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Music Trade Review.
The Only Music Trade Paper in America, and the Organ of the Music Trade of this Country.
ZET
VOL. IX. No. 16.
1879.
NEW YORK, MARCH 20 TO APRIL 5, 1886.
PUBLISHED * TWICE * EACH * MONTH.
CHARLES AVERY WELLES
AND
JEFF. DA-VIS BILL,
EDITORS AND PKOPHIETOBS.
22 EAST 17th STEEET, NEW YOEK.
SUBSCBIPTION (including postage) United States and Canada,
$3.00 per year, in advance; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per insertion;
unless inserted upon rates made by special contract.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Secmul Class Matter.
A SOLUTION OF THE SILVER PROBLEM.
Continued from our last issue.)
E may have kept silver from falling as low
in price as it might have done without our
action, bat if it is for the mutual advantage
of nations to again use silver as a full legal tender,
why should it be brought about at our sole cost and
risk.
We have already supplied our own wants, why not
stop the coinage now ? If the price of silver con-
tinues to fall, and it Bhould be for our or the mutual
interest hereafter to renew the coinage, we can
again resume it after negotiations, or when our need
is made apparent.
It would seem proper and best for Congress at
once to repeal the compulsory coinage act of Febru-
ary, 1878, and as fast as the legal-tender notes of the
denominations of one and two dollars are sent in for
renewal, the amount of which is about forty-six
millions, to replace them with silver dollars ; like
action to be taken with a sufficient amount of the
five dollar notes, to absorb the balance of the
seventy-three million silver dollars belonging to the
Treasury.
If the coined dollars are objected to on account of
bulk and weight, silver certificates might be issued
to represent them, of like denominations with the
retired legal tender notes. The smallest silver note
now authorized is of the denomination of ten dollars.
Let gold, silver dollars and legal tender notes be
made interchangeable by law, giving to the holder
of each the right to demand from the Treasury at
any time the exchange of one for the other.
If the one, two and live dollar silver notes are not
issued in excess of the present or increased needs,
from time to time, of the population, they will all be
absorbed in the currency for domestic exchanges,
and the time will never arrive, probably, when gold will
bedemanded in exchange for them merely for the sake
of handling it, as two hundred and fifteen million sil-
ver dollar currency can always be kept afloat; should
any doubt arise on this point, the issue of legal ten-
der or national bank notes of denominations below
ten or twenty dollars might be prohibited by law.
If, in the future, by increased domestic activity
and population, a further amount of silver dollars
should be required, authority might be given for the
additional coinage on a deposit of gold coin or gold
bullion, at the option of the Government, which would
first assure itself that it was needed in the currency,
and not coin the dollars at the request of speculators
for a rise in silver. Or, the larger denominations of
silver notes could be exchanged and then destroyed
on the issuing of small notes, if they only were de-
manded.
With the modifications suggested, a composite
legal-tender would be established, with three kinds
W
m_ cL e cL
of currency floating together, of equal value in the
estimation of the people, and the danger of losing the
most valuable one by an adverse foreign exchange
would be dispelled, and the doubt and hesitation now
so general on account of our deranged currency,
would vanish.
Should England, Germany, and all the gold stand-
ard nations increase their silver coinage to an amount
somewhat less than the requirements of each for its
domestic exchanges, many millions in value of silver
bullion would be required; larger markets and in-
creased demand would advance the market price and
tend to keep it steadier in value. The use of gold
would be economized, the fear of scarcity of this
metal would be allayed, silver being used to a greater
extent, and each in its proper sphere; but by their
ability to be interchanged, the standard would be
gold, and the final solution of the silver problem,
which now vexes the world, would be found.
$3.00 PER YKAR.
SINGLE COPIFS, 15 CENTS.
parts of the United States. It required no little
courage on the part of of this firm to locate its busi-
ness here, in spite of the prejudice that had to be
overcome, from the fact that the former Ithaca Or-
gan Company had greatly injured the reputation of
Ithaca pianos by the manner in which they did
business.
