Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-05-01

A general average minimum in:
crease OF 20 per cent in photo engraE-
:ngs Will become operative in New
York CITY on April 3 This was DO
Cided upon Tuesday evening at
meeting Of the Photo Engravers
Board Of Trade Of New York, and i;
based upon the standard scale for SELL
ing their products. adopted by the Ma
tional Association Of Photo Engra"-
ers at the Chicago convention in
June, 1915.
In discussing the proposed lnCr"as"
with a representative Of the Editor
and Publisher, one of the officials Of
the Photo Engravers' Board Of Trade
said that the standard scale is de
signed on cost plus legitimate profit.
One of the important items in the
cost, he said, was the increased cost
If labor, necessitated by q new labor
agreement entered into by. the Board
Of Trade with the Photo EngraverS
Union, which became effective April ).
Some Reasons for Advance.
Another reason for the increase, he
pointed out, was the greatly increased
cost of raw materials, which have
risen from 80 per cent to l246 per
cent in the last year and a half.
AS a forerunner to the proposed IN
crease, the various members of the
Board of Trade have sent to each OF
their customers a circular entitled,
why Photo Engraving Is COSTING
More" and showing a comparison OF
the prices quoted in July, 1914, and
March, 1916:
In this schedule "copper" one of the
principal ingredients of photo engraV-
inv, is shown to have increased 46 per
cent, or from 3519 cents in July,
1914, to SO cents in March, 1916.
Zinc, another of the important raw
materials, is shown to have increased
240 per cent, while 40 per cent nitric
acid and 20 per cent muriatic acid
have each increased 100 per cent. The
biggest increase, according to the cir
cular, was in potassium bromide,
which rose from Al cents in July, 1914,
to $5.52 in March, 1916, or 1916 per
cent. Other large increases quoted
are: Mercury bichloride, COS per
cent; hydroquinine, 10 per cent;
copper sulphate, 2S4 per cent; acetic
acid, 24O per cent; acetone, 225 per
cent.
Higher Prices for Small Cuts.
Analysing the new scale of prices,
the Board of Trade points out that
the burden of the increase will fall
upon small engravings, while the in
crease in the large plates will be pro-
portionately small. Under the present
method1of price making, the Board OF
Trade states, the profits of the bust
ness are almost wholly derived from
the fat" on the large engravings.
With the new scale in operation there
will be, according to the estimate Of
the Board of Trade, a reasonable
profit. y
This n! ans that three-inch engrav.
irgs viii cost proportionately that
much md b than two-inch engravirgs,
and so on upwards to the largest en-
cravings BY this method, it Is .esti-
mated that while the cost of the small
engraving will average. considerably
more than the large engraving, yet
the generally yearly cost to the con-
sumer will be practically the same as
now. as{a H. w..
a. the meeting. of the, Board ef
Trade on Tuesday evening, 81 mem
>bers, representing 81 concerns, were
present.. A meeting of the board OF
directors of the Board of Trade was
held on "Wednesday afternoon, at
which the action of the Board ot
Trade was ratified, after which tie
new scale of prices was ordered
and distributed to the customers Of
the members. Introductory to the dis.
tribution of the new price scale, a
circular letter will also be sent out,
informing the customers of the pro-
posed increase and setting forth the
reasons. .+r -,
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