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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
POSSIBILITIES FOR FEMALE LABOR IN PIANO PLANTS—(Continued from page 7)
a common sight in many sections in Europe, is
still unpalatable to the writer.
"On the other hand, I do believe there are
many branches of the player action industry, in
a plant such as ours, where the tremendous
amount of production gives opportunity for in-
dividual specialization in the various operations,
for female labor can be utilized in a much higher
percentage than at present, and should neces-
sity arise we will undoubtedly take advantage
of our unique position and substitute female
help.
"For the present, however, and for the rea-
sons above stated, our effort is directed more to
compensate for any defection of male help by
introducing new methods, new labor saving de-
vices and by of-
fering the m e n
opportunities for
greater
wage
earnings, to speed
up to absolute
maximum the in-
dividual effort of
e a c h male em-
ploye. It is sur-
prising what can
be done a l o n g
these lines if the
men are not only
made to see the
advantage to be
gained in dollars
and c e n t s for
t h e i r individual
pockets, but are
actually
trained
to develop t h e
habit of thinking
Girls Making Bellows in Standard Pneumatic Action Co.'s Plant
try of late as a result of what has been forced out ways and means to produce pecuniary bene-
upon European countries, due to the scarcity fits for the fellow alongside. We are firm be-
of male help, and from the examples laid be- lievers here in the setting up of a goal and that
fore us it would seem that female labor is goal must be reached! Certain agitators and
capable of being substituted for nearly every other well meant persons often claim that it is
form of physical effort," declared J. A. LeCato, possible to produce as much work in short hours
president of the Standard Pneumatic Action Co., as is generally done within a longer period. Our
experience has invariably proved quite the con-
New York.
"I doubt, however, whether this could be trary. When our men work beyond the nor-
brought about in our own country, mainly for mal period—that is to say, when necessity re-
quires a twelve-hour working day—we take good
care to see that food is freely supplied without
charge; in other words, we keep fuel under the
boiler, and with this and proper compensation
for overtime our men find it no hardship to
work at top speed and to make the proverbial
'two blades' grow.
"Of course, we have always had a girls' de-
partment and a healthier, more happy looking
lot of one hundred and fifty female employes I
doubt can be found anywhere. The operations
they perform are strictly work for feminine fin-
gers, and I doubt if it would be possible to pro-
cure male hands that can assemble the delicate
parts on which they work with anything like
the delicacy or rapidity of our trained female
help."
The use of women in piano factories in Great
Britain during the war has already been com-
mented upon in The Review, and there is hard-
ly a department in the British factories in
which they have not found a place. In fact,
some plants have even gone so far as to em-
ploy female superintendents, or assistant super-
intendents to have direct charge of the women
employes.
A prominent talking machine man of Great
Girls Working on a Piano
the reason that, speaking plainly, we have never Britain in a recent interview declared: "Eng-
trained our womankind in the art of being more land is 100 per cent, better off to-day because
or less of a dray horse, as, I am sorry to say, she had to bring in women. It has made manu-
has been done in a great many parts of the facturers bring their plants up-to-date. The Eng-
old country for generations, and I hope that lishman wouldn't take out his own machinery
the day will never come when we shall see our until it fell apart. It was very heavy and did
women employed in sweeping the streets, han- not fall apart for centuries. The Ministry of
dling sledges in foundries or employed at kin- Munitions has been asking the manufacturers,
dred efforts, no matter how severe the exig- 'How many of these can you make a week?'
" 'A thousand,' the manufacturers answer.
encies of war may become.
" 'All right; we'll send you some new ma-
"The sight of a woman being compelled to
work in the open fields under the hot sun with chinery and you can make 10,000 a week.'
" 'Can't get the men.'
calloused hands and toughened sinews, which is
derstand what they are supposed to do, go right
ahead and handle the work very efficiently. We
have women operating the swing saw and
jointer. One woman is an excellent cabinet
maker, one operates a continuous feed glue
jointer, and others operate shaping machines and
polishers.
"In addition we are using labor of this kind
on sanding machines in our trimming and as-
sembling rooms, and in our staining and filling
departments. We have adapted our factory to
take care of them. By this I mean we have
placed dressing rooms around the factory con-
veniently located, and have tried to make things
as pleasant for them as possible."
"Female labor has been agitated in this cnun-
" 'Use women,' the Government answers. 1
know that with the new improved automatic
machinery they can be used to advantage; and
the private employer is likewise finding this out.
"One thing for the American employer to be
careful about is to get girls as nearly as pos-
Girl Regulating a Piano Action
sible adapted physically and by experience to
the new job," he concluded.
Inasmuch as piano manufacturers have for the
most part agreed that female labor may have to
be depended upon to solve the present problem
of securing piano factory operatives, it would
seem that now is the time for making experi-
ments and keeping the trade generally advised
regarding such experiments and their results.
If women are tried out in various departments
and found unable to meet requirements, it
would be possible to adjust the factory forces
so that the male labor can be concentrated in
such departments.
To wait until the labor
situation develops to a point where quick action
is forced, means that experimenting must be
done under conditions that to say the least will
prove unprofitable. It is time for members of
the trade to get together and exchange experi-
ences regarding labor and other matters. It is
a question that faces the entire industry. The
fact that one manufacturer in these times can
keep his factory running on full time himself,
does not say that the situation is relieved. It
simply indicates that some other factories are
suffering an increased shortage of labor as a
result. The manufacturer who makes public
the results of his experiments in the solution of
the labor problem may be aiding a competitor,
but he is likewise aiding the trade as a whole,
and aiding the trade, in the long run, means
aiding himself.
MEETING OF TECHNICIANS POSTPONED
CHICAGO, I I I . , December 3.—It is announced
that the unusually large amount of work neces-
sitated by abnormal conditions and the increased
demands upon the activities of all concerned in
the future welfare of the trade, has forced the
postponement of the meeting of piano tech-
nicians Wednesday evening, December 5. Due
notice will be given of the next meeting and the
subject for discussion at that time.
DEATH OF VETERAN DEALER
LAFAYETTE, IND,, December 3.—Hugh S. Jami-
son, who was engaged in the piano business in
this city for nearly fifty years, died recently of
heart failure.
He was born in Greensburg,
Ind., eighty years ago. He is survived by a
widow and three children, two of whom are
sons who were associated with him in the piano
business.