Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-12-22
|HHOT AIR" COFFIN fAClURIES
Lead Many unwary investors into


With such which rival Uncle Sans
reasury, through which. II successful
hey WIN realize large profits. ~aaA
How sadly in comparison do the Sin
n yestors" in many manufacturing en-
terprises appear, when judged from
the standpoint of knowing what you
do" and nowhere is this more patent
than with the investor that is con.
stantly sinking funds IN the many
mushroom. coffin factories that appear,
and then after a spasm disappear,
either through a shut down" or
through the sheriff.
Did the loss but extend only to these
investors it would be but the usual re-
| suit, of not looking before you leap
ed" but what OF the creditors, and
4 frequently the amounts advanced by
localities paid to stimulate the new
town industries, and often the wages
due to workmen.
The prevailing opinion in the public
mind that the manufacturing of I'M
dertakers' goods returns tremendous
| profits, is no doubt stimulated by ex-
perience had with the undertaken, but
in the manufacturing of funeral sup
! plies, the question becomes quite a
| different proposition, for supply and
demand, pure and simple, regulates
| the price, as it does in all other bust
ness, with the exception that "the
demands cannot be stimulated, by
either style, product, or price, ga
| Their Time alone controls.
Here is where the over jealous cap
italist or community allow promoters,
| or patriotism to impose upon their
| credulity, in accepting statements
which. will not bear the Eight of in
yestigation,' but through ignorance of
conditions, subscribe and put up their
cash, only to get wise after it is too
late.
Statistics show that there are one
hundred and ninety-ive casket man
ufacturing and jobbing plants In the
United States, of which 163 are man
! facturers of varying capacities, while
10 manufacture approximately 375,000
coins and caskets annually, 80 manu-
facture 100000, ia manufacture 612,-
| 900, or a total of 1,347,000 collins and
Baskets, manufactured annually in the
| United States, all of which must be
CONSUMED through the ordinary de-
mand of mortality, but what is the
demand? In the mortality abstract of
| the twelfth census, table number "a,
we find that the total deaths from
all causes in the registration area of
the United States was 512,669 for
twelve months, but this registration
area was only 3S per cent of the con
| tinental territory of the United
States. In part |. of the final report
en- vital statistics, page VII. the final
computation shows death rate in
the United States of 1853 per Loco
and while this is considered, ~
| Inf assun,fno Eas y 90 cessif 2
- 80 Ue correct, 1t vii
4 snow approximately only 1,238,OOC
deaths per year in this country includ
ing paupers.
Now what of the 100000 collins and
c4skets produced annually in excess
of the demand which the public can
rot be induced to purchase by the
use of any of the ordinary mediums
| used to stimulate trade as practiced
III other lines of business? Unques-
tionably it is case of tover-supply,
which can not be disposed of, and
the surplus is more than double the
| quantity stated, for there is no pro-
vision in the estimate for pauper COT
| fms, which are not made in the regular
coffin factories. whereas the number
Of deaths include paupers, and thus
The fate of nine out of every ten new
coffin plants is clearly written, even
before the stock is subscribed, to say
nothing of the failure of the old
ones.
1t sometimes happens that new
plant Of this kind, after a hard strug-
1
older ones, but the same amount of
capital and energy invested in some
.,ther line of business would not run
such great risk of failure, while prof
its in the event of success have prov
en- to be less than any other class of
| business.
The records show that the average
Ter cent of profit in the casket man
ufacturing business by houses which
have been in business for a number
of years, and equipped with the best
facilities for turning out their work
at the smallest per cent, runs from
to 8 per cent, while several, il not
the majority of them can do no bet
| ter than break even, and in number
of instances close down, or are clos
| ed out in a few years.
The government statistics of 1900
shows that in that year Sl3,585. 1920
of capital was invested in the caskei
manufacturing business. and the value
of the product was s13,952. 30S.00 at
cost of s10.O22,S $4,000 for material
and wages, or a gain of only Is per
cent over the amount expended. Now
Ieduct from this the 20 to 25 per cent
necessary for the cost of selling. in,
cidental and sundry expenses and it
can be readily seen that the profits
will be small if any
Since these figures were :abulated
raw material and labor have both adj
Vanced considerably with no advance
in the finished product, which makes
the small margin between the cost OF
| production and the amount realized