Music Trade Review

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THE
OUR EXPORT AND IMPORT TRADE.
Import Trade in Musical Instruments Shows
Increase—Exports for the Month Indicate
Slight Falling Behind, but Player Ship-
ments Make Fine Record—The Figures in
Detail.
(Specially Prepared for The Review.)
Washington, D. C, May 9, 1904.
The summary of exports and imports of the
commerce of the United States for the month of
March, 1904, the latest period for which it has
been compiled, has just been issued by the Bu-
reau of Statistics of the Department of Com-
merce and Labor. The figures relating to musi-
cal merchandise, including pianos, organs, piano
players and miscellaneous "small goods" in the
musical field are as follows:
The dutiable imports of musical instruments
during March amounted to $101,305 as compared
with $99,896 worth which were imported the
same month of 1903. The nine months' total,
ending March, shows importations valued at
$1,066,314, as against $822,502 worth of musical
instruments imported during the same period of
1903. This gives an increase in imports for the
nine months ending March of $243,812.
The import figures for the nine months' period
for the three years are as follows: 1902, $779,-
390; 1903, $822,502; 1904, $1,066,314.
The total domestic exports of musical instru-
ments for March, 1904, amounted to $276,520, as
compared with $247,051 for the same month of
the previous year. The nine months' exporta-
tion of musical instruments amounted to $2,-
549,813, against $2,575,339 for the same period
of 1903. This shows a decrease in exports for
the nine months ending March of $25,526.
The export figures for the nine months' period
for the three years are as follows: 1902, $2,793,-
843; 1903, $2,575,339; 1904, $2,549,813.
Of the aggregate exportations in March there
were 980 organs, valued at $78,290 as compared
with 952 organs in 1903, valued at $61,555. The
nine months total shows that we exported 11,-
765 organs, valued at $905,089, as against 12,791,
valued at $878,790 for the same period in 1903,
and 13,194 valued at $932,383, for the same period
in 1902.
In March, 1904, we exported 159 pianos, valued
at $27,339, as against 98 pianos, valued at $18,-
755 in March, 1903. The nine months' total ex-
ports show 1,476 pianos, valued at $312,745, as
compared with 1,503, valued at $312,358, export-
ed in the same period in 1903, and 1,702, valued
at $320,334, for the same period in 1902.
Of the aggregate exportations in March there
were 369 piano players, valued at $92,056. For
the previous nine months 3,483 of these instru-
ments, valued at $730,443, were sent abroad.
The value of "all other instruments and parts
thereof" sent abroad during March, 1904,
amounted to $78,835; in the same month of
1903 their value was estimated at $166,741. This
marked decrease is due to piano players being
now classified under a separate heading instead
of under this genera! title, "All other instru-
ments, etc." The total exports for the nine
months under this heading foot up $601,536, as
against $1,384,191 exported! dutring the same
period of 1903, and $1,541,126 exported during
the same period of 1901. This shows a decrease
for 1904 over the previous year of $782,655.
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
HAMPDEN COUNTY DEALERS DINE
DEPARTMENT STORE PUBLICITY.
And Elect Officers—Many Interesting Speeches
Made—State Organization Favored.
At Least Two Concerns Are Open to Severe
Criticism When Speaking of Pianos.
(Special to The Review.)
Two of the department stores handling pianos
in this city and which make a specialty of boom-
ing cheap stencil instruments, continue their in-
sulting advertising in the local papers when call-
ing attention to their instruments. For instance,
on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week one of
these houses in advertising "high grade" (sten-
cil) pianos at $190, $210 and $225, stated:
"These prices are about one-half the sum you
will have to pay for similar high-grade pianos
bought of other dealers who sell pianos on pay-
ments."
We guarantee that a purchaser could secure
any one of the pianos thus advertised at 25 per
cent, less than the prices quoted above from any
of the regular dealers.
As we remarked, last week, a bill has just been
signed by Governor Odell, which applies to false
representation in advertising. If advertising
such as the above does not come within false rep-
resentation we don't know what we are talking
about.
In the same advertisement from which the
above is quoted we find the now familiar quota-
tion that "this piano store is conducted upon
quite a different principle from any other piano
business in the world."
Perhaps it is, inasmuch as stencil pianos are
advertised exclusively as "high-grade pianos."
and accompanied by plenty of lying statements.
No piano dealer has ever gone into the fake busi-
ness on such a scale as the department stores re-
ferred to, and it is time that some action were
taken to expose it.
Another department store which advertises
stencil pianos at one dollar a week, is constantly
harping on the high-grade piano business, and at
the same time advertising stencil pianos—the
worst kind at that—at prices from $190 up to
$250.
If the readers of the daily papers were properly
enlightened by the piano dealers of this city, they
would be made aware that stencil pianos similar
to the ones advertised by the department, stores
can be purchased much cheaper than $190 to $250.
It would pay the regular piano dealers to incor-
porate in all their advertisements the sentence,
"Stencil pianos can be procured 25 per cent,
cheaper than those advertised by department
stores." This may not exactly cover the situation,
but it is the truth, and not misrepresentation of
which the other establishments are so grossly
guilty.
