Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
Concessions in Freights.
The Traffic Committee will have the satisfac-
tion of announcing that some decided concessions
have been obtained from the railroads. After a
long period of earnest and persistent work, we
have just been rewarded by our endeavors, and
have broken the stubborn and icy reserve of the
Eastern Classification Committee, who have fin-
ally recommended to the railroads interested a
second-class rating on carload shipments of boxed
pianos, piano-players and organs, and I have re-
liable information to the effect that the recom-
mendations of this committee have now been ac-
cepted by the railroads, and the new classifica-
tion will go into effect on July 1. The territory
affected by this change is practically all the sec-
tion "east of the Mississippi and north of the
Ohio River to the Atlantic Coast, in all direc-
tions."
This is a distinct gain, and will prove to be of
practical benefit to all of our agents, saving them
considerable in freight charges on carload lots
within this territory, and on all shipments to the
West or from the West to the East.
We now hope to obtain a second-class rating in
the Southern territory on single shipments,
which, if successful, we hope will open the way
to securing a second-class rating on single ship-
ments in all the other sections later on.
We have also obtained an advantage in the
method of packing carload shipments in the
Western territory, which we trust will soon be
accepted by the Eastern roads, now that we have
at last secured the classification we worked so
hard for.
Mr. Thomas C. Moore, our traffic manager, has
worked very diligently and deserves great credit
for what has been accomplished. It is most dif-
ficult to obtain any concession from the railroads.
Each member of our Association should give him
his earnest support and assistance. The sub-
scriptions of our members toward the support of
the Traffic Bureau for the past year amounted
approximately to $3,400, which is the largest
sum pledged to the traffic manager during any
year since the Freight Bureau was established.
We feel that the piano dealers of the country
should contribute to this work more generally
than they have done, as they are the ones who
benefit in the main by the results obtained. I
find that personal work of large shippers, using
their influence with the freight agents of vari-
ous railroads, can produce good results if per-
sistently and urgently followed up, and we, there-
fore, urge our members to co-operate in this way
also with our traffic manager when further appli-
cations for concessions are made.
REVIEW
The convention last year voted to hold this meet-
ing at West Baden, Ind.; also that our meetings
should be held entirely separate from those of
tne Dealers' Association. After careful thought
and investigation, also inquiry among our mem-
bers, the Executive Committee advised changing
our meeting place to Washington this year, the
dates to be "on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
of the week preceding the convention of the
Dealers' Association, in order to keep the busi-
ness sessions of our Association entirely sepa-
rate," with a recommendation that we hold out
next annual meeting in the city of Chicago. This
was ratified by a large majority vote of our
members. We trust this arrangement will prove
to be a satisfactory solution of the problem.
That Proposed Exhibit at Washington.
The matter of the proposed exhibition at Wash-
ington was thoroughly discussed and the follow-
ing resolution was unanimously carried:
"Whereas, The invitation of the National As-
13
as decidedly unfavorable to any such exposition
in Washington, D. C, this spring; and,
"Whereas, The physical difficulties of making
a representative display are too great and numer-
ous to overcome in so short a time, therefore,
"Resolved, That the entire matter be abandoned
for the Washington, D. C, convention.
"Resolved, That we recommend that both As-
sociations consider at the Washington convention
the propriety of a general piano and musical in-
dustry exhibit, during next fall or winter, simi-
lar to the great automobile and sportsmen's
shows in Madison Square Garden in New York.
"Resolved, That copies of these resolutions be
furnished to the trade and general press, with
request that wide publicity be given to this de-
cision, so that no goods will be sent to Washing-
ton for exhibition purposes, as such action would
tend to materially affect the more comprehensive
exhibition proposed."
This action of the committee we thought dis-
posed of the matter of the exhibition for this
year, and conies of the above resolutions were
sent to all of our members by our assistant secre-
tary on March 14.
Increased Dues Suggested.
The time seems to have arrived when the in-
creased work and enlarging scope of this Asso-
ciation require a greater income, and it might
therefore be well to increase the annual dues,
that a sufficient balance will be on hand at all
times.
To Admit Organ Manufacturers.
At a meeting of the Executive Committee held
in Washington, May 10, 1906, a resolution was
adopted recommending that the by-laws of the as-
sociation be so amended as to admit the manu-
facturers of organs to membership.
The Free Alcohol
II.
