From Fred Hall, 1945

Dear Stuart:

Thanks for the newsy letter received yesterday. So you are back home again, eh? I hope that you had a nice time while away. No doubt you had, as you were among organs and organists. I'll bet you are thrilled to get your own organ playing, boy! that sure looks like some organ. Yes I would indeed like to see it, hear it and try and play it. In your letter you say, quote, -"you can even play Bach on it"-unquote. Sorry, old pal, I'm afraid that I can't play Bach. A trifle too, shall we say, complicated?

(1) a certain Mr. Maltwood, millionaire who owns a swell home and a tiny little organ much like my own, except professionally built, has been waiting since last fall, or even earlier, for Dix to put him a blower and swell box on it. I made the blower and took it out to his home. Also made the swell box and put it up, but not connected yet. Dix is supposed to go out and finish it. He is still going.

(2) A small Presbyterian church whose organist is a bit of an amateur builder ordered a small pipe organ off Dix, the organist having some pipes, chests and magnets, but no console. He sent a lot of the stuff off to Vancouver for Dix to work and $125.00 as a sort of down payment. That was months ago, last year sometime. I was talking to this organist a few weeks ago and was he burned up. he told me that one old lady in their congregation had given $500.00 to the organ fund and was afraid that shw would die before she saw the organ. She was 87 years old. He said, "If only he would get the console or something in the church for people to see that something was being done," as every Sunday he was asked about the organ and he was more or less on the spot with the church officers because of the money already invested. He finished up by saying he wished he had never seen Dix and that if he had the chance he would call the whole thing off and buy a Hammond, not that he would like it as well, but at least there would be something to show for their money.

(3) Roman Catholic church here (St. Andrew's Cathedral) wants organ cut in half and great and swell moving about 15 ft. apart so as to expose a large window now blocked by the organ. Console also to be moved. Dix's
estimate on this job $2,000.00 Was to have been started right after Easter. I drew up some plans for him suggesting new arrangement of organ. That is as far as it has got. He has my drawings, I think he has shown them to the Bishop, or big shot whoever he is, but as far as actually starting on the job, there hasn't been a screw turned.

(4) St. Andrew's Presbyterian. new 3 manual console replacing present badly worn out 2 manual pneumatic. Also rebuilding organ itself, electrifying, etc. Estimate about $1,800.00. Nothing done yet. so there you see here are four jobs ranging from a tiny little tracker to a three manual electric, and all just getting no place fast.

As far as my own financial standing with him, he owed me about $40.00 or so, mostly labor. Then he sent me a cheque for $20.00 (one made out to him which he in turn mailed to me). That leaves about $20.00, as I said before, mostly labor. Then he gave me a present of thirteen half decent show pipes and three very nice stop knobs for my small organ here, and also some pipe feet for pedal pipes, so I figure we are pretty well
square. I have done quite a few little jobs for him personally, machined a small table and sent him a hotbed sash for his garden, knockdown, etc.

To be brutally frank, and I know you know better than to let this get any further, I keep myself in his good favor, have him up to the house and do his jobs for him, largely from selfish motives. In the last year or so that I have known him I have had more to do with organs than I could ever have hoped to have had by myself. Almost every organ in town with very few exceptions I have had a go at. Not only that, I know most of the organists pretty well, too. to them I am Mr. Dix's assistant. Should Chandos ever fade out of the picture I stand a fair chance of landing some of his jobs. that may sound presumptuous for a mere amateur to assume the duties of the mighty Chandos Dix, and it would perhaps mean a lot of bluffing on my part to carry it out, making believe I knew a great deal more and had a great deal more experience than I really had, but, well, that's how the land lays right at this time, but my friend, I hope that you will keep this under your Stetson (if you wear one) as I do not want to antagonize Dix or get him mad. He himself has told me repeatedly that I am to carry on when he quits.

Several weeks ago, on a Saturday, he was going home to Vancouver and I called at his Hotel to see him at noon hour. I was quite shocked at his appearance. He had a bandage over one eye and looked a wreck in general. He told me that he had been out the night before at some friend's and had had two glasses of beer, the first in several months. He left this house quite late and remembers falling down. The next thing he knew it was early morning and he "came to" lying down in the grass. He got the first street car (about 6:00 a.m.) back to town. it had rained in the night and he was soaked through. He also lost his hat and glasses, the latter valued by him at $40.00. I sympathized with him, although I was more or less disgusted, thinking that he had just been on a 'drunk', however, with all his faults I do not think that he is a boozer, and the next time we saw Mrs. Dix she told my wife on the quiet that he had been to a doctor when he got home, and that the Dr. told her (not Chan. himself) that he had really had a slight stroke.

