Music in Australasia.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11919, 20 January 1894, Page 3

Music in Australasia.

Writing of tho iibow, a correspondent in ono of tho English Trade Journals remarks, on tho peculiar stute of the trade in Australia and Now Kwilnud, an immonso numbor of very cheap and almost worthless pianos havo beon imported by enterprising but unscrupulous Konoral morchants, wlio, after stocking tho furniture dealers and auctioneers' rooins,havo hit on tho idea of the Pianoforte Agoncy Manufacturing Company, so called, us a means of retailing thoso worthless instruments without risk to themselves. The purchaser is not awaro with whom ho is dwvlinc, uo principal names being made public, and. as a mattor of fad, ho is completely at tho mercy of Piauo Agoncy Company, which flourishes under somn foreign-soundiug name, such as Tbo Loipzic and Gorman Mnnufacturing Company, &c, &c; sonio general fancy goods importer boing roally the principal, but does not wish his name to appear for obvious reasons. Tho writer stater, that i>i somo of the principal towns in Now Zealand thore are several of fcheao Piano Agoncy Companies at work, with sub-agencies in tho smaller towns, usually in the hand* of impecunious Piano Timers and Furniture Dealers, who tiro allowed a vory liberal commission, of from d£s per piano, for the purpose of being tho go-between betwoea those uuople and the public. These importers of cheap pianos, most of which are made in Dresden, aro provented from carrying on their nefarious trade in Victoria by tho Customs duty of £5 por pinuo, which has been put on for the purposo of excluding theso rubbishing instruments from that colony, aad this boinfj ton much for the merchants (?) to pay on a .£l2 piano at the factory, they therefore rush them into Now Zealand and New South Wales, where they are admitted at an ad valonim duty. Before the advent of the choap piano and the necessary Piano Agencv Company, the trade was in the hands of legitimate musical instrument dealers.many of whom havo been established from 20 to 30 years, and a large trade was dono with the best. English and Continental makers ; now, cargoes of worthless pianos are brought into the country, innocent buyors fleeced, good instruments depreciated in value, and gonuiuo firms, whose names aro a sufficient guarantee of the quality of the instrument offered, suffer. As the Press, both Hoaie and Colonial, have directed attention to these fraudulent Pianos Agoncy Companies, we think their death-knell has boen sounded, and in a little timo they will bave sunk into oblivion, especially as the people are getting every day more musically educated. —Extract from the English and Colonial Pianoforte Gazette, October 7th, 1893. Tho subject of bogus musical instrument sales has attracted the attention of tho Music Trades Association. It seems that these instruments are either rubbishing actions put into old cases, or are genuine old instruments sold as new, or ato cheap English instruments sold ai German," or pianos sold under various names, though known, to emanate from one factory. They are offered for sale sometimes at auctions in tho provinces, sometimes by advertisement in the daily papers at private houses. Tho Music Trades Association recently sent an emissary to Scotland to assist at some of these salos by pointing out to tho auctioneer wrong descriptions in the catalogue. It is fair to say that in oach case the auctioneer either stopped the sale or sold the instrument for wbut it was worth, and with all defects. — Music Trades Koview, November lOfch, 1893. ■»!—■»■■■■ 111! I II -I 111 II !■■ I I I— >l «— W«