Music Trade Review
Issue: 1903 Vol. 36 N. 8 - Page 6
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MY/SIC TftKDB
REVIEW
EDWARD
LYMAN
BILL,
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
WALDO E. LADD
GEO. B. KELLER
every section of America—to cause the slightest uneasiness as to
the quality as well as quantity of business for the year.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
GEO. W. QUER1PEL
A. J. NICKLIN
sion as a natural sequence to the exuberant conditions of the past
two years, can, after all, derive but little comfort from referring
to the slow business conditions which have generally prevailed thus
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 21, 1903.
TELEPHONE NUJ1BER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
THE
ARTISTS'
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In its
"Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This Is
effected without in any way trespassing on the size or service
DEPARTMENT of the trade section of the paper. Jt has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
DIRECTORY
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corpora-
t e miNo
tions found on page 27 will be of great value as a reference for
OF PIANO
dealers and others.
MANUFACTURERS
There is no congestion of stock of any
nature in any section of the country.
' I "\HTS applies to the piano and to all other industries. And as long
*•
^ Published Every Saturday at I Madison Avenue, New Y o r k . *
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per Inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts n special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
Those
who are apprehensively looking forward to a protracted depres-
far during the new year.
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
EXECUTIVE STAFF :
in the situation as we view it—and we are in pretty close touch with
as manufactures of all kinds are being speedily absorbed and
accounted for, as long as the agricultural conditions of the coun-
try are in superb shape, there is every incentive to press on and
secure the largest business harvest possible in these times, exer-
cising, of course, a reasonable degree of caution at all times.
According to the views of some of the best posted men in the
industrial world, there will be a still further advance in prices in
the great staples—iron, steel, woods and wools.
inevitable.
They say this is
Yet when we look back a few months and note the
extraordinary advance in woods and metals alone, it would seem
as if the high water mark of prices had been reached.
P>ut those
best informed say no. In fact, one man has figured out an elab-
orate forecast showing that there will be an era of increasing prices
until 1908, after which a decline is prognosticated.
EDITORIAL
"\ A 7"E do not take much stock in these elaborate tables, or in the
A CRITICAL survey of the retail piano field furnishes the in-
•**
formation that trade for January and the first half of Feb-
ruary has been disappointing.
" *
utterances of these prophets.
We believe rather in using
our own powers of observation to determine as to possible clanger
in present conditions rather than reiving upon any figures showing
certain cycles of depression and exuberatioi; which are claimed by
Piano dealers have no hesitancy in admitting- that conditions
statisticians to exist in the business world.
have not been wholly to their liking.
There are numerous reasons for the existence of this state of
r
I MrlERE is, however, one disturbing spot upon the business hori-
•*
affairs.
Many people have held back from purchasing other than the
necessaries of life on account of the extraordinary high prices which
zon for the piano men, and should the cloud develop the
business atmosphere will be dimmed for a while before the clar-
ifying process begins.
We refer to the possibility of labor troubles.
have until recently prevailed for coal almost everywhere. People
It is well known
have not been inclined to purchase pianos when they were unable to
that there is a spirit of discontent prevailing in many factories and
procure a sufficient amount of fuel to heat their parlors, and in-
there are ominous signs which portend future trouble.
The position of piano manufacturers differs materially from
stances of this kind have been numerous all over America.
Again the condition of the roads, which have been impassable
in some parts of the country, has also acted as a setback to business.
In certain sections of the country epidemics have prevailed
which have depressed trade conditions, like in Indiana where the
existence of smallpox has caused a quarantine to be established at
a number of points in that State.
S
those of any other capitalists engaged in manufacturing enter-
prises.
HPHE conditions are different.
*
Piano manufacturers have to pay
an increased cost for everything which enters into their in-
struments. They have no option in this matter, and save in rare in-
stances they have not been able to secure the sufficient advance from
T. LOUIS has been the storm center recently of the wildest
the dealers to cover the increased cost of materials.
Now the matter of factory organization, and reduced cost by
kind of speculation which has swallowed up the savings of
Only last week while in that city a well-
the introduction of labor-saving machinery, does not begin to equal-
known piano man stated to us that the effect of the explosion of
ize the enormous leaps and bounds made in the prices of woods,
the speculative craze had a very serious effect upon the piano busi-
metals, and all staples which are used in the construction of pianos.
ness not only in St. Louis but in many other adjoining towns where
Therefore, if called upon to p a y still more for labor some
people lived who had deposited their earnings with the scheming
manufacturers tell us they had rather close their factories for an
brokers of St. Louis who promised them an easy road to riches.
indefinite period than to accede to any further demands in this direc-
thousands of people.
However, all this is purely on the surface and does not dis-
turb in the slightest the underlying conditions.
There is nothing
tion.
