Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-25
TO CHARM THE EAR
MILLIONS INVESTED IN MAKING
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Importance of Piano Manufacture
Nearly ALI Are Uprights-Demand
for Automatic Piano Players.

A bulletin was issued by the census bu-
reau this morning on the manufacture or
musical instruments and materials in the
United States. The reports show capital
of $47, Isl ,5S2 invested in the manufacture of
musical Instruments in the 81 establish
ments reporting for the United States. This
sum represents the value of land, buildings.
machinery, tools and implements, and the
live capital utilized, but does not include the
capital stock Of any Of the manufacturing
corporations. The value of the product Is
returned at $44. SD, 463, to produce which in
volved an outlay of s.. 1874 III for salaries
of officials, clerks, ETC.; $12 sol. 767 for wages,
So,lS6,929 for miscellaneous expenses, in
Guiding rent. taxes, ETC.. and 1907 .531 for
materials used. mill supplies, freight and
fuCl.
The returns indicate that the manufac-
ture of pianos and materials is by far the
most important of the three industries-the
manufacture of pianos, organs and miScel-
ianeous Instruments. More than four-fifths
of the total capital. more than three fourths
or the total number of wage-ea rners, and
nearly four-fifths of the total value of pro-
ducts were reported for this industry.
Nearly ALL Pianos Uprights.
"Of the III, 1873 pianos manufactured in
the country during the census year, 166, 7SG
or SO per cent, were upright pianos; 4251
or - per cent, We're grand pianos and 1O1,
or but one-tenth of l per cent, were square
pianos. Grand pianos were made chiefly in
New York Massachusetts and Maryland, ILL
holS ranking only fifth in the manufacture
OF TINS variety. Illinois ranked second
however, in both number and value of up
right pianos manufactured Square pianos
were made only in New York and Maryland
Automatic Piano Players.
A table is given showing that during the
census year 5,236 piano players were manu-
featured and that their total value was
s520,139. The bulletin then says:
THE most striking feature Of the piano
industry during the census year and since
that year has been the development of
piano players. The principle upon which
these instruments are constructed has been
known for nearly forty years, but they first
became commercially important at the end
OF the last decade.
The increase since the census year in
the number of companies manufacturing
instruments of this character has been re-
markable, more than thirty being in the
held in April 1902. Two piano companies
which have recently added piano players to
their output are respectively the oldest and
the largest piano manufacturing establish
ments in the country. The older piano
payer companies have enlarged their
pants; and one company at least, which
mas now capacity of 500 instruments a
month, has begun exporting to London. An
other company now manufactures six diff
ferent varieties of piano players, piano.
playing attachments and self-playing p-
amos, while all the leading companies find
1t difficult to keep pace with the demand
for their instruments.
Competition among inventors and manu-
faeturers has conferred chiefly about the
pneumatic piano player, which is operated
by the feet. The popularity of these in
struments during the last five years has
been due to devices by which the performer
= n tn II
and accumulation of particular notes or
parts; and it is improveme nts of this sort
which have raised piano players TO their
position of true musical instruments. Near
~ all piano players now on the market
have distinctive names. which are usually
desiSnedly euphonious.'