FRESH-WATER MUSSEI.S 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 looserung 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 191 9), 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 i 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 191 2, 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 carefuUy followed through the various processes of manufacture. The items in 

 each case are as nearly correct as could then be made (19 15), 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 191 5. 



Relative Costs in the Several Processes op Button Making, as oif the Year 19 15. 



Items of cost. 



Example 

 of 16-line 

 buttons. 



Example 

 of 20-line 

 buttons. 



Example 



of 28-line 



buttons, 



better 



grade. 



Shell • 



Cutting 



Overhead expense in cutting 



Grinding 



Overhead expense in grinding 



Machining 



Overhead expense in machining 



Sorting 



Overhead expense in sorting 



Total (allowance for losses in process of manufacture not included) 



Ratio of shell cost to total per cent 



•0335 



•0523 



. 0196 



.0015 



,012s 



.01 



,01s 



.01 



. 014 



1684 



0524 

 0689 

 0194 

 0018 

 0125 

 oi 



oiS 



01 



014 



2r40 

 26 



$0. 1667 

 •107s 



•0393 



.0057 



.0125 



.015 



• OIS 



.01 



.014 



.3857 

 43 