The labor leaders should look well before they make an-
other leap in the direction of exorbitant demands.
THE MY/SIC TftKDB
REVIEW
EDWARD
LYMAN
BILL,
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
WALDO E. LADD
GEO. B. KELLER
every section of America—to cause the slightest uneasiness as to
the quality as well as quantity of business for the year.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
GEO. W. QUER1PEL
A. J. NICKLIN
sion as a natural sequence to the exuberant conditions of the past
two years, can, after all, derive but little comfort from referring
to the slow business conditions which have generally prevailed thus
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 21, 1903.
TELEPHONE NUJ1BER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
THE
ARTISTS'
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In its
"Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This Is
effected without in any way trespassing on the size or service
DEPARTMENT of the trade section of the paper. Jt has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
DIRECTORY
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corpora-
t e miNo
tions found on page 27 will be of great value as a reference for
OF PIANO
dealers and others.
MANUFACTURERS
There is no congestion of stock of any
nature in any section of the country.
' I "\HTS applies to the piano and to all other industries. And as long
*•
^ Published Every Saturday at I Madison Avenue, New Y o r k . *
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per Inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts n special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
Those
who are apprehensively looking forward to a protracted depres-
far during the new year.
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
EXECUTIVE STAFF :
in the situation as we view it—and we are in pretty close touch with
as manufactures of all kinds are being speedily absorbed and
accounted for, as long as the agricultural conditions of the coun-
try are in superb shape, there is every incentive to press on and
secure the largest business harvest possible in these times, exer-
cising, of course, a reasonable degree of caution at all times.
According to the views of some of the best posted men in the
industrial world, there will be a still further advance in prices in
the great staples—iron, steel, woods and wools.
inevitable.
They say this is
Yet when we look back a few months and note the
extraordinary advance in woods and metals alone, it would seem
as if the high water mark of prices had been reached.
P>ut those
best informed say no. In fact, one man has figured out an elab-
orate forecast showing that there will be an era of increasing prices
until 1908, after which a decline is prognosticated.
EDITORIAL
"\ A 7"E do not take much stock in these elaborate tables, or in the
A CRITICAL survey of the retail piano field furnishes the in-
•**
formation that trade for January and the first half of Feb-
ruary has been disappointing.
" *
utterances of these prophets.
We believe rather in using
our own powers of observation to determine as to possible clanger
in present conditions rather than reiving upon any figures showing
certain cycles of depression and exuberatioi; which are claimed by
Piano dealers have no hesitancy in admitting- that conditions
statisticians to exist in the business world.
have not been wholly to their liking.
There are numerous reasons for the existence of this state of
r
I MrlERE is, however, one disturbing spot upon the business hori-
•*
affairs.
Many people have held back from purchasing other than the
necessaries of life on account of the extraordinary high prices which
zon for the piano men, and should the cloud develop the
business atmosphere will be dimmed for a while before the clar-
ifying process begins.
We refer to the possibility of labor troubles.
have until recently prevailed for coal almost everywhere. People
It is well known
have not been inclined to purchase pianos when they were unable to
that there is a spirit of discontent prevailing in many factories and
procure a sufficient amount of fuel to heat their parlors, and in-
there are ominous signs which portend future trouble.
The position of piano manufacturers differs materially from
stances of this kind have been numerous all over America.
Again the condition of the roads, which have been impassable
in some parts of the country, has also acted as a setback to business.
In certain sections of the country epidemics have prevailed
which have depressed trade conditions, like in Indiana where the
existence of smallpox has caused a quarantine to be established at
a number of points in that State.
S
those of any other capitalists engaged in manufacturing enter-
prises.
HPHE conditions are different.
*
Piano manufacturers have to pay
an increased cost for everything which enters into their in-
struments. They have no option in this matter, and save in rare in-
stances they have not been able to secure the sufficient advance from
T. LOUIS has been the storm center recently of the wildest
the dealers to cover the increased cost of materials.
Now the matter of factory organization, and reduced cost by
kind of speculation which has swallowed up the savings of
Only last week while in that city a well-
the introduction of labor-saving machinery, does not begin to equal-
known piano man stated to us that the effect of the explosion of
ize the enormous leaps and bounds made in the prices of woods,
the speculative craze had a very serious effect upon the piano busi-
metals, and all staples which are used in the construction of pianos.
ness not only in St. Louis but in many other adjoining towns where
Therefore, if called upon to p a y still more for labor some
people lived who had deposited their earnings with the scheming
manufacturers tell us they had rather close their factories for an
brokers of St. Louis who promised them an easy road to riches.
indefinite period than to accede to any further demands in this direc-
thousands of people.
However, all this is purely on the surface and does not dis-
turb in the slightest the underlying conditions.
There is nothing
tion.
The labor leaders should look well before they make an-
other leap in the direction of exorbitant demands.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).