The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-10-11

A GREAT INDUSTRY

SSl+S oOli wy MO-, oCI. O.--EudHu-
featuring of collins, caskets and sim
liar commodities, 1917, eight Missou-
ri establishments considered, four in
st. Louis, three in Kansas City, and
one in st. Joseph, reached total val
lie of S1,762,006, as compared to ST.
451 1865 for 1916; $1,336,7S5 for 1915
and $1,038,077 for 1914, announces
advance information from the 1918
Red Book of the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics, just given publicity by Com
missioner VIM. H. Lewis.
The details of this Missouri indus
try are more interesting than grue-
some for the reason that it is one
which has materially helped to place
Missouri eleventh in position for
worth of all factors products among
all manufacturing commemorative of
the country.
The 1917 worth of Missouri-made
collins, caskets and similar articles
81, 1852 ,O06, represents an increase of
hearth % per cent in total worth of
production, same establishments, ov-
er that of the year 1916; nearly 80
per cent over the total worth of pro-
duction of the year 1915, same estab-
lishments; and nearly 70 per cent over
total worth of production, same estab-
lishments, year 1914, according to the
calculations of Supervisor of Stats
tics A. T. Edmonston of the Missouri
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The gain in worth of this industry
is in Keeping with the estimations of
the Bureau of Labor Statistics last
summer that Missouri's total worth
of manufacturing, 1917, would exceed
81 ,250,O00,000 when finally compiled,
as compared to $905, 575,717 for 1916;
S671 ,544,313 for 1915, and $646,337,-
029 for 1914.
Collins, caskets and similar articles,
made in St. Louis in 1917 by four
large establishments, had a total
worth of $1,593,030, total worth
which was nearly 10 per cent greater
than the total worth of all funeral ap-
paratus in 1916 by eight establish
ments. st. Louis-made collins and
caskets in 1917, and during every one
of the last ten years, have been ship
ped to Mexico and Cuba, and countries
of South America, including Chilli. and
used there, regardless of keen compe-
tltion from rival manufacturers of the
Eastern States. These commodities
are also shipped into every State of
the Nation and sold.
In all, the eight factories considered
in the bulletin, in 1917, manufactured
55,601 collins and caskets. The raw
material and supplies which were
used to manufacture funeral products
worth, factory price, $1,762,006, cost
$685., 440, or about so per cent of the
selling value. The industry gave en-
ployment in 1917 to 576 persons, not
considering the owners and stock
holders in the manufacturing corpora
tons, consisting of 482 men and
youths and 90 women and girls, and
this host of workers drew SSH 1874 in
wages and salaries, as compared to
$436,412 for SGT toilers in 1916; $324,-
1854 for SIS toilers in 1915; and $345,-
293 for $40 toilers in 1914. The in
crease in the amount paid in wages
and salaries, 1917 over 1914, amount
ed to nearly 40 per cent. The fact
that there was only II per cent in
crease in number of toilers in the
eight coffin and casket factories of
the State, 1917 over 1914, indicates
that most of the increase in the total
paid out, 1917. for wages and salaries
went to the toilers themselves, and
was used by them to meet the higher
cost of living, and, some, to purchase
Liberty Bonds.
The eight coffin factories in 1917
maid 500 III for taxas and insurance
and a small portion for rent. There
was distributed sa, ute miscepaneously an