Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
these lines, a writer in a furniture paper
utters these truths, which apply quite as
forcibly to conditions in the music trade
industry.
Competition is legitimate and in accord
with the system of merchandising now in
vogue, but animosity is absolutely extrane-
ous to the ethics of trade and is worthy
only of condemnation. It is, strictly
speaking, a commercial crime.
Competition is universally recognized as
one of the many phases of the struggle for
existence, and none embark in any enter-
prise without expecting and preparing to
meet the severest opposition. This, in its
usual form, consists of the selling or pro-
ducing of better and newer merchandise,
owing to some advantage which thrift and
diligence has temporarily secured.
But to keep the upper hand continuously
eternal vigilance is necessary, and this is
the price of success. Each move of a com-
petitor must be paralleled if the merchant
hopes to survive, for, failing in vigilance,
his rivals easily outstrip him and extermi-
nation is, for him, but a question of time.
The means to be employed in successful-
ly meeting and overcoming competition,
however, require careful consideration.
The constant forging ahead, and ascending
from round to round of the ladder by irre-
sistible movements, permitting competitors
to exist but never allowing them to pro-
gress faster than one does himself, brings
a merchant quicker to the goal he is trying
to jreach.
The one who attempts to kill competition
becomes at once a suicide, for he is aiming
at his own business life. Such an aggra-
vated form of opposition is always attend-
ed by disastrous results to the one who
employs it, and we have correctly termed
it animosity; it is not competition, for it
is not the life of trade.
The competition that stimulates a pro-
gressive activity has few terrors for a pro-
gressive firm, but the animosity that "cuts
the heart out of trade" is an incubus to be
dreaded.
Commissioner Peck's urgent request for an
additional appropriation over the $650,000
originally granted. The only course left
him was to appeal to the Senate Committee
on Appropriations, and after presenting
his case the amount was increased to
$1,370,000, which however was afterwards
cut down by the Conference Committee of
the two Houses to $1,120,000. This sum,
meanwhile, is such a substantial increase
on the original appropriation that it was
gladly accepted without demur.
Samuel Kayzer as already announced
has been appointed superintendent of the
division of musical instruments in the de-
partment of Liberal Arts, and it is his de-
sire that the music trade industry of this
country should have a representative show-
ing at the Paris Exposition.
A few manufacturers, it is true, have an-
nounced a decision to participate, but
there seems to be little enthusiasm mani-
fested up to date. In view of the popularity
of American wares in foreign countries, it
would seem that a comprehensive show-
ing of our achievements in the line of
musical instruments should be made.
The Paris Exposition of 1900 promises to
be the greatest of all Expositions, and it will
attract millions of people from all countries.
If there is any value to be derived from
advertising American pianos and organs
through the medium of expositions, no
better opportunity will be afforded than
through the Paris Exposition of 1900.
FROM OUR VANTAGE GROUND.
A N interesting talk with Mr. William
Knabe anent the placing of the agency
for the Knabe piano with Gimbel Bros.,
the owners of one of the prominent de-
partment stores in Philadelphia, will be
found elsewhere. It will be noted that in
answer to a question he states, "The agree-
ment calls for a strict adherence to our re-
tail figures for all styles. There is a def-
inite understanding on that point." This
statement will unquestionably allay any
fears which dealers may have that the en-
trance of the Knabe piano into the depart-
THE PARIS EXPOSITION.
ment store might lead to a change in
T H E U. S. Senate did one graceful act standard prices.
before closing its term on Saturday
last. It came to the rescue of the Ameri-
A N association has been formed by the
can Commission to the Paris Exposition
retail dealers of Chicago for the pur-
and added a generous sum to that hereto- pose of boycotting the big department
fore allowed, large enough to insure the stores. Attempts have been made in the
prompt collection and careful presentation Illinois Legislature to cripple these stores
of the exhibits of citizens of the United by a series of licenses or taxes on an
States and also the erection of a Govern- ascending scale for each kind of goods kept
ment building that in size and beauty will or for various artificially grouped classes
rank with any of those constructed by the of goods. The present municipal admini-
leading governments of Europe.
stration of Chicago was elected on a plat-
-As is known the House refused to grant form which contained a defiance of the de-
partment stores. Now the retail dealers
have had a bill prepared to give the City
Council the right to regulate the sale of
commodities. The retail dealers seem to
have an apprehension that legislation will
not be enough to deal with their rivals.
They estimate the number of retail dealers
in the city at 125,000 and the number of
their clerks at 175,000, and they hope to
induce all these to agree to buy goods only
of members of the association. Should
they succeed in doing this, they would in-
flict a serious but not a fatal loss, upon the
big stores.
T H E wisdom of "boycotting" as a pre-
ventive of industrial growth or com-
bination will hardly commend itself to the
thinking element of this country who see
grave dangers in present day conditions in
the industrial world.
We hear on all sides that trusts, like de-
partment stores, are logical evolutions of
this commercially progressive age, that the
manufacturing world is suffering from
over production, that the enormous fa-
cilities of our mills and factories are not
being forced, that part of the year they
are shut down on half time, and all that
kind of thing. Hence concentration and
combination are the panaceas.
Whidden Graham, in an editorial in the
last issue of the Saturday Evening Post,
makes some comments which are pertinent
in this connection. He says:
"In reality there is no such thing as
'over-production.' The economic condi-
tions usually described by that term are
actually those of 'under-consumption.'
"As a matter of fact, no intelligent per-
son really believes in the 'over-production'
theory. Consider for a moment what that
theory involves! Here in the United States
are many idle woolen mills. These mills
are idle because there is said to be no de-
mand for their products. But is that the
true explanation? Have all of the seventy
million Americans as much good, warm
clothing, blankets, etc., as they need?
Assuredly not. There is an urgent de-
mand for more, vastly more, of these ar-
ticles.
"Why, then, do not the people who are
sorely in need of these things buy them?
The answer is simple. Either the people
who want more and better clothing cannot
find employment to earn the means to pur-
chase it, or, obtaining work, find that so
small a proportion of the wealth they cre-
ate is returned to them in the form of
wages that they cannot buy back as much
wealth as they produce."
Of course, Mr. Graham's position is not
impregnable, but it cannot be denied th,3t