Music in Australia.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11518, 19 January 1894, Page 3

Music in Australia.

Writing of tho above, a correspondent in ono of tho English Trade Journals remarks, on the peculiar state of the trade in Australia and New Zealand, an immense numbor of vory cheap and almost worthless pianos have been imported by enterprising but unscrupulous general merchants,who, after stocking tho furnilure dealers and auctioneers' rooms,havo hit on the idea of the Pianoforte Agency Manufacturing Company, so called, as a moans of retailing these worthless instruments without risk to themsolves. The purchaser is not aware with whom he is dealin?, no principal names being mado public, and. as a matter of fact, ho is completely at the mercy of Piano Agency Company, which flourishes under some foreign-sounding name, such as The Loipzic and German Manufacturing Company, Ac, Ac; some general fancy goods importer being really tho principal, but does not wish his name to appear for obvious reasons. The writer states that ia somo of tho principal towns in Now Zealand there are several of thoso Piano Agency Companies at work, with sub-agoncies in the smaller towns, usually in the hands of impecunious Piano Tuners and Furniture Dealers, who aro allowed a very liboral commission, of from <£5 per piano, for the purpose of boing tho go-between between theso uooplo and the public. Theso importers of cheap pianos, most of which aro mado in Dresden, are prevented from carrying on their nefarious trade in Victoria by the Customs duty of £5 per piano, which has been put on for the purpose of excluding these rubbishing instruments from that colony, a.id this boing too much for tho merchants (?) to pay on a .Cl2 piano at the factory, they thoreforo rush thorn into New Zealand r.nd Now South Wales, where they are admitted at an ml vednrum duty. Buforo tho advent of tho cheap piano and tho nocesf avy Piano Agennr Company, tho traio wns in the hands of legitimate musical inslruin<tntdpalar;,miiny of whom h'jvo bcion established from 20 to 30 ycucs. and a largo Irado was dono with the bobl. English irid Continental makers; now, eargnos of worlhlens pianos are brought info tho counti y, innocoiit buyers' fleeced, goad instruuwnU depreciated in value, and genuine firms, whose namos are a fiulliviunl giiarontco of the quality of tho instrument offered, suffer. As tho I'i'bsf, both lloma and Colonial, liavo directed nttontion to tliP3o fraudulent Pianos Agency Companies, we think their tleath-knnll has been sounded, and in a little time they will have sunk into o ; livion, especially as tho people are getting every dny more musically educated. — Kstracl from tho English and Colonial P auoforto Gazette, October 7th, 1803. Tin) subject of bogus musical instrument sales has attracted tho attention of t-lio Music Trades Association. It sooms that tiinsciii.4rii\iinnta aro either rubbishing actions put into old cases, or are gonuino old instruments sold as now, or aro chc-ap English instruments sold at Gorman," or pianos sold under various names, though known to emanate from one factory. They aro offered for sale somctimos at auctions in the provinces, toaotimes by advertisement in tho daily papnrs at private houses. The Music Trades Association recently sent an omisf ary to Scotland to assist at somo of these in'us by pointing out to the auctioneer wrong descriptions in the catalogue. It is fair to say that in each case the auctioneer either stopped the sale or sold tho instrument for what it was worth, and with all defects. — Music Trades Review, November 15th, 1893.