Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
10
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
BRINGING THE SKILLED WORKER AND THE JOB TOGETHER
The United States Employment Service Has Opened a Special Office in New York City, Where
Skilled Workmen Will Be Aided in Finding Positions—A Great Help to Manufacturers
To assist in bringing the skilled man and the
"skilled" job together, the United States Em-
ployment Service, Department of Labor, has
opened a practical demonstrating office, the first
of its kind in the country, at 1184 Broadway,
New York City. Here are being applied the
latest and most approved methods of interview-
ing and placing skilled workers from the army,
navy and war work plants, scientifically match-
ing the man and the job.
The problem of redistributing the workers
released by the changed conditions following the
signing of the armistice called for more than
the mere bringing together of the "manless
job" and the "jobless man." The two must in
every instance fit. This meant that not only the
physical layout for interviewing applicants for
the jobs, to bring out the story of their train-
ing and experience, must be provided, but that
definite methods of determining the extent of
their knowledge and skill must be devised and
applied systematically and scientifically. These
two tasks have been undertaken by the Skilled
Labor Section, thus far with marked success.
Skilled mechanics and their helpers only are
registered for placement, the function of the
office being to determine the fitness of appli-
cants for the positions they seek, for reference
to opportunities for employment may depend
upon other elements than trade ability, such as
education, age, experience, physique and the
like, and the technical interview is relied upon
only to determine the degree of trade ability
and skill actually possessed, which enables the
service to refer only suitable applicants to the
employer and from which the latter may make
his selections.
In laying out and equipping the office special
care has been taken to so arrange that the appli-
cant may receive, without unnecessary loss of
time to himself, an interview as nearly private
as possible. To accomplish this the office has
been divided into units, each of which forms a
private office for an interviewer and his clerk
and the handling of certain groups of trades-
men, thus enabling the interviewer to become
familiar with his particular group, and related
opportunities for employment.
A preliminary interviewer receives the appli-
cant and directs him to the unit where his case
may be most expeditiously handled. Arriving
5 feet
3K inches
Mahogany
Only
at the proper unit, the candidate is seated at
the interviewer's desk in perfect privacy, so
far as the rest of the office is concerned, which
is considered a vital factor in the interview.
The interview completed, the applicant is
passed to the interviewer's clerk, who makes the
necessary records and furnishes the candidate
with a card of introduction to the prospective
employer. By this assignment of a clerk to each
examiner the latter is left free for registration
and placement work and is in a better position
to maintain the necessary contact with the em-
ployers he is serving. The records and statis-
tical work of the entire office are handled by
units and performed by the interviewer's clerk.
This unit system permits the application of the
general scheme of physical layout to any load of
business.
Now that the demobilization is becoming
heavier the need for assimilating labor of all
classes as rapidly as possible is an urgent one,
nor can normal business conditions be fully re-
stored until this is done. For this reason, em-
ployers needing skilled labor are urged to reg-
ister their needs, present and future, with the
Skilled Labor Section at the earliest possible
moment.
BANKRUPTCIES^ DECREASE
TWIN CITY TRADE SATISFACTORY
Insolvency Figures for First Part of Year En-
couraging, Dun's Review Says
Piano Dealers in Minneapolis and St. Paul Re-
port Good Business—Foster & Waldo Busy—
Raudenbush Factory Working Overtime
The far-re;iching industrial changes made nec-
essary by the readjustment from a war to a
peace basis have thus far not been reflected in
the insolvency figures, according to R. G. Dun
& Co. Their Review says:
"Following January's remarkably favorable
exhibit, commercial defaults in the shorter
month of February disclose further reduction,
numbering only 602 in the United States and
supplying $11,489,183 of liabilities, exclusive of
receiverships of three traction, light and power
companies in the South, involving upwards of
$20,000,000. With these bankruptcies eliminated,
the February failures contrast with 673 in Jan-
uary for $10,736,398 and 980 reverses for $12,-
829,182 in February of 1918, when the showing
was considered highly gratifying.
"Although the February indebtedness is some
$750,000 above that of January, it is less than
in any other month since last August and is the
lightest of any February back to 1907, while the
number of insolvencies is not only seventy-one
below that of January but is the smallest of
any February on record. Comparing with the
2,278 defaults for $32,404,630 of February, 1915—
the top point for the period—the numerical de-
crease is 1,676, or 73.6 per cent., and the con-
traction in amount $20,915,447, or 64.5 per cent."
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, MINN., March 3.—
Midwinter trade in the Twin Cities has been ex-
ceptionally satisfactory with the majority of
the dealers. Pianos are in demand notwith-
standing the appeals of other institutions, and
the dealers have no fault to find with their
patronage. They complain that it is almost
impossible to obtain a sufficient number of cer-
tain first-class sellers, but are assured that the
factories soon will be equipped to meet all reg-
ular orders.
The Metropolitan Music Co.'s people assert
that they could sell more pianos if President
Edward R. Dyer only would obtain the instru-
ments. The sheet music department fairly is
swamped with customers.
Foster & Waldo's place continues to resemble
a hive of industry. The house has worked up
a tremendous phonograph record clientele, and
at times it almost submerges the big floor staff.
Some exceptionally fine grand piano sales were
made last week.
Word was rceived by R. O. Foster Saturday
that G. W. Pound had been summoned to Wash-
ington on important legislation and in conse-
quence his Western trip had been postponed.
It is to be hoped that this does not mean an
abandonment of Mr. Pound's journey.
The Raudenbush piano factory is working on
F. K. Griffith, of the Griffith Piano Co., Pater-
a
pre-war schedule, but already is oversold for
son, N. J., has bought a new home at 59 Pros-
pect avenue, Montclair, N. J. The property is a two months. According to F. H. Raudenbush,
handsome Colonial mansion, and the price is acting manager, the house never has enjoyed
such prosperity as the present.
said to have been approximately $25,000.
Arthur Middleton, popular baritone and Edi-
son favorite, will appear with the Elks Glee
Club at the Minneapolis Auditorium, March 18.
If you want
a real grand
NE that you can with confidence
invite the trained musician to
play, a grand that will compare
with any grand of its size, no matter
how costly, with a tone volume ex-
celling many larger instruments, by
all means write us about the Ludwig.
Made in
this Style
and
Louis XV
MARCH 8, 1919
Dealers who sell the Ludwig
Grand are mighty proud to say so.
Ludwig & Co.
Makers of Grands, Uprights, Players
Willow Ave. and 136th St.
NEW YORK
WRITES FOR ANOTHER TONK PIANO
Owner of One Purchased Twenty Years Ago
Sends to Wm, Tonk & Bro. From Ireland for
Catalog From Which to Choose New Piano
The high esteem in which Tonk pianos are
held by former purchasers was forcefully mani-
fested this week in a letter which was received
by Wm. Tonk & Bro., New York, from M. L.
Archer, Glencrow, Moville, Londonderry, Ire-
land, who purchased one of these instruments
twenty years ago, and is now planning to buy
another in accordance with the letter which
states:
"Having purchased one of your pianos some
eighteen or twenty years ago I wish to get an-
other like it. Not knowing if your firm still
does business in New York, I need hardly de-
scribe the piano in detail, but if you send me
your catalog first I could then choose the piano
required and give you the order without further
delay."
JOINS PIANO MANUFACTURERS' ASSN.
The International Piano Mfg. Co., Fall River,
Mass., organized recently to take over the Cote
interests in that city, has been elected to mem-
bership in the National Piano Manufacturers'
Association.