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39
The Music Trade Review
MAY 8, 1926
The Technical and Supply Department—(Continued from page 38)
thing ought to be done for them. So it was
suggested that the Regional Manufacturers'
Associations decide, each for themselves, what
they can do in the way of adbpting standards
of shipping weight, and that these should re-
ceive the approval of the Central Committee
and become parts of the recognized American,
standards forthwith.
It was impossible to do more with regard to
this than to insist that the whole subject needs
considerably further study and to propose and
carry an amended resolution whereby, before
these regional rules can be adopted, they must
have the approval of a special sub-committee
of the Central Committee. The effect of this
amendment will be to obtain time and oppor-
tunity for closer and more scientific study.
Most of the technical men present spoke for
the amendment and did their best, fortunately
successfully, to carry it. It was felt from the
start by the engineers and other technical men
that if it be possible, as it has been, to discover
by research in the metal trades so much that at
one time was considered a complete mystery,
it ought also to be possible to apply research
principles to a question like this relating to
lumber.
All the above may seem to be somewhat dry
stuff, but in point of fact it deals with matters
of the greatest importance both to the piano
technician who has to make up lumber into
pianos and to the man in the front office who
has to pay the bills. Fortunately, I hope to
be able during the coming year to do something
to bring this whole matter up before both the
engineering profession and the piano industry,
to the end that the side of the user of lumber
in the more highly specialized and organized
forms may be properly presented. The De-
partment of Commerce is doing an admirable
work in attempting to introduce some sign; of
order into our vast industrial chaos. Every-
thing that it does in attempting to bring about
the adoption of standards, in eliminating waste
and in simplifying practice should have the en-
couragement and the co-operation of American
industry to a far greater extent than it is ob-
taining at present.
The Wood Utilization Conference
This lack of fair co-operation between the
Department of Commerce and American indus-
tries was pointedly exemplified at the meeting
held the following day, April 28, of the Na-
tional Committee on Wood Utilization. The
object of this committee, of which Herbert
Hoover is the chairman and over which he per-
sonally presided, is to deal with questions of
waste, machinery and appliances, seasoning,
yard practices, factory practices and so on. It
is scarcely necessary to say, I suppose, that the
uses and applications of wood are so numerous
as- to make the task of such a comnrttee seem
vaster every time one thinks of it. Neverthe-
less, the fact that it has been possible to get
together any sort of a conference on the subject
is in itself most encouraging. Now, I am cer-
tainly not a pessimist, and, in fact, have been
temperamentally optimistic about everything all
my life. At the same time a little healthy pes-
simism is sometimes very useful as a corrective,
and in this matter of the use and applications
of lumber we are approaching something like a
state of affairs in which only pessimism will be
possible to anyone who chooses to look at the
facts instead of dreaming about them. The
supply of lumber is becoming exhausted. Of
that let there be no question. Whether the
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supply will come within our generation suffi-
ciently close to exhaustion to create an indus-
trial crisis of the first magnitude cannot, of
course, be certainly determined. But, on the
other hand, it is perfectly ridiculous to com-
plain, as some lumber men have complained, of
those who insist upon sounding a warning. If
the lumber supply were inexhaustible, it would
not be necessary to have a conference on the
utilization of wood.
So Far So Good
So far so good. The intention of the wood
utilization committee is admirable. On the
other hand, it is impossible to overlook the fact
that in its make-up there has been a decided
tendency to stress the interests of what might
be called the primary lumber industries, that is
to say, those dealing either with the actual pro-
duction of lumber or with its use in the shape
of planks, boards and other shapes requiring
no further refabrication. On the other hand,
about one-third of the total annual value of the
product of what we call the wood industries
is occupied by the secondary or remanufactur-
ing trades which take wood in the raw and
make it up into furniture, musical instruments,
cabinets, refrigerators and all that sort of thing.
Something like $1,100,000,000 in values of an-
nual turnout is represented by these manufac-
turing industries, which were scarcely, if at all,
represented on the National Committee on
Wood Utilization. In common, therefore, with
some other members of the conference who
were of like mind as myself, I drew up a report
and presented it to the chairman of the com-
mittee, Mr. Hoover, asking that places on th:
committee be assigned to the furniture, musical
instrument and similar industries. There is
reason to hope that the request will be honored.
Therefore we may be fairly certain that the
National Committee on Wood Utilization will
be of some definite value to the piano industry
in the near future. The Piano Technicians' As-
sociation will, of course, be especially interested,
and so will the piano manufacturers.
Correspondence
is solicited and should be addressed to William
Braid White, 5149 Agatite avenue, Chicago.
Cleveland Wants Tuners'
Convention in 1927
Local Division Laying Plans to Bring Annual
Meeting of Organization to That City Next
Year
CLEVELAND, O., May 3.—Efforts are being made
by the Cleveland division of the National Asso-
ciation of Piano Tuners to bring the 1927 con-
vention of that body to Cleveland, according to
an announcement just made by J. B. Wurst-
ner, 7611 Colgate avenue, N. W., president of
the local division. Mr. Wurstner states that
the Cleveland division has joined the city's
Chamber of Commerce with the aim of bring-
ing this about. The convention would bring
at least a thousand visitors to Cleveland and ex-
hibits of $50,000 worth of pianos, player-pianos
and technical equipment. Cleveland delegates
will be sent to Chicago this year for the con-
vention of the tuners' national body on August
9, 10, 11 and 12, to make known this plan.
Federal Commission
Dismisses Complaint
WASHINGTON, D. C, May 3.—Upon the recom-
mendation of its chief counsel, the Federal
Trade Commission has dismissed its complaint
against the Finishing Products Co., of Indian-
apolis, Ind. The firm is a manufacturer of
wood stains, wood fillers, varnishes and allied
products, and in the complaint was charged
with giving sums of money to employes of
manufacturers without the knowledge or con-'
sent of their employers.
TUNERS
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