To the Editor of the "Norru-Cuina Dairy News."
Sir,—Advertisements in recent issues of your paper rewind us that the concert season is again rapidly approaching. Is it permissible to refer to the correspondence of your issues of April, 1919. In a letter by "Concertgoer" of April 9, 1919, I suggested the acquisition by the S.ALC. of a very specially fine Sternway orchestral grand piano, then available, owing to accidental circumstances. My letter gave the advantages of such a course, and was only sent for publication after it had been debated with, and approved, by others in responsible positions here. The proposal had a good chance of materializing. It was dropped completely because, in a letter published in your issue of the following day, dated April 10, 1919, Messrs. Moutrie & Ca. stated that they had already on order from Sternway a similar orchestral grand piano which they promised should be available for the concert season of that year, ie. 1919. In view of such enterprise by a local taxi ing firm. it would have been obviously unfair for the S.M.C. to compete and spoil their market. Consequently my proposal was dropped at once. Meanwhile it is justifiable to remark that the piano promised by Messrs. Moutrie did not appear last year, and so far as I can judge by their advertisements no such Sternway orchestral grand piano has been landed here since. May it be asked whether there is any chance of suclr piano for this season? If not. surely some explanation is due to the public, in view of the unprecedented opportunity which' was lost in April, 1919.
T am, ete., Shanghai. Oct. 14.
So far as we can learn there is no chance of the piano in question being here in time for the opening of the coming concert season and very little prospect of its being here even for the close. So much is borne out in recent communications from Messrs. Sternway. At the time the order was given it was anticipated that the customary six ay eight months would be all that was necessary, as it was not generally realized then that production would fall so far short of demand. Unfortunately output has been tar short of the number wanted, and hence the numerous disappointments in matters musical.—Ed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.