The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-25
$26O,OOO 4 YEAR
 ID WASH CELLARS
 IN BIRMINGHAM Difference of Half Cent In Price Would Mean Annual Sav-
 ing of S52,OO0
ARE THE LAUNDRY PRICES
 TOO HIGH IN BIRMING NGHAM?
Examination of Various Laundry Lists Shows That Prices Charged for Various Articles Are AL
 most Identical.

So great has become Birmingham that if the price of washing collars were re- duced F a cent the amount saved in the course of a year would be little short of $52, 900.
 This fact suggests the questions: Do the laundries exact exorbitant prices for their work? Is one-fifth of the retail price of collar too great an amount to ex- pend in having it washed? Should man. desiring his handkerchief 1aundered, be compelled to pay one-third the value of the handkerchief? Why do the laundries charge cents to wash a handkerchief only cent to wash a towel and cents to wash sheet? How does it happen that all laundries in Birmingham have prac- tically the same scale of prices? Is there laundry trust? How do the prices in Birmingham compare with the prices in other southern cities of similar size?"
 The impression is general that the laun- dries do demand in return for their labor exorbitant prices. It is the general un- derstanding that the laundries have an agreement to demand the same charges It is the general belief that any laundry with fair patronage is a great money maker, little mint, as it were.
 $26o,ooo for Collars Alone.
 It would be difficult to estimate the amount of money annually expended in Greater Birmingham for laundry pur- poses.
 It Is estimated that for the washing of collars alone, Greater Birmingham pays an annual tribute of s26O000 If this esti- mate is accurate, it must be an enormous amount of money that Greater Birming- ham pours into the laps of the laundries during the course of a year.
 The estimate concerning the collars is arrived at in the following manner: In Greater Birmingham there are 1250OO peo- pie. At least 5000 send collars to the laundry. Four collars for each man a. week must be a low average Taking four as the average. the 1aundries in Birming- ham wash 100000 collars week, or 10,- 100000 per annum. The laundries in Bir- mingham charge for washing each collar 21s cents. Brmingham's laundry bill for collars, therefore, in the course of year. amounts to $26O,OO0. If the price for each, Birmingham's annual bill for having it's collars laundered would amount to only $2OS,0O0, or a saving of s52,O0O!
 Thirteen Laundries in Birmingham.
 There are 13 laundries in Birmingham, five of which are operated by Chinese. They are as follows: Acme, Atkins, Bir- mingham. Domestic. Empire, Excelsior, Imperial, White Swan George Charley, Lee Charlie, Lee Sam, Sing Sam and Sul- lee Lee.
 The eight leading laundries do the bulk of Birming'hams washing. As stated, task of examining the books of the laun- dries to arrive at the amount of money that Birmingham annually expends to- ward their support and profits.
 A study of the price lists of the laun- dries in Birmingham brings out the fact that the scale of prices is in nearly all the essentials identical This is true as concerns collars. cuffs shirts, stockings, underclothing, towels, sheets and prac- tically all the other articles worn or used every day in every day life.
 Fixing Scales of Prices.
 Just how the laundries arrive at prices cannot be learned. It cannot be stated whether they estimate the cost entailed in washing a certain article and then name the price, or whether they figure to lose trifie in washing this article, and make big nrofit in tha next Wheth-