FRESH-WATER MUSSELS AND MUSSEL INDUSTRIES. 79 
Within the last two years a machine has been introduced for neatly attaching 
the buttons to the cards with small wires. It has the advantage of not only saving time, 
but of attaching the buttons individually, so that a single button may be removed 
without loosening the others from the card. This is a convenience to the consumer 
as well as to the manufacturer; for if, after carding, it is noted that a defective or an 
off-grade button appears on a card, it can easily be removed and another put in its place 
with a special machine. These wire-stitching machines are usually operated by girls, 
with one or two men to keep the machines in order. A single machine may turn out 
150 gross per day, more or less. The record in May, 1914, was 240 gross stitched to 
the cards in 9.5 hours. The operators were then paid from seven-tenths of a cent to 
I cent per gross (about 1.2 cents in 1919), and might earn $6 to $10 per week ($8 to 
$11 in 1919). ‘The machines were not sold, but were operated on a basis of hire or 
lease. 
After carding, the buttons are ready to be boxed and sold. Individual manufac- 
turing establishments have specialties in the way of attractive cards and boxes or 
display outfits. Naturally the departments of advertising and selling have much to do 
with the success of the factory and constitute a considerable element of overhead 
expense. The wholesale price of buttons varies between wide extremes. Buttons of 
45 lines and excellent quality may be sold as high as $2.25 per gross; or an overproduc- 
tion and accumulation of low-grade lines have led to sales at as low a figure as 1 cent per 
gross. Owing to the large number of low-grade buttons sold in bulk, the average price 
per gross, as computed from a statistical survey of the industry conducted by the 
Bureau for the year 1912, was about 23.5 cents per gross. As this price probably cov- 
ered freight, insurance, and discounts, the net factory price would have been corre- 
spondingly lower. 
The elements of cost in the manufacture of buttons must vary very widely accord- 
ing to the grade of the shell, the line of the button, the quality of labor, the size and 
output of the plant, and the systems of management. By courtesy of a manufacturer 
we may illustrate by the following citations of costs in particular lots of material which 
were carefully followed through the various processes of manufacture. The items in 
each case are as nearly correct as could then be made (1915), but the same tables would 
not apply exactly to other batches of the same lines. The data serve a useful purpose 
as illustrating relative costs of the several processes, although the prices of shells and 
the cost of labor have increased materially (approximately 75 per cent) since 1915. 
RELATIVE COSTS IN THE SEVERAL PROCESSES OF BUTTON MAKING, AS OF THE YEAR IQI5. 
Example 
Example | Example | of 28-line 
Items of cost. of r6-line | of 20-line | buttons, 
buttons, buttons. better 
. grade. 
Shell tn un it ac alas dSardtavtats = aVeis/e a RaR wena Aa dete es Dare/A Rae Coca catalase eee» $o. 0335 $o. 0524 $o. 1667 
SERIA EMR ee saan Ce ia eirlsleiys Selelneywiciale ctevash ale's sisreldialeidda'y’sin.dix.a'ninyea(o >\slalowe singe» 209 +0523 «0689 1075 
_ Overhead expense in cutting. .........-..eccpnnuer ener nercct eee ge eenceereneneeesnreees + 0196 + O194 +0393 
Rear ierel Wietetetaiaikib atucaisracels: mpi nfo‘o'noiniS ataah testi wien ea alte ela sa‘a ele we cis eed neeba sabe nse = ye +0015 «0018 +0057 
Overhead expense im grinding............-.0.00eceeeee eee eeec cece ee eeeee sects ren eenes +0125 +0125 +0125 
ey ee tices, ctatatany wiaccaip aiatn elviaisl pia atest pee siamese oa: sim ales erormic ae /eipi= +O +O1 +Ors 
Overhead expense im machining.......5 0.06. cece ee ete ee ee cece tee nceeeneeneeeeenes +015 -OIs +015 
SSOTGIN Goi ie ss wise sb Reine nicienietes oteirn aie nmaliin/se neta a bieie mnie bie at ne Se nisin ninaia wi .OL -Or - Or 
Ciyeetiend Sxpesise mi Sortie) i. iio. 252i le a Pea ee aE uke ee eee ee -014 ~ O14 - O14 
_ Total (allowance for losses in process of manufacture not included).................. +1684 +2740 «3857 
Een SE RRR Mot este oii aw pi viecoimy's Ae rs pin.w aie slag 'sime ce cece sia qen cgi siecle wg per cent... 20 26 43 
