New-York tribune., 1907-10-02
W0MAN'S INDISPENsABLES.
Unsuitable Demand for Pins, Buttons, Nee
dies and Hooks and Eyes.
fFrom The Tribune Bureau 7


Washington Oct. 1-Twentv billion pins and five
billion buttons produced in a single year by Amer
lean factories, besides importations from
foreign countries. do not satisfy the demand for
these miniature necessities. The Census Bureau
does not undertake to guess where they all 60 but
the fact that they mysteriouslv disappear is evil
dent from the continuance OF the demand. The
latest official bulletin issued to-day shows that no
buster factories existed in the United States in
1903 than those engaged in turning out these small
but invaluable products Besides the pins
buttons IN that year. the United States produced
more than 200, 600 needles. nearly 400 900 600
SAFETY pms and 25o,oO0,000 hairpins and all
these evidently disappeared, the manufactures
We're increasing their capacity to eudeavor TO meet
ehe IequIreInehts OK the succeeding years. In the
census returns for 1905, now first tabuated 275
establishments with a capital Of s., 7SS 900. were
reported as engaged in the manufacture Of but
tons. These factories furnished employment for
76S salaried officials and clerks and 1857 wage
enrners who received as payment for their SER
vices S111473 in salaries and SS.6S0,196 IN wages.
OF the wage earners 5l8S, 49.1 per cent. were
men and 1924, or 47.5 per cent, were women.
The value Of the products Of these establish
nents for 1906 was sI1,183 76s an increase Of s8-
<87,S59, or Az per cent the value of 1900.
The leading variety Of product was pearl buttons
The value OF the 13143.553 gross of such buttons
was S4.S7o.274. $50 per cent of the total value
OF all the buttons manufactured. AS between
fresh water and ocean pearl the former greatly
predominated, with 114O5. 723 gross valued So
S591e7, So per cent Of the value OF all the pearl
buttons. Other leading varieties were as follows:
Metal, e,S15,962 gross. valued S1.312,741 vege-
table ivory, 247O409 gross valued Sl905.766 and
cloth 2s90,750 gross, valued at $766091
the manufacture Of buttons, although only four had
products valued at more than $1,000, 600. New
YORK was the leading state, with $3,S49S17; New
Jersey had $l5922 26I; Iowa, $1,5oO945, and Con-
necticut, 81 4462l9.
Almost one-half of the pearl buttons-6.3oS.22 POI
gross. valued at S2.2i8, ,15S-and about two-thirds
of the vegetable ivory buttons. 4l4.366 gross.
valued at $S4394s-were manufactured in New
York
According TO the census Of 1905. forty-six estab-
lishments made Il speciality Of manufacturing one
or more varieties Of needles. pins hooks and
> GTsel-v,,
s3'S3l'S3s S,se5 wage earners, wages amounting to
Sl,595.923 and products valued $4,7505S9. Almost
equal numbers Of men and women We're engaged
In this industry the numbers being 1892 and 1860.
respectively. The capital. the number OF wage
earners. the amount paid in wages and the value
OF products have more than doubled since 1890.
The reports for 1905 show the production in the
United States of 142N176 gross Of needles. valued
at S1140.924. and 136,sS77S2 gross of pins. valued
These figures. however do not represent the
total output Of these articles as a considerable
quantity manufa aCtured in establishments en-
gagged in industries in which the making Of needles
and pins merely incidental. The reports Tor
the census Of 1895 show that this class Of estab-
lishments produced 345s97 gross Of needles valued
at $377,4S7 and pins valued at S5G5.019. The pro-
duction Of pins reported from other industries rep
resentS largely horn halrplns The hgures Tor these
secondary products combined with the totals
for the principal products Of this kind make the
output L766O73 gross Of needles valued at s1,51s-
AL, and pins valued at $3.50, ,656, total value
OF $415l067 for both classes OF products For 1900
the corresponding value $2.462,745.
The leading variety OF needles manufactured IN
the establishments discussed in this bulletin
sewing machine needles. with a production Of 49,
542 gross valued at $6U0.O46. Latch knitting
chine needles were next in rank in importance. the
3l0.846 gross OF such needles being valued s422-
655. More spring knitting machine needles 1882 7Ss
gross) were manufactured. but their value was
considerably less ($Il8223)
Large quantities OF each variety OF pins were
produced-132. .632 232 gross of common toilet
pins, 255O,650 gross Of safety pins and 10000
gross OF hairDins The values OF these varieties
were s1l29006, $S2sSS6 and Slo92i5, respectively.
All other products. including hooks and eyes,
were valued a. $l.542.02S.
Connecticut is the leading state in the manu-
facture Of these commodities, the value Of prod
for this state being $3o62.193. GA per cent
of the total
The production Of sewing machine needles
confined to Connecticut and Massachusetts. The
largest production Of knitting needles was reported
by New Hampshire.
Hooks and eyes formed the chief products in
Pennsylvania. Safety pins made IN New Jer-
sey Connecticut and New York.
The Importation Of the common hand sewing and
darung needle for 1908 very large. the valua-
tion being $4O6. col. The importations Of these
needles and crochet, tape and knitting needles prac
tically represent the use of such needles in the
United States, OF these varieties. far
the returns indicate, made in this
try.
The domestic production of needles. pins and
hooks and eyes is practically all consumed in the
United States expectation Of these articles ap-
pears in the statistics OF exports