Music Trade Review

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Some of the leading members of the organization feel that par-
HTHE mercantile world has advanced in its methods, and in order
ticular stress should be laid upon the excellence of trade ethics rather
to gain the full confidence of the public, up-to-date merchants
than exploiting the dark side of piano selling.
must remove every possible cause for criticism, and no one needs to
That is a very good plan, but there is no power like publicity
confidence than goods which arc ticketed in some private mark of
to kill or suppress an evil, whether in business or political work.
Men who are inclined to trickery in trade or politics do not like
to have their actions exposed in the limelight of publicity.
tell twice that goods marked in plain figures are apt to inspire more
the company who offer them for sale.
It is
We know of one dealer in the West whose practice it had been
only fair that sufficient credit be given to men who have been in-
up to within a recent period to have the prices of his instruments
strumental in bettering trade conditions, and to tell explicitly just
indicated by a private code. To-day this same merchant has every
how this has been done, but to keep in the background the evils which
instrument marked in plain figures, and those figures indicate the
have crept into this industry is both a narrow and a false policy.
exact prices for which those instruments can be purchased.
He told us recently that there was not one change which he had
By all means extol the good, but do not hesitate to condemn
made for years in the conduct of his establishment that had been
the wrong.
are frequently made in trade circles regarding the
cost of piano players. The same kind of criticisms are usually
applied to all new inventions, and those who object to the cost do
not figure that there is a large outlay besides that which appears in
the instruments as they are placed on the wareroom floors.
In the first place, many thousands have been expended before
more pleasing than the substitution of these modern, up-to-date
methods for the old system which had been in vogue so long. So
far as our observation goes, we have been unable to locate a single
dissatisfied piano merchant who has once inaugurated the one-price
system and plain figure system.
' T H E report of the coal strike arbitrators marks an epoch in the
history oi conflict between labor and capital.
players have reached that stage of development where the manufac-
The interests
Then again, there is
and rights of the public are asserted and enforced upon employers
constant investigation carried on in special factory departments
and employees in the provision that in case of future controversies
which are created exclusively for this purpose.
High salaries are
there shall be no suspension of work, neither lockout nor strike.
paid for experts whose sole aim it is to produce betterment in every
Disputes must be referred to a permanent board, constituted of three
particular possible.
members appointed by operators and three miners, and when this
turers felt justified in placing them on sale.
If the history of piano players were written it would show that
small fortunes have been spent on certain inventions which have
fails to agree the question shall be referred to an umpire to be ap-
pointed by a high United States judicial authority.
There is hardly a
The arbitrators denounce lawlessness, assert the right of eveiy
manufacturing player concern to-day that has not expended thou-
man to sell his labor as he chosed without interference from any or-
sands annually in the betterment of its product. Now, when we con-
ganization, and condemn alike the boycott and the blacklist.
never gone beyond the developing department.
sider the amount of skill, talent and money which has been concen-
"The labor organization, or union," they declare, "must give the
trated in the development of piano players, it cannot be argued that
same recognition to the rights of the employer and of others which
the prices are excessive.
it demands for itself and for its members."
W
Reckless and foolish agitators who are to-day perverting more
HAT more pitiable object is there than the journalist, who,
failing to give evidence of the possession of either intellect
or ambition, sits back with jealous eye and jaundiced vision seeking
to ridicule the utterances of men who have won position and honor
in the journalistic world.
Sad, indeed, to sec a man who has, never been able to arrive at
than one organization from its proper and legitimate path, would
do well to peruse this committee's definition of the labor union's
rightful function and scope.
A DVERTISING has reached the dignity of a profession and
**
it will be specially recognized at the hands of the officials of
a position above mendicancy and who is publishing an extremely
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
J. A. Ockerson, chief of the
limited number of copies, devote his feeble energies to distorting the
Liberal Arts Department, has arranged that a section of his de-
utterances of men who are his superiors intellectually and in every
partment is to be given up to the display of specimens of the vari-
other essential. One would incline to the belief that even these fel-
ous forms of publicity.
This is the first time that such an exhibit has ever been at-
lows would possess enough sense so that they would not continually
parade their own weakness by hurling their little silly innuendos
tempted at the great expositions.
It only emphasizes the import-
and diatribes at men who have gained heights which are unattain-
ance of advertising to business.
There is no question but that
able to the weaklings.
this will be one of the most interesting departments, because ad-
r
vertising has advanced to a science, and a comparison of the meth-
| HE one-price system is steadily growing in favor in this indus-
*
try. We can name piano warerooms to-day where every in-
strument is marked in plain figures, and those figures positively the
ods adopted to-day with the crude forms of years ago will show
the marvelous progress which has been made along lines of pub-
licity.
lowest for which the instruments can be bought, where a year ago
the one-price system was not looked upon with favor.
This change which is gradually being wrought in the industry
is not due to any one agency, although perhaps many of us have
been contributory forces in bringing about this revolution.
T
HERE have been few prominent changes in the different ware-
room representatives the present year. The boys have con-
cluded that the old saying, "a rolling stone gathers no moss" is
directly an obstacle to business. That saying may be true, but
velocity is sometimes worth more than verdure.