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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
REVIEW
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
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Vol. LXXII
NEW YORK, MAY 21, 1921
No. 21
THE TAX FIGHT BEGINS
T
HE tax fight in Washington began in real earnest with the
opening of the hearings on the revised Revenue Bill before the
Senate Finance Committee on last Friday. At the very opening of
the hearing it was quite apparent that the opponents of the com-
modity sales tax are numerous and, likewise, that there are some
among the Senators who are not favorably inclined toward lifting
the excise tax from musical instruments. In view of these circum-
stances, it is not sufficient that the industry rest secure in the thought
that they have a direct representative in Washington, in the person
of George W. Pound, general counsel of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce, but they must back up that representative
and his work by taking up the tax question direct with their respective
Senators.
I It is no time for idle speculation or for indulging in a false
sense of security, for the opposition must be met and met firmly.
On the very first day of the Senate hearing Senator Penrose was
quoted as saying that he "would like to destroy every piano in the
country." It is hard to believe that even the strongest opponent to
the lifting of the excise tax on pianos, gifted with ordinary intelli-
gence, would make such a statement and, lacking verification, it is
to be hoped and assumed that the Senator was misquoted. The fact
remains, however, that it is not going to be plain sailing by any
means, and the industry has a chance to make its unity felt in fight-
ing for its right to existence.
A SPLENDID CONVENTION ABLY HANDLED
I
N the handling of the convention the members of the Chicago trade,
particularly of the Chicago Piano Club, have set a mark that
will probably remain untouched for many years to come, owing to
the fact that in probably no other city in the country just now could
facilities be found for the handling and entertainment of the conven-
tion crowd in such elaborate fashion. The Drake Hotel is an im-
tnense structure and, inasmuch as practically all its space and all
its facilities were turned over to the music men for the week, there
. _
MAY
21, 1921
was found no difficulty in handling the parties of from 500 to 1,500
that gathered for the various events. Everything was under one
roof, and there were a number of those attending the conventions
who had no occasion to go outdoors for two or three days.
To Matt Kennedy, president of the Chicago Piano Club, and
to James T. Bristol and his co-workers are due the thanks of the
trade, for these men practically gave up business for several weeks
in order to plan the big things that were put over without a hitch.
These Chicago Piano Club men succeeded admirably in hooking up
the art of music with the trade. Such people as Harold McCormick,
patron of the Chicago Opera; Mary Garden, the directoress of that
organization; the young ladies of the Junior League, and a score of
stars of the musical comedy and vaudeville stage patronized the
various assemblies and spoke or otherwise entertained.
There were at first some doubts about guaranteeing the presence
of 300 at the daily luncheons, but as a matter of fact the attendance
on each of the four days approximated the 500 mark, and each day
there was a new surprise offered for the entertainment of the visitors.
From the time the out-of-town delegates were met at the stations by
Piano Club members until the great Midnight Frolic which wound
up the convention activities on Thursday night, something had been
provided for every leisure moment. There was not a hitch in the
entire program, not a promise unfulfilled. New York, in handling
next year's convention, has a high mark to aim at and will have to
start right away.
THE FOREIGN TRADE SITUATION
T
H E falling off of foreign trade is causing considerable concern
to manufacturers throughout the country and, at the recent
annual convention of the National Foreign Council, the recom-
mendation that an independent Government bureau for the extension
of foreign trade be created was emphasized by the leading speakers
—that is, a department which would function independently of the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce which now exists.
Such an instrument for the intelligent development of foreign trade
now exists in Great Britain, and it has been found most effective.
The settlement of the reparations matter on the part of Germany
is undoubtedly the first step toward restoring normal conditions in
foreign trade. If the agreement signed recently by Germany is car-
ried out, or if there is shown an honest determination in this direc-
tion, the result must be most beneficial to the trade of the whole
world. And this includes Germany itself, because until that country
gets its economic house in order uncertainty must prevail regarding
the interchange of trade.
The changed condition is already most favorably evidenced in the
increased value of the monetary units of France and Great Britain,
and the value of the German mark is already rising—proof that
Germany's attitude in assuming its responsibilities and endeavoring
to meet them in a businesslike way is having a favorable effect on all
concerned.
A N E W PHASE OF MUSIC ADVANCEMENT
of course, designed primarily to advertise the
A LTHOUGH,
Ampico, the fact remains that the wonderful motion picture,
"Immortalized," presented for the first time officially in Chicago
during the convention by the American Piano Co., is of direct interest
to the trade at large as marking a new development in music advance-
ment work, while bringing to the attention of the general public not
only the wonders of the reproducing piano, but also the personalities
of famous artists, such as Godowsky, Ornstein, Zimbalist, Gluck,
Rachmaninoff and others.
The general character of the film has been described in the news
columns, but a study of the picture, which is really a complete photo-
play, leads to the belief that there is room for more work of this
kind. It is true that the cost runs into many thousands of dollars,
but it would seem that there is room in the trade for co-operative
effort in producing and presenting other film dramas concerning
music. Certainly if one company can conceive and bring forth such
a masterpiece, there are combined interests in the trade that might
attempt something similar on even a larger scale.
The American Piano Co., in the presentation of "Immortal-
ized," has done something more than simply offer a clever piece of
publicity. It has opened a new and, it is safe to say, heretofore
unused channel for music advancement work, one which should be
prolific in results.