Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
THE AFRICAN MAHOGANY MARKET
War Conditions Have Forced Users of this
Wood to Make Arrangements for the Delivery
of Logs Direct to New York City
In view of the fact that the United States is
such a very large consumer of African mahog-
any, New York would seem to be a logical point
for a market. That it will be so, at least until
the end of the war, seems to be an established
fact. Whether conditions will revert to the old
plan of double shipments, an extra handling
and brokers' fees after the war, is a question
which only the future can decide, but every
effort should be made by American buyers to
have a permanent African mahogany market
established at some convenient port in the
United States.
Outside of the very few American importers
of mahogany who bought their logs on the
African coast, all logs from that territory have
come to America by way of Liverpool, where
mahogany markets were maintained.
It was either necessary for the buyer in this
country to make the journey to Liverpool and
select his logs, or employ a Liverpool • broker
PATENTS PIANOJCEY SUPPORT
to purchase for him. It is hardly necessary to
add that in some cases the brokers bore con- New Device Also Provides Means for Regu-
siderably more in mind their 5 per cent, com-
lating the Dip in Piano Keys
mission on the sale than the interests of their
WASHINGTON, D. C, October 9.—Patent No.
clients.
The European war forced two conditions on 1,200,336 was last week granted to James A.
the Liverpool mahogany trade which practically Foust, Humboldt, Kan., for a piano-key support
put a stop to imports and exports. The trans- and regulator.
This invention relates to improvements in
portation of foodstuffs and munitions raised
ocean freight rates to a point where they were pianos and similar musical instruments which
prohibitory for logs, and the British govern- are operated by a plurality of keys, the im-
ment, as a war measure, placed an embargo on provement being designed to regulate and ad-
the importation and exportation of timber and just the latter.
One object of this invention is to provide a
lumber.
simply
constructed device by which the keys
This cutting off of the regular channels has
created what is practically a famine in Afri- of the keyboard of a piano or similar instru-
can mahogany, and materially advanced the ment may be leveled so that their tops will all
be in the same plane.
price on what little was to be had.
An additional object of the invention is to
There is still the condition of exorbitant ocean
freight rates to be overcome, but some of the provide means for regulating the "dip" of the
concerns interested in the trade have arranged keys.
Still another object of the invention is to
for shipments of mahogany logs to be made
provide
means for accomplishing the above ob-
direct from the African coast to New York City,
according to an announcement recently made jects from the outside of the instrument.
in Veneers. Liverpool methods of measure-
ORGAN STOP ACTION PATENTED
ments will prevail.
WASHINGTON,
D. C, October 9.—Patent No.
This will insure a limited supply of fresh
African mahogany logs in the New York mar- 1,199,959 was last week granted to John T. Aus-
ket, and enable American consumers to go to tin, Hartford, Conn., for a combination organ
New York and make their own selection of logs. stop action, which he assigned to the Austin
As the shipping rates from Africa to New Organ Co., same place.
This invention relates to combination organ
York should not equal those of the double ship-
ment from Africa to Liverpool and from Liver- stop action, the object of the invention being
pool to New York, there should be a saving in to provide means of a simple nature whereby a
freights, besides the 5 per cent, commission paid device, such as an actuator, can be moved as
to the English brokers and the expense of re- may be desired from an effective to an ineffec-
tive or neutral position.
handling the logs.
MATERIALS,
TOOLS AND
SUPPLIES
FOR
PIANO MANUFACTURERS
HINGES, BUTTS, CASTERS, PEDALS, FELTS,
CLOTHS, PUNCHINGS, SWINGS, HANGERS,
KNOBS, LOCKS, ETC., AND A FULL LINE OF
TOOLS USED IN TUNING, REGULATING AND
REPAIRING. CORRESPONDENCE INVITED.
49
IMPROVES MANUFACTURING PROCESS
C. J. Pfriemer Finds New Ways to Manufacture
Reinforced Hammers—Demand Practically
Doubled During the Present Year
C. J. Pfriemer, head of Chas. Pfriemer, Inc.,
has applied for patents on two new devices to
be used in the manufacture of the Pfriemer re-
inforced hammers which during the last two
years have become recognized by piano manu-
facturers all over the country for their many
excellent points of merit and their superior
quality. The Pfriemer factory at 142nd street
and Wales avenue, New York, which is one of
the largest and best appointed piano hammer
plants in the world, has been a scene of activity
right through the year. Owing to the increase
in the popularity of the Pfriemer reinforced
hammers, the output has practically doubled
that of last year.
"We have certainly had a good year," said
Mr. Pfriemer this week to a representative of
The Review. "We were fortunate in securing
a large supply of imported felt which we use
exclusively in the manufacture of our hammers
and not only have been but are at the present
time in a position to take care of the require-
ments of all of our customers without delay.
We have added many new manufacturers to our
list of customers who are now using the
Pfriemer reinforced hammers with much suc-
cess. It is interesting to note that most of these
piano makers gave the hammer a most thorough
test, with the result that they found that our
claims were absolutely as stated and they
adopted them for use in their instruments."
FIRE IN VENEER PLANT
Conflagration at Hoffman Plant Does But
Little Damage—Three New Mills
FT. WAYNE, IND., October 9.—The plant of the
Hoffman Bros. Co., dealers in veneers and hard-
wood lumber, was visited by fire last Friday
evening, though the damage done was very
slight. A small amount of veneers and one
veneer saw was destroyed. Three new mills,
which were in process of construction prior to
the fire, will be finished within the next few
weeks, the new mills being necessitated by the
greatly increased demand for the Hoffman prod-
uct. The firm specializes in sawed veneers,
single ply, in domestic hardwoods, such as
quartered and plain quartered red and white
oak, ash, cherry, hard maple, domestic black
walnut and band-sawn hardwood lumber.
CRUDE RUBBER FROM BRAZIL
The total exports of crude rubber from Para,
Manaos, and Itacoatiara, Brazil, for the month
of August, 1916, amounted to 4,214,490 pounds,
compared with 4,656,897 pounds for the same
month last year. The exports to the United
States aggregated 2,730,165 pounds, and to
Europe 1,484,325 pounds, compared with 2,-
760,971 and 1,895,926 pounds, respectively, in
1915.
Richardson Piano Case Co.
Manufacturers of
HAMMACHER, SCHLEMMER & CO.
NEW YORK SINCE 1848
4th Ave. & 13th St.
Upright— ¥%•
R laaynedr zriano
f%
Cases
Established 1891
LEOMINSTER
MASS.