Evening journal., 1919-12-16
'DISCORDANT NOTE.
IN PIANO TRADE.
Strike Kills Harmony in
Homes and Affecting
Sensitive Ears
NEVER SUCH A
DEMAND FOR MUSIC

NEW YORK. Dec. i6.-The strlk1
which has been disorganlzing the plano
industry for the past two months has
i taken away an the pleasure one might
have been able TO get out OF the pos.
session OF perfect ear. AT least the
surreptltlous pleasure one got from lis
tening 10 the piano player of the family
/ In the fiat above, or TO the echo OF The
Goldstoln girls fingers as they run up
and down lhe keys OF the beautiful ma
hOgany piano on which she hopes some
day TO play with the technique OF a
iyrtuoso.
You await eagerly that day. but
meanwhile rs not so bad sometimes
getting an echo OF Mr. GOldste'n's IA
vorite child, as she attacks a polOnalse
or melts her too generous soul IN Mr..
: iSchuberts. Harsh and sundry dlsson-
ances, lately. have begun 10 come down
the airshaft, the mother has had TO ex-
plain often to her daughters young
man how, although five times she has
rung up that tunerman, he has not
come; and Is 70 true that the piano
tuners. Ike the Russians, have gUne
Bolshevik. pronounced bullshevik9
It Is a hard industrial war, indeed.
that disturbs the perfect tunefulness
OF the domestic piano. The same in
dustrial unrest which caused the dim
ming OF the lights on the gay white
way. and which has made every little
school child familiar with the very
much advertised dangers OF the revO-
luton, has made 70 impossible 10 get
the piano tuned. You may 20 forth
armed with 500 additional wages 10
buy your little golden-haircd daughter
new mahogany-0nishcd upright. but
you are doomed 10 temporary disap-
pointment. The plano workers OF Great
er New York are on strike The pitch
Is being lost. harmony Is dying a mil
lion deaths In so many New York
homes. and unless something Is done
soon 50. Cecilia and Euterpe. the pa
iron saint and the divine goddess alike
will be completely out Of mind.
The death OF harmony Is tragedy for
all those who have ears TO hear. Fred
T. Sielnway, OF Steinway & Sons. says
that the continued strike in the plano
trade in New York was making it al
most impossible to manufacture or to
deliver completely finished any new in
strumenis. "The piano workers Of his
city have been on strike since October
A." said Mr. Stelnway. 1.-THE piano
workers are making demands almost
similar to those OF the steel workers
recognition Of the union. more pay and
shorter hours. We have always had
the open shop in our Industry, and we
made no discrimination against or for
union or non-uniOn men The end OF
the strike at present isn't in sight.
"All the polishing and finishing OF
what pianos we have on hand must be
done in the future by US when the men
return 30 work This Is hard on the
public. because never at any time
has there been such a demand for
pianos as at present These orders have
not come from the more well-to-do, as
in the past, but from The people whose
wages or profits have taken sudden. un-
precedented rises. The professional
classes have had their incomes cut by
the income tax, and their tendency has
been toward saving. The newly pros
porous want TO spend their superfuous
money And one Of the first things they
want 10 buy Is a piano.
ITS too bad" agreed Mr. Stelnway
"that pianos must temporarily be