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sociation of Piano Dea.ers of America to make
an exhibit at Washington has been extended to
manufacturers at large of pianos, organs, self-
playing instruments, musical merchandise and
supplies, be it
"Resolved, That it is the sense of the Execu-
tive Committee of the National Piano Manufac-
The Information Bureau.
The Information Bureau, we are glad to re- turers' Association of America that each manu-
port, has been more generally used during the facturer shall follow his individual inclination
past year than formerly. This is one of the de- regarding the making of an exhibit during the
partments of our Association wherein the mem- convention of the Piano Dealers' Association at
Washington."
bers can be of great benefit to each other, and
those who have not as yet made use of its ad-
A joint meeting of our Executive Committee
vantages are requested to do so.
with the Executive Board of the Dealers' Asso-
ciation was held at New York City on January
The Year's Death Rate.
Our Death Roll.—During the past year we have 16, and the above resolution was presented to
had the misfortune of losing by death among our them. A joint committee of three members from
members: Mr. Henry Behning, of the Behning tne Manufacturers' Association, three from the
Piano Co.. New York City; Mr. Charles S. Dealers' Association and one from the Washing-
Fischer, of J. & C. Fischer, New York City, and ton Association were appointed by President
Mr. Horace A. Moodie, of the Everett Piano Co., Werlein to handle the details of the exhibition.
Cincinnati. We tender our sincere sympathy to
This committee met in New York on March
their families and business associates. The 8. A strong protest against the proposed exhibi-
proper committee will present suitable resolu- tion was received from the Washington Piano
tions, during this session, for adoption by the
Dealers' Association. As a result of the confer-
Association.
ence, the following resolutions were adopted:
What the Executive Committee
Has Ac- "Whereas, There was a misapprehension of the
original purpose of the proposed exhibit of pianos
complished.
and musical instruments, during the coming na-
The Executive Committee.—The chairman of
the Eastern, Middle States and Western sections tional convention in May, 1906, and a consequent
of our Executive Committee will make separate delay in properly planning for the enormous de-
reports of the work done in each section, but, as tails incident to such an exposition, and
chairman ex : officio of the entire committee, I de-
"Whereas, The hosts of our convention, the
sire to report that we have held three meetings Piano Dealers' Association of Washington, D. C.
of the combined committees during the year, one in meeting on March 7, 1906, unanimously ex-
in Atlantic City, one in New York City and one pressed themselves as 'unalterably opposed to
in the city of Washington, in addition to an in- such an exhibition'; and,
formal meeting at Putin-Bay.
"Whereas, The large majority of the manufac-
We have had several complex questions to solve. turers of the country have expressed themselves
Matter.
At our Executive Committee meeting in Janu-
ary the following resolution was passed:
"Resolved, That the Executive Committee of
the National Piano Manufacturers' Association of
America, in session in New York City, January
10, 1906, urgently requests the removal of the
internal revenue tax from alcohol rendered unfit
for use as a beverage, and urges upon Congress
the necessity for the immediate enactment of
legislation for this purpose."
I was subsequently requested to appear before
the Ways and Means Committee of the House
of Representatives in Washington, at a hearing
given on this matter on February 7, and to pre-
sent this resolution on behalf of our Association;
also to argue the case before the committee, which
1 did. There were many other interests repre-
sented at this hearing, but 1 am pleased to report
that we were honored by being called upon to
present the arguments for our Association in ad-
vance of ah the other manufacturing industries.
As the enactment of this legislation would
save us about $2 per gallon on grain alcohol, and
all spirit varnishes or stains in which it is used,
and would also largely reduce the price of wood
alcohol of every grade, besides having a ten-
dency to reduce the price of turpentine, all of
which are largely used by us, I gave this bill my
earnest support and used every influence at my
command to try to have it passed in time for this
convention.
1 am pleased to report that the bill passed the
House of Representatives on April 16, by a vote
of 221 to 7, and is now in the hands of the Sen-
ate Finance Committee. Strong pressure is be-
ing brought on all sides to have it favorably re-
ported by this committee, and if this is done its
passage by the Senate is assured.
President Roosevelt has recently expressed his
desire to have this bill passed in his now famous
message on the Standard Oil inquiry, in which
he said: "It is highly desirable that an element
of competition should be introduced by the pas-
sage of some such law as that which has already
passed the House, putting alcohol used in the arts
and manufactures upon the free list." Therefore,
it is reasonable to suppose that, with such influ-
ences back of it, this bill will become a law, and
that we will profit by it. This is only one of
many ways in which an Association like ours can