The reporter was shown through the vnrWis de-
partments of the factory, in which old and skillful
piano-makers were busily engaged in the various
branches of manufacture. He was informed that
the workmen had all come from the best shops of
New York and Boston. In the smallest details
an unusual degree of solidity and finish was
noticeable. The piano cases are all double veneered
with the choicest woods, such as rosewood, ma-
hogany and French walnut. The actions, the keys
and the music wires were all demonstrated to be Ihe
best in the market. In examining the finished in-
struments, one was noticed ready for shipment,
JOHN P. TOWNSEND,
which produced an unusually sweet and sympathetic
41 Broad street, New York City.
and yet powerful tone. The claim of the firm that
these pianos defy competition was in the reporter's
THE HERRBURGER-SCHWANDER ACTION. mind certainly a substantial one, and it is difficult
to see how the most critical musician can here fail to
HE houses of Herrburger-Schwander, was find his choice. To skill and care in the execution
founded by Mr. Jean Schwander father-in- of details are due the high rank which the firm sus-
law of Mr. Joseph Herrburger, in 1844. Mr. tains in the art of piano making.
Herrburger entered the factory shortly after its
The town may well be proud of having such an en-
establishment and immediately commenced devising terprise in its midst. At no distant day this firm
various machinery by which the work was done well will, without doubt, rank among the most celebrated
and economically. There is probably no house in the in the country, and it is not to be wondered at that
world, having such large variety of excellent ma- the firm is offered inducements to locate in other
chinery, all of which are the invention of the pre- places. But it is to be hoped that Ithaca will not be
sent Mr. Herrburger and his son, who is also ac- deprived of this enterprising and successful establish-
tively engaged in the factory. The F system of ment.—Ithaca Democrat.
action was patented by Mr. Schwander in 1854, and
was at once adopted by the makers of both hemi-
THE OLD PLAN AND THE NEW.
pheres, and is to-day in general use in America. In
1877 the firm patented their Rhybe R actions. This is
Mr. James F. Morse, Vice-Presidentof the Security
an action the construction of which requires no
Benefit Society of New York, No. 233 Broad-
tapes, and is specially to be recommended for its Mutual
way, has recently placed insurance to the amount of
simplicity, promptness to the touch, and extraor- $100,000 on the lives of ex-Senator Arkell and his
dinary repetition power; it is to-day used by several son, W. J. Arkell, proprietor of the Albany Evening
of the most prominent makers in this country. Journal and the Judge. This insurance has been
placed in the above-named and other leading com-
Among the recent inventions of the firm, are an im- panies doing business on the assessment plan. The
proved sticker action, and a system of action rails, annual cost of carrying it will be about $000. In the
old life or level premium companies the cost would
made entirely of wrought iron.
six or seven times as much annually. The Arkells
The advantage of rails made in this way is ap- be
are among the leading business men of the country,
parent to every practical piano maker, without and their indorsement of this method of lite insur-
further comment; letters patents for this have ance will carry weight in the business community.—
been applied for. To give an idea of the magni- New York World.
tude of the capacity of the house of Herrburger-
[We are informed that the exact annual cost of
Schwander, we would state that the amount of carrying the above amount of insurance on the old
lumber kept in their yards will average $100,000, none plan, would be four thousand five hundred] dollars.
of the lumber is ever used, unless thoroughly season- The Security Mutual Benefit Society was incorpor-
ed by being kept in the yards at least five years, and ated in 1881, and the average cost for assessments to
then passing through a drying process of their own a member forty years of age, has been less than five
contrivance.
dollars a year for each one thousand dollars of insur-
All the sawing—in fact all the work in all its de- ance.—Eds. Music TBA.DE REVIEW.]
tails—is done at the factory, and 600 workmen are con-
stantly kept employed, with yearly out put of about
PATENTS.
25,000 actions. Wm, Tonk & Brother, agents for the
United States for these actions.
Pianoforte, Guild & Burnham, 336.5G5.
Music sheet and book supporter for pianos and
A PRIDE AMONG ITHACA'S INDUSTRIES. organs, H. Worrall, 336,613.
Making music strips, R. Butterworth, 337,304.
N making the rounds of the village, to-day, our re-
Musical key indicator, O. H. Goodwin, 337,320.
porter dropped into the piano factory of Wegman
Organ stop action, combination, W. H. Price, Jr.,
& Henning, corner of State and Albany streets, 337,348.
and was not a little surprised to observe a scene of
Pneumatic action for organs, I. Bassett, 336,982.
such activity there presented. This firm is turning
Pneumatic action for organs, C. S. Haskell, 337,326.
out pianos as fast as their facilities and .capital will
Device for securing violin bows, C. F. Harrington
allow, and orders are rapidly coming in from all 337,059.
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