Letter from Aug. Laukhuff

Dear Sirs,

Your favour of 9th inst. has duly reached me on 17th inst. and I have learned therefrom that you have got my letter of September 10th, 1948. You inform me that you are a friend of Mr. Eberhard G. Walcker, voicer for Casavant Freres in St. Hyacinthe, Que. The undersigned has been since 1927 in St. Hyacinthe, together with his father, who died in 1933. Please remember me to Mr. Walcker. I hope that he and his family are enjoying the best of health.

With interest I have learned from your letter that you have just returned from a trip to Toronto, where you have shipped a large organ to the Western Canada. Will you please allow me a question: Do you make the organs for your own account and do you carry on an own organ business and of what an extent? I should be very pleased to receive an answer from you to this question.

You say that you need new chests for the organ in the Western Canada, as well as a Baroque Positiv.

Furthermore you write that your Government has placed a limit on US-Dollars sent out of the country, so that you fear that your orders will have to be small until conditions return to normal. As it is not the question of sums too important with regard to organ building, I believe you will get the import-license, the more as business transactions with your country are done in US-dollars by other manufacturers too.  The prescription that payment of deliveries to your country has to be made in US-dollars has been made by the US-Military Government for Germany.

As to the formalities to be observed re payment, I have informed you already by my letter of September 10th, 1948, which are still the same to-day.

You would like to get a quotation on the direct electric chest actions. I am making this kind of wind chests, by means of tilting magnets with ventil-discs mounted, which have proved very well. Will you, please, once let me have a specification or other particulars, from which I may see, how many stops are to be provided for each chest, the composition desired, the width and length of the chests eventually as well as which number of notes each stop shall comprise, whereupon with pleasure I shall elaborate for you immediately a detailed quotation in US-Dollars fob Hamburg, including case and packing, so that you will have still to add only the freight from the seaport Hamburg and the import-duty. There are made by me all styles of wind-chests, as f. i. purse-chests, ventil-chests and all electric chests as mentioned above. With regard to the pneumatic chests, the ventil-chests are the most reliable, because, properly speaking, no troubles may occur practically. The parts hardly wear out by use and are of almost unlimited life, whereas if it the question of purse-chests it has to be reckoned always with troubles after some time use, which makes it necessary that the purses will have to be renewed. With regard to the price, the ventil-chest according to the pneumatic and electro-pneumatic system is the cheapest chest. The dearest chest is the slider-chest.

You see therefrom that I know very well all the systems of wind-chests, for the undersigned has been for 1 1/2 years in the United States (1 year in California and half a year in New York), during which time he has traversed twice the States.

I am in a position to supply you also with consoles, keyboards, etc according to the all electric system, viz. without wind within the console and I have already got a great deal of letters of approbation from all parts of the world, proving that my customers always have been very satisfied with the very good function of my organ parts. Will you, please, once give me the chance and let me have the particulars required for the elaboration of an exact quotation. For the consoles you will have to send me the specification and an exact statement of the combinations. At the same time will you, please, state the diapason of the manuals and of the Pedal, whether a pedal keyboard has to be supplied and of which wood the case of the console has to be made.

The Pitman-chest is known to the undersigned too. In Europe I never have made this chest, because it has not been desired. If you let me have a sketch of this chest and inform me for how many stops and for which diapason you want to get a quotation, I am willingly prepared to elaborate for you an offer. The same remarks refer to all the chests. An exact price per note cannot be given. For your guidance I beg to inform you that the price of one stop ventil-chest including case and packing fob Hamburg amounts to US-dollars 50.-- according to the length and the diapason of stops. I should be pleased to get from you exact particulars for the elaboration of a quotation.

Please find enclosed my quotation for tilting magnets, loosely, viz. not mounted in the soundboards. In case of an order you will have to state how many tilting-magnets of the various types are desired, and if you should wish tilting-magnets No. 111, with ventil-discs mounted, please state the sizes desired of the discs.

I am with pleasure looking forward to your kind further news, and beg to remain, Dear Sirs,

Very sincerely yours,

Aug. Laukhuff