Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
REVIEW
AUGUST 20, 1921
be during the coming six months, and should be willing to supply
the manufacturer with that information simply to insure deliveries
when he wants them.
KEEP UP THE TAX FIGHT!
A
LTHOUGH we are fast approaching the last ditch in the Fed-
eral tax revision fight, that fact should stimulate rather than
retard the efforts of the members of the trade to have the members
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
of the Ways and Means Committee, and the various Federal execu-
President and Treasurer, C. L. Bill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Vice-President,
J. B. Spillane, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Second Vice-President, Raymond Bill, 373
tives who are interested in the tax measure, take cognizance of the
Fourth Ave., New York; Secretary, Edward Lyman Bill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York;
Assistant Treasurer, Wm. A. Low.
rights of the industry, and particularly its insistence that discrimina-
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
tory excise taxes be abolished.
RAY BILL, B. B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors
The Music Industries Chamber of Commerce has endeavored to
WILSON D. BUSH, Managing Editor
guide
the members of the industry as to the proper individuals to
CARLETON CHACE, Business Manager
whom
protest should be made, has called attention to the psycho-
L. E. BOWERS, Circulation Manager
logical
moment for.making such protest, and has also compiled and
Executive and Reportorlal Staff
published
arguments that are logical and should be effective. For
EDWARD VAN HARLINGEN, V. D. WALSH, E. B. MUNCH, LEE ROBINSON, C. R. TIGHE,
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, SCOTT KINGWILL, THOS. W. BRESNAHAN, A. J. NICKLIN.
many
weeks
George W. Pound, general counsel of the Chamber,
WESTERN DIVISION:
BOSTON OFFICE:
Republic Bldg., 209 So. State St., Chicago.
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
has
been
in
Washington
constantly keeping in close touch with the
Telephone, Wabash 5242-5243.
Telephone, Main 6950.
LONDON. ENGLAND: 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall St., D. C.
progress of the tax bill and other matters and advising the industry
NEWS SERVICE IS SUPPLIED WEEKLY BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
of what was being done.
LOCATED IN THE LEADING CITIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA.
The effectiveness of this centralized effort naturally depends
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
upon the assistance given by the individual manufacturer or mer-
Entered as second-class matter September 10, 1892, at the post office at New York, N. Y.,
chant, who, as the constituent of this or that influential Congressman,
under the Act of March 3, 1879.
can bring pressure to bear on that Congressman to the end of
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50; all other countries, $5.00.
having him regard excise taxes as unfair and a burden on an in-
ADVERTISEMENTS, $6.00 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising pages, $150.
dustry that stands high in this country.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill, Inc.
The apparent disinclination of the national legislators to adopt
P1«VAP p i n n A a n d
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
the
commodity
sales tax plan as a substitute for present discrimina-
• l a j c l ' l lallU
flllU
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
I W h n i n a l I t o n a r t m o n t e regulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
tory
and
burdensome
taxes and the failure of existing tentative
I c l l l l l l l a l i f C p a l Illicit IS 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
programs
to
mention
anything
about the elimination of excise taxes
which will be cheerfully given upon request.
makes it particularly necessary that members of the music industry
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
for their own protection carry the light to the last ditch if only for
Grand Frix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal
Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma...-. Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
the
moral effect that such united protests will have.
Gold Medal—Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
The fight may be drawing to a close, but it is not yet too late
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES—NUMBERS 5982—5983 MADISON SQ.
Connecting all Departments
to
keep
the battle going.
Cable Address: "Elblll, New York"
Vol. LXX1II
NEW YORK, AUGUST 20, 1921
No. 8
ORDERING STOCK FOR THE FUTURE
R
EPORTS from the piano manufacturers are to the effect that
orders from dealers are increasing in number, although the
volume of such orders is still away below par. The character of
orders seems to indicate that many dealers persist in operating on
a hand-to-mouth basis, selling one piano before they order another,
and keeping wareroom stock down to a minimum on the assumption
that should they want instruments quickly the manufacturer will be
in the position and in the mood to render quick service.
The question is just how long this policy on the part of the
dealer can be maintained successfully. Retail sales are evidently
on the increase, and should they improve in accordance with the
predictions now' being made it is but a matter of time when the
factories will have more of these small orders for quick delivery
than can be taken care of conveniently.
The manufacturer of necessity must depend upon the dealer to
give him some idea of what his (the dealer's) requirements will be.
The manufacturer must have this information in order to make
his business plans for the months to come, place his orders for
supplies and adjust his organization. He cannot be expected to make
his preparations on a 100 per cent basis and do all the gambling for
the dealer, nor can he be expected to make up and keep on hand
a heavy reserve stock as a matter of accommodation for the retailer
who is "playing them close to his chest."
Should business develop to a normal average within the next
few weeks there may be expected some interesting happenings, not
all of them pleasant. It will not be very satisfying to the active
retailer to find himself short of instruments in what is apparently
a land of plenty, but he will have to remember that pianos are not
turned out overnight and that he must do his share of waiting.
This is not to say that the retailer should do heavy ordering in
anticipation of Fall and Winter business, or that he should tie him-
self up badly financially simply as an accommodation to the manu-
facturer, but the dealer who plans to stay in business for the next
year has at least some idea of what his minimum requirements will
ORATORY OF DOUBTFUL VALUE
I
N these days when there are so many interesting business subjects
to be talked over in association meetings there is developing
among organization members as a whole a decided opposition to the
practice of inviting speakers outside of trade circles to deliver ad-
dresses on general subjects. This practice undoubtedly developed
largely during the period when the chief subject for association dis-
cussion was the shortage of goods, and when the members of the
trade proper had little to offer in the way of real information.
Nowadays, however, salesmanship, business economics and credit
matters are the topics of the hour and offer a sufficient variety of
problems to provide material for almost endless discussion.
The practice of inviting outside speakers, first, to association
banquets, which were more or less social affairs, and then to asso-
ciation meetings, was started innocently enough but has developed
to a point where it is regarded by many organization members as
little short of a nuisance.
We have heard bankers, for instance, bore piano men to death
for an hour or more with details and technical descriptions of
banking methods without telling those same piano men any one thing
that could be used to advantage in improving the relationship between
the piano man and his own banker, or which might be calculated to
improve his financial system. We have heard export men and others
launch into long talks on the merchant marine, quoting a wealth of
statistics on dead-weight tonnage, the volume of trade in this or that
section of the world, and facts which, although perhaps accurate, had
nothing to do directly or indirectly with the piano business.
We have heard legislators hand out their best oratory, fre-
quently of mediocre quality, for a lengthy period and then at the
close of their addresses profess entire ignorance of piano trade
matters and of legislation in which the industry is directly interested.
If entertainment is desired there are outside speakers who
make a specialty of providing it, but there are a surprising number
of trade members who have become quite frank in their condemna-
tion of the practice of inviting a man to address a gathering not
because he can tell them anything of value to them, but because his
name happens to be among the "Who's Who" of big men.