansion of export business
as may be normally and healthfully developed. It was further
pointed out that while the present wage scale would be retained
for some time to come, it is no time to become hysterical over the
conditions, but, on the contrary, .a time for watchful, sober consid-
eration of developments as they arise, to the end that readjustments
may come about with as little disturbance as possible.