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PUBLIC LIBRARY
779878
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VOL. LXVII. No. 1
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., at 373 4th Ave., New York. July 6, 1918
Single Copies 10 Cents
$2.00 Per Year
Problems in the Piano Business
T
HE two big' problems in the piano business to-day are those of obtaining raw materials, particularly
steel, and of securing- labor, and of these two problems that of labor is by far the most serious.
The steel shortage may perhaps be an intermittent factor, as the available supplies are distributed
systematically. The labor question is going to become worse before it is any better. War conditions
demand that it must be so.
No less an authority than Mark Sullivan, of Collier's Weekly, who has all the available statistics at
Washington upon which to base his statements, estimates the man power of the United States at something
like 35,000,000, and at the same time declares that, based upon figures which can be considered more or less
accurate, nearly one-half of that available man power, or between 17,000,000 and 18,000,000 men, will soon be
engaged in active war work. Of these, something like three million of the country's manhood are in the
fighting forces, and more are added constantly. Then there are millions more in the shipyards and in the
factories working to produce the things necessary to carry on the war and to supply the fighting forces.
In normal times it is estimated that something like 12,000,000 men are engaged in agricultural work as
farmers or farm helpers, and this vast army must remain intact, or practically so, to prevent this country and
her allies from facing starvation.
The sum and substance of the matter is that the man power not engaged in agricultural pursuits is
approximately 24,000,000, and of these 24,000,000 three-quarters have given or will soon give up civil pursuits
to assist in the war in some way. It seems, in short, that the man power left for the industries of peace has
been cut close to 75 per cent, and under such conditions peace industries cannot hope to carry on business as
usual, or anything like as usual, despite the slogans of the optimists.
A partial answer to the labor problem as seen by experts is divided between the employment of women
in factories and the use of improved machinery. It may be said that although the piano industry as a whole
has not felt the full force of the reduction in man power up to the present time, the trade has seen light, and
has applied both remedies with more or less success.
Women are finding a place in piano factories all over the country, and their number is steadily increasing.
New machinery equipment and improved manufacturing methods have been installed to a considerable extent,
and thought has been given by foresighted members of the trade to methods for offsetting the labor loss.
The campaign for the standardizing of supplies and piano case designs, and the most recent campaign for
a more general adoption of the dull finish for pianos, have as the basic idea the conservation of labor, but the
members of the trade must not rest at this point.
The situation is serious and continues to grow more serious, and every thought should be given by the
practical man to ways and nieans for saving something, no matter how little, in the labor that goes into piano
making. If it is only the installation of an overhead carrier that permits of one man moving a piano about
by himself, that installation may possibly free two or more employes for other work, or fill the gap left by
employes who have left, and once having conceived and carried out an idea, the thing to do is to let the other
fellow know about it.
Views regarding competition in piano manufacturing have undergone a tremendous change in the past
year or two. Tactics that keep one concern going at the expense of others in the field may bring temporary
profit, but the reaction is as liable as not to affect the trade as a whole.
The strength of the individual piano manufacturer during the period of the war is going to depend largely
upon the strength of the industry, and it is only by appreciating this angle and fostering the spirit of co-operation,
that the individual manufacturer can insure himself some protection at least for his own interests. It is a case
of meeting conditions, and not of moulding conditions to meet the individual idea. __
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