So you see the old boy is not in the best of health. However, that is absolutely no excuse for sending you those rotten pipes, for which you sent him, in all good faith, a good console. I think that you did quite right in what you did re the chimes etc. I do not mind, in fact I like very much helping him when he is here, but I am going to go cautiously when money is involved. When he starts (if he ever does) this Catholic job he is likely to say "Can you get me so-and-so from the mill", I could of course get him his so-and-so, but it will be taken off my pay cheque, which is not so good, knowing him as I do. I think that is enough of Dix for this letter, but please, even if you bawl him out for the way he treated you re the pipes, don't tell him anything I have just told you, will you? You may ruin my whole career (?????) if you do!!!

Do you ever see the Toronto Star Weekly? A few weeks ago there wx (this durn typewriter must have a bum bearing or something, - keeps sticking) was a fool contest for which I fell. A picture of a circus, a train, in the distance the *xx with a convoy, cruiser, a distant city and clouds. Well, I got busy on the thing, and it was quite fascinating when you got going. You had to find every object which started with a "C" or "T". I finished up with 515. Consulted several dictionaries, even the big Webster in the Public Library. The prize was $500.00 sponsored by Lyon's tea and coffee company. I DO NOT EXPECT TO GET A NICKEL BUT, if I get it I really think that I shall spend some of it and visit a friend of mine in Kindersley, Sask. However, I am afraid the chances are very very remote.

Eleanor (of course you remember my daughter) is studying for her final exams in Highschool. This means that we have to talk in subdued whispers and have the radio very soft, and sometimes she will say, "Dad, would you like to do some typing for me?" and judging by this letter you can realize what a mess said typing is when finished. She had to make a speech the other day to some students from the States in the Empress Hotel. Her subject was the San Francisco Conference, League of Nations etc. etc. so we all learnt quite a bit about that that we never knew before. She still intends to be a nurse when she grows up, but we will see. I always wanted to be either a captain on an ocean liner or a streetcar driver, and finished up neither, ah me! sich is life!

Give your friend Cyril a dig in the ribs from me will yuh? I am afraid that the long elay has made me lose interest somewhat in organ #2. (Just what I told you a moment ago. Eleanor hears me typing and calls to me "Being as you are so energetic how would you like to do half a page for me?" That is after I finish your letter.) to proceed - I do not doubt that my interest will fully revive and then some when I finally get my keyboards and switches and I can go ahead again. In the mean-time I have done quite a bit to my little organ. painted ivory and gold, with new stops and stop-action, improved swell box, new wind-trunk, and I am re-building the blower. Also Dix (him again) has promised me some old metal pipes which he says will be better than my paper ones. He says he has a few from middle C up which he will give me. I expect them any year.

Thanks for the nice description of your organ. It sure sounds like a beauty. Boy, you can play this all night without any care-taker or janitor giving you diry looks eh? Lucky boy!!

Well, I most sincerely hope that by the time that you get this that the war in Europe will be over, - we thought it was last night, but unfortunately it was a rumor. Tonight I hear Hitler is dead. Too bad if he is, --I should have like to have seen him shot. They also say old Mussolini has got his. So much the better. Now for old Tojo and Hirohito and clean up the mess. Germany is sure busted up anyway, and let's hope for keeps - not so that she can open up World War #3 in the next 25 years.

Well, if I have some typing to do for Eleanor I had better quit this yarning off to you. Last night I was experimenting with the organ blower, and hit the hay at 1:00 a.m. Can't do that too often. Must get my shut-eye, so,
Good-bye for now,
Yours as ever,
Fred

P.S.
As regards the American Organist. It was so long in first coming I nearly told you, in case the subscription which you so kindly sent to me had gone astray. However, I got two copies quite close together, and now get them regularly. I like them very much and read every word. Even look at the pictures of the pretty lady organists. Was quite thrilled to see your name in one of them. (I mean in the magazine, not the pretty ladies). What did you think of the write up regarding the re-arrangement of manuals. Quite good, I thought, but I bet it would be a hard thing to do now. Organists are so set in their ways, particularly the older ones.
Fred.