Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
RMLW
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
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. B. Spillane, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Second Vice-President, Raymond Bill, 373
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Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques
and
allU
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
regulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
p
a r e dealt with, will be found in another section of
this paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning
which will be cheerfully given upon request.
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Vol. LXX
NEW YORK, JANUARY 17, 1920
No. 3
A DIFFICULT TASK WELL DONE
W
ITH the ending of the three months' strike in the New York
piano factories so far as the manufacturers themselves are
concerned, and with the various organizations approaching a nor-
mal basis, it is well to consider the work 'of those who, as the
appointed and accredited leaders of the manufacturers in their
fight, accomplished so much in bringing the affair to a successful
conclusion.
Upon Max J. deRoche'mont, president of the New York Piano
Manufacturers' Association, rested much of the burden of keeping
the various forces co-ordinated—keeping the manufacturers of one
mind, as it were, and keeping the organization intact and working
toward one definite end. It was no easy task and no previous head
of the local Piano Manufacturers' Association was ever called upon
to face a more serious problem.
The manner in which Mr. deRochemont acquitted himself as
president and in a sense director-general of the manufacturers'
forces reflects credit upon him and upon those who elected him as
their official representative.
During the course of the strike it was natural that there should
crop up at times differences in matter of policy—i-that this or that
manufacturer endeavor to have adopted ideas that he himself con-
sidered offered a solution to certain questions. Mr. deRochemont
stuck to the rule of the majority and in doing so kept everyone
satisfied, and, more important of all, kept the manufacturers to-
gether as a unit. This solidarity was the real secret of their
success.
. There is yet to be heard a manufacturer who is in a mood to
find fault with what has been done by the association president
even though in the heat of the strike the individual manufacturer
might have differed with the majority. With the trouble out of the
way piano men have had a chance to reflect and realize what sacri-
fices have been made by their president in behalf of the trade as a
whole. It has meant in many instances a neglect of personal busi-
ness and resultant financial loss for the purpose of taking care of
official duties. It has meant a nerve-racking strain for weeks.
JANUARY 17, 1920
Certainly Mr. deRochemont has acquitted himself most nobly in
the task that confronted him. He did his best and a little more,
and deserves the congratulation and commendation of the entire
industry.
THE VALUE OF MUSIC MEMORY CONTESTS
M
USIC dealers in those cities where there have been held, or
where it is planned to hold, Music Memory Contests will do
well to study the manner in which such a contest was handled in
Los Angeles recently. The Los Angeles trade did not depend upon
the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music to supply all
the incentive in the form of prizes for the contestants, but the
various music houses supplemented the Bureau's donation with the
contribution of musical instruments and merchandise totaling
nearly $1,000 in value. This was in addition to three $100 scholar-
ships donated by a local woman of prominence.
In view of the interest taken by the members of the trade and
the profession themselves in the contest, is it any wonder that
20,000 school children found it worth while to enter the contest with
all earnestness? With the families and friends of the contestants
naturally interested in the affair, it is absolutely safe to assume
that upward of 50,000 citizens of Los Angeles had some intimate
connection with the contest in some way or another, while many
more thousands were in touch with it through newspaper publicity.
When a Music Memory Contest is conducted on the war basis
adopted in Los Angeles it proves an influence for the cause of
music that has exceptional value.
CHECKING DANGEROUS RADICALISM
I
N view of the disorganized conditions prevailing in the industrial
world, it is interesting to note that the Senate Labor Committee
has arrived at the conclusion that a law creating a Federal "Clearing
House' for labor disputes is an immediate necessity. Such a
governmental measure through its impartiality would be able to bring
about agreements that are now largely impossible. Any form of
legislation that will help to prevent a repetition of the innumerable
"strikes" which have been prevalent in all industries during the
past nine months will be heartily welcomed.
At the present time there is an un-American trend toward
radicalism that is as dangerous as it is disturbing to the har-
mony and good will that has hitherto prevailed among the work-
ers of this nation. The tendency of some so-called labor organ-
izations to pound away on the distinction between class and
class is certainly absurd in America, because the worker of to-
day is the employer of to-morrow. In old worlds, where men are
born into a "class," so to speak, these socialistic diatribes may be
somewhat excusable, but in America they are entirely out of
place. The man who works, backed by intelligence and a de-
sire to win, usually "gets there" no matter how humble his birth.
And this brings to mind some very pertinent remarks of J. H.
Tregoe, of the National Association of Credit Men, who, speak-
ing on "Radicalism vs. Self Control," said:
"The driving wheel of the great engine impresses us with the
precision and ease of its revolutions, but let the wheel become
slightly out of alignment and there will be friction in the bearings
which, continued long enough, will stop the wheel.
"Radicalism is action out of alignment, the only satisfaction in
which is that sooner or later it wears itself out. Our country has
been distinguished for its exuberant spirits, its flexible vitality,
and, we can truly add, its self-control, but against this latter
quality recent events would place a big question mark. Are we
suffering momentarily from intoxication of too much prosperity,
or must this strange excitability go definitely on the liability side
of the nation's balance sheet ?
"Self-control must grip the nation at this serious time. We
must have the courage to say that if looting and rioting are
crimes then the things which inspire looting and rioting are
also criminal. We must stand firmly for law and order in our
political and industrial affairs. Self-control must be in the sad-
dle and radicalism must be rebuked even though it possesses a
self-destructive element. We have confidence in the right think-
ing elements of the nation to appreciate the dangers and the need
of ordering their lives and controlling the actions of others with
a self-possession and a vision which places the nation first."