Music in Australasia.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11920, 23 January 1894, Page 3

Music in Australasia.

Writing of the above, a correspondent in one of tho English Trade Journals ibmarks, on tlio peculiar state cf the tradu iv Australia and New Zealaud, an immense number of very cheap and almost worth lot s pianos have been imported by enterprising but unscrupulous general inorchautp, who, after stocking the furniture dealers and auctioneers' rooms,have hit on tho idea of the Pianoforte Agency Manufacturing Company, so called, as a means of retailing these worthless instruments without risk to themselves. The purchasor is not aware with whom he is dealing, no principal names being made public, and. as a matter of fact, he is completely at th» morcy of Piano Agency Company, which flourishes under some foroign-sounding name, Buch as The Leipzic and German Manufacturing Company, &c, &c; some general fancy goods importer being really {ho principal, but does not wish his namo to appear for obvious reasons. The writer states that in some of Uiu principal towns in New Zealand thoro uro BOvornl of these Piano Agency Companies at work, with sub-agencios in tho smaller • towns, usually in the hands of impecunious Piano Tunors and Furniture Dealors, who are allowed a very liberal commission, of from £5 per piano, for the purpose of being the go-between between these Tjeople and the public. These importers of cheap pianos, most of which are made in Dresden, are pievented from carrying on their nefarious trade in yiotoria by the Customs duty of JES per piano, which has been put on for the purpose of excluding these rubbishing instruments from that colony, aad this being too much for the merchants (?) to pay on a .£l2 piano at the factory, they therefore rush them into New Zealand and New South Wales, where they are admitted at an ad valorum duty; Before the advent of the cheap piano and the necessary Piano Agency Company, the trade was in the hands of legitimate musical instrumentdealers,many of whom have beon established from 20 to SO years, and a largo trade was dono with the beet English and Continental makers j now, cargoes of worthless pianos are brought into the country, innocent buyers fleeced, good instruments depreciated in value, and genuine firms, whoso names are a suflicient guarantee of the quality of the . inttrument offered, suffer. • As the Press, both Home and Colonial, hiwo directed attention to theso fraudulent Pianos Agoncy Companios, we think their death-knell has been sounded, and in a little time they will have 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. The subject of bogus musical instrument sales has attracted the attention of tho Music Trades Association. It seems that these instruments are either rubbishing notions put into old caßes, or are genuine old inbtruinents sold as now, or are cheap English instruments sold as Gorman, or pianos sold under various names, though known to omauata from one factory. Thoy aro offered for sale sometimes at auctions in tho provinces, Boaotimes by advertisement in the daily papers at private houses. The Music Trades Association recently sent an omissary to Scotland to aßsist at some of those rales by pointing out to the auctioneer wrong deßcriptions in the catalogue. It is fair to say fhat in each case the < auctioneer either stopped the sale or sold the instrument for what it was worth, and with all defects.— Music Trades Review, N^ember 15th, 1893.