From Fred Hall, 1950

Dear Stuart;

Thanks for the letter received a week or so ago. I am afraid I am a bit late answering. Sorry to hear that you had such a ghastly Fall(season). The weather must mean an awful difference to you in profit versus loss. We thought our weather bad enough last winter, one `cold snap' after another. It had the weather man baffled. On Jan 13th we had a blizzard. Hope it doesn't repeat it again this year.

In regard to the organ I am busy, when I get time, which seems about one night a week, making pneumatics for the chest. I sure hope they work O.K., as there is practically no means of testing them until the whole thing is put together and the wind turned on. I have as you know a total of 244 to make which takes considerable time. However we are slow, if not so sure.

No, the Presbyterian Church didn't get its new organ yet, and it may be around Easter before they do. I was in there a week or so ago. Cyril Warren the organist had a letter from Eaton's asking how many of his front display pipes were dummies and how many were speaking. They told him he could tell them apart because the speaking pipes were slotted for tuning. He told me they were all slotted and said would I go and check up on them for him. I went around on my way from work that night and met him at the church. They were definitely all speaking pipes.

A row of 13 in the center stood on their own little chest and had been connected to the main chest by lead tubing. Then on either side were two sets of 7 pipes which had the wind conveyed to them through about 1 1/2" pipes. I saw the old chests again, they don't look `so hot,' and are very old, originally tracker converted about 50 years ago to pneumatic, and only 58 note. The temporary Hammond speaker is parked on one of them. Cyril says that some members of the church are quite satisfied with the Hammond and want to know what they are spending over $20,000.00 for anyway!! That's the trouble, people don't know a real organ when they hear one.

There certainly looks to be something fishy about that Dix set-up. I visited him at that Toronto St. address a month or so ago to return a book of his I had. They were living in two rooms and it was like a pig-pen, bed not made, (about 11 A.M.) and kitchen in a mess. They were bewailing the way they got cheated in some house they had bought, the one I took Lauren to when we thought we were going to visit them. It looks as if they cleared out leaving some organ stuff for rent. I told a friend about it and he was immediately on his guard, as Dix had some stuff belonging to him.Queer guy, with his knowledge of organs, which is not to be disregarded, he should have been well off by now if he had been more sensible in his business.

The other day we met Miss Marguerite McKay, organist at the R.C. Cathedral. I said "How's the organ?" she gave a look of utter disgust and ran Dix down, saying that her Open Diapason only sounded every other note, and she didn't know when it would be finished. Dix never came around, he has gone back to Vancouver. When we left her I told my wife, "Another one of Dix's satisfied customers." Sometimes think I wouldn't mind looking at that organ and sizing out the situation re finishing it for them. The trouble is that Dix has most likely got the thing in such a mess that only he could straighten it out again, and one could not go to him for information or advice if they had taken the job out of his hands.

The chest I am making is five rank, three on the swell and two on the great, Open Diapason and Principal on the Great, and Dulciana, Stopped Dia. and Flute on the swell, with sub and super couplers on the swell, super on the great, and great to sub and super on the swell, and of course pedal to manual couplers. I want to get the sound-boards working before I worry too much about pipes, I spend about three quarters of my time right now writing letters.

The reason of all the letters is that last October Eleanor went to live in London Ontario. Her boy-friend, or as I suppose I should say her `fiance' has joined the R.C.A.F. and has had to go to Ontario to train for a pilot. He has passed all the tests and is now on his way. (I mean on his way to be a pilot, he went to Ontario in September.) We correspond furiously, writing about two huge epistles per week. She likes it fine, had a job there before she went, in the `Victoria' Hospital, the largest hospital there. Last night I got the Xmas parcel wrapped up ready for mailing to them tomorrow. Some job. Now, of course my wife and I want to go and see London, which expense, if undertaken, would seriously interfere with the organ!!

How is Lauren? Is he coming out here again next year? Please remember us to him and tell him if he comes out here again in five or ten years we MIGHT have an organ for him to play on.

That looks like a fine console you have there. Never mind if it is a little old fashioned in regard to looks. If it works that is the main thing. I am getting rather tired of my console sitting there doing nothing. It doesn't look too bad, if I do say so myself, but is awfully useless the way it is now. Maybe some day??

Well, I have another letter to write, so must close now.

Best regards to all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Fred