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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
no longer a matter of argument that there is a shortage
I T of is player-pianos.
Every manufacturer of whom we have
made inquiry is way behind in his orders, and the prospect of
getting these disposed of before Christmas is beginning to vanish.
If the question were asked why any dealer, in face of the re-
peated warnings given him by manufacturers, traveling repre-
sentatives, and the trade press, should have been slow in getting
his Christmas ordering done, the answer is the familiar word
"Fear." In other words, some retailers have allowed their fears
to run away with them. Seeing the nation entering a great war,
seeing -the enormous sums of money expended by the Govern-
ment, seeing the huge investment in the two Liberty Loans,
some retailers have allowed themselves the luxury of worrying.
Now to worry at this time is distinctly to indulge in a luxury.
For the time expended in so indulging oneself is very much
needed to expedite shipments of player-pianos onto one's floors.
Business, in a word, is extremely active, and all the worry over
the Government's "extravagance" is merely showing that the
resources of the American people are virtually illimitable; and
that, furthermore, the money expended for war purposes is com-
ing back into the pockets of the people as fast as it leaves them.
Prices and the cost of living are high; but the people are pros-
perous. Hence, those who have allowed themselves to worry
about the future and have decided to "wait a bit and see what
happens," have found that they have indeed been indulging in
a most expensive luxury. They have been neglecting oppor-
tunities to do business. And that sort of thing is a luxury indeed.
T
HE shortage of skilled labor which is being felt to an in-
creasing degree in the piano factories, is also not without
its effect upon the purely pneumatic end of the business. In
this respect, however, pneumatic men are better off, for they
already know that women are not only satisfactory, but the best,
employes in certain branches of manufacture. In practically all
the hand work women could be used to advantage, just as they
are now used exclusively in making pneumatics and valves, and
gluing pouchboards. The process of assembling is not what
would be called laborious, whereas it does demand dexterity
and readiness of finger. The mill work is, of course, another
matter, but all such items as the gluing up of bellows, pneumatic
stacks and similar elements, could be done by female labor as
well as any other way; in fact, perhaps better. In any case, it
would seem that the time is rapidly coming when some of these
matters must be looked into seriously and with a view to taking
whatever steps are necessary to meet a situation which will only
be intensified when the second batch of registered men is called
up in the spring. The employment of female labor in player fac-
13
tories is already so familiar a phenomenon that there is no likeli-
hood of any particular difficulty with the male elements. A lot
of plain nonsense has been talked about this matter in connec-
tion with piano making, of course, but that need not discourage
us. The average girl is not going to put on trousers and do
hard labor; nor is such a revolution either necessary or desir-
able. What we can do easily and without introducing industrial,
administrative and social problems of extreme and incalculable
complexity, that we should do, as soon as possible. The war
may be over to-morrow or it may last four or five years; in any
case the profound modifications it will bring in social formations
should be anticipated in industry so far as is possible. The
training and use of women in industry is one of these anticipa-
tions ; and one which will be a problem almost immediately.
T the present time there are something like half a dozen
A
persons and institutions recognized as pursuing the work
of instructing tuners and others in the construction and repair
of player-piano mechanism. The trade has taken a laudable
interest in these ventures and has tried to show its appreciation
by loaning models of actions and by similar courtesies. But,
as time goes on, we are coming to see quite clearly that all this
is but a beginning. To put the matter in a nutshell, the task of
educating the practical man is a task that can only be rightly
fulfilled when every element in the trade is ready to do its share.
It is a job for us all. Finally, one of two things must happen;
either the trade must see to it that all who desire player instruc-
tion may receive it free of all charge to themselves, direct or
indirect; or else, alternately, we must undertake to build up a
national system of apprenticeship. The latter possibility, even
if it were practical, would not touch the men who are already on
the firing line and whose technical instruction is really the most
pressing of our difficulties. The Western tuner may be able to
go to New York. But again the expense may be, and only too
often is, prohibitive, in spite of the free tuition so generously
given to all. Obviously, the only alternative is a Western in-
stitution. But such an institution must be representative as well
as efficient. It must have the support of the whole manufac-
turing trade; and it must draw its title to respect from its official
position as well as from its attainments. It is clear that the
problem, instead of becoming less pressing, is becoming more
so; and it is equally clear that neither the Danquard School, nor
Polk's School, nor any of the others, has yet more than scratched
the surface of the legitimate field for this work. Ultimately, we
feel, Chicago must have an official player school, maintained by
the Western trade, and free to all. Could such an institution be
built up out of the nuclei already existing in and near that city?
A WINNER
FROM A LINE OF WINNERS mimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniHniiiiinniiiiii
This handsome, popular-priced player-roll and
sheet music cabinet is a shining example of
Salter
SEND FOR CATALOG
SALTER MFG. CO.
. Capacity
over 80 player rolls.
339-349 N. Oakley Boulevard
CHICAGO, ILL.