Springfield, O., May 9, 1904.
The Hampden County Music Trades Associa-
tion held its annual banquet and election of offi-
cers Wednesday evening in the Highland Hotel.
One of the most interesting matters discussed
after the banquet was the proposed organization
of a state music trades association. The fifteen
members of the county association who were pres-
ent that evening were all favorable to the pro-
posed organization. The association has written
letters on this subject to music dealers through-
out the State, and it was reported last evening
that many favorable replies had been received.
The probability is that a meeting for the purpose
of perfecting such an association will be held in
Boston within the near future.
The following officers were elected for the en-
suing year: President, A. H. Taylor, of this city;
vice-president, John O'Shea, of Holyoke; secre-
tary, W. F. Engel, of this city; treasurer, Otto
Baab, of this city; grievance committee, W. C.
Taylor, M. P. Conway and A. H. Taylor, of this
city.
The banquet was held from 7 to 9, with A. H.
Taylor as toastmaster. He made the opening ad-
dress, in which he remarked upon the present
harmonious conditions existing in the associa-
tion. The reports of the secretary and treasurer
were read and accepted.
WHY NOT ONE LARGE WAREROOM?
John B. Walker Ventures Some Views on the
City of the Future in Which Piano Ware-
rooms Figure.
John Brisben Walker, editor of the Cosmopoli-
ton, is taking quite a prominent part these days
in the adjustment of the political and social ques-
tions which are uppermost in the public mind.
In the course of a lecture last week before the
Economic Club of Boston Mr. Walker spoke on
"The American City of the Future," and, prob-
ably taking his idea from the article which ap-
peared in The Review of April 29, in which the
concentration of retail piano establishments
under one roof was suggested as a panacea for
many of the troubles in the way of rents and
department store competition which face the
piano man to-day, he said:
"What is the use of 360 dry goods stores in
Boston, or 280 shoe stores, or 60 piano ware-
rooms? One large wareroom where all sorts cf
pianos could be seen and directly compared,
would be far more useful to the public and save
$400,000 or $500,000 a year in direct expenses and
release a large amount of land, capital and labor."
There is much that suggests itself in the re-
marks of Mr. Walker. Or course, they are along
socialistic lines, and the tendency is running that
way to-day—at least toward centralization.
Like many of the reformers who desire to ad-
just many of our needs by the socialistic plan,
Mr. Walker paints an ideal condition which is
difficult to work out. His piano store idea is not
a bad one, provided all the piano men were born
with, or at least developed, the same amount and
quality of brain matter, to the end they thought
alike.
FALKENBERG CO. INCORPORATED.
NOMINATE OFFICERS.
Frank W. Teeple, chairman; W. L. Bush and
Henry F. Miller, constituting the nominating
committee of the National Manufacturers' Asso-
ciation, have passed the following slate to be
voted on at the convention in Atlantic City:
Secretary, E. B. Bartlett, of Chicago; treas-
urer, George Miller, of Philadelphia; member-
ship committee, Charles H. Parsons, chairman;
Handel Pond, Mellville Clark, Fred P. Stieff and
A. S. Bond. The president and other officers, as
well as the various committees, are to be nomi-
nated and elected at the annual meeting in ex-
ecutive session.
11
The J. Falkenberg Piano Co., Salem, O., capi-
tal stock $10,000 has been incorporated at Colum-
bus by J. Falkenberg, Wm. E. Lynn, Wm. H. Har-
mon, J. W. Lease, C. M. Wilson, C. F. Smith,
D. E. Mather, W. H. Matthews.
"KINGSBURY"
PIANO
FOR
"OLYMPIA."
A beautiful Kingsbury piano was last week
placed on board the crack cruiser Olympia,
which, it will be remembered was the flag ship
on which Admiral Dewey won the battle of
Manila Bay. The sale was made by J. V. Dugan,
manager of the Cable Co.'s branch in New
Orleans.
THE NEW APOLLO PIANO POPULAR.
(Special to The Review.)
Chicago, 111., May 9, 1904.
The orders that have been received for the new
Apollo piano demonstrate beyond question how
popular that instrument, the latest product of
the Melville Clark Piano Co., is to become. Quite
a number of orders have been sent to the factory,
and the force will be busy in taking care of the
demand for this new product. The Review has
already given an idea of the appearance and the
proportions of this new instrument and not much
need be said on that point here. This new Apollo
piano contains an Apollo Concert Grand piano
player, with a range equal to the entire keyboard
of the piano, and also is an instrument that can
be used for manual performance. It is handsome
in its exerior appearance and simple in its con-
struction. The tone quality of the piano part of
the instrument is beautiful—up to the high stand-
ard of the Melville Clark Art piano, while the
Apollo mechanism is so simple that it makes one
of the most durable players on the market. The
music roll is placed behind a sliding panel and
is covered by the panel when not in use. The
pedals are adjustable so that when the player
mechanism is not in use it would be a difficult
matter to tell that it was not an ordinary piano.
There is certain to be a large demand for this in-
strument, simply because it fills a field of its
own and will satisfy those who prefer a combi-
nation of piano and piano player of this kind.