The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-10-15

necessary
The question is not one of their re-
payment, but of how rapidly they may
be repaid without bringing about a
credit contraction that will create de-
preston. In fact, one of the things
chiefly to be feared is that the lessons
of Industrial efficiency and personal
economy learned during the war will
enable us to reaccumulate wealth so
rapidly that we will pay off the public
debt too fast, and thereby debate an
undoubtedly inflated situation so sud
denly that credit will be Frustrated.
This was what happened after our
Civil War and brought about the panic
of 1873. Men can adjust themselves to
almost any change, provided it is not
too sudden. Deflation is desirable
and inevitable, but it should not be
so accelerated that it will result in
shock and dislocation.
Including the men who are fighting
and the men and women who are
working to keep them supplied with
food and war materials, some 10000
600 people are probably engaged in
work that is, in a sense, unproductive.
/ When these people are returned to the
ranks of productive industry, the ra-
pidity with which they will be able
to create wealth will be astonishing,
for their efficiency will be greatly in
creased by the new methods that have
been introduced and the devices and
! nnOn0mfoc that howe haan odor+od T.,
speed up and augment war production.
The study that has been given to
scientific economy and the results
that have been attained are not gen.
orally understood or appreciated In
| Washington there are two organiza-
lions within the War Industries Board
that have done remarkable work
along these lines. One is the Conser-
walton Division, formerly the Com
mercial Economy Board, of which A.
| NJ. Shaw is chief. The other is the
! Resources and Conversion Section.
+, whose chief Is Charles A. Otis.
The function of the first-named
board has been to eliminate the sur
| plusage Of styles and sizes made and
/ sold in the manufacture and distrIbu-
| ton of stable articles, upon the the
! DRY that a multiplicity Of styles in
volved waste in production, unneces-
sarily stimulated the demand. and
compelled merchants to carry stocks
that tied up millions, and perhaps
billions, of capital that was needed for
the prosecution of the war.
To induce the manufacturers to
make the changes and introduce the
reforms recommended time has, of
course, been required, but as their ad-
vantages became apparent the resist
ance has diminished, and in many diff
ferent lines Of trade the simplifications
that have already been effected will
save an enormous amount of labor and
material, which means, in the last
analysis, more rapid creation Of
wealth. Thus about two thousand diff
ferent sizes and types of plows and
tillage implements have been elimin-
ated and a great reduction in the va
| riety of other agricultural implements
hitherto manufactured has been eff
fected. The sizes and types of auto
mobile tires produced have already
been reduced from 2S7 to 81, and it
is expected that within two yescs only
nine standard descriptions will be
manufactured.
There were formerly six hundred
sizes and types of metal bedstaads
made Now only thirty are produced,
and the metal tubing used in their
manufacture has been standardized so
that its cost will be substantially re-
duced.
The color height, and variety of
shoes has been reduced by at least
half, with a corresponding reduction
In the cost of production. Each man.
ufacturer of paint and-varmish Is now
restricting his product to thirty-two
shades of house paint and ten grades
Of varnish, as against nearly 100 diff
ferent varieties formerly produced.
To save cans the half-gallon and
many Of the smaller-sized packages
have been eliminated.
In the manufacture of hardware,
where the number of styles and sizes
hitherto produced was almost infinite,
the reduction will average 80 per cent
The number of items in one saw man.
ufacturer's catalogue has been reduc-
ed by 20 per cent In the stove and
and sizes have been cut out, and those
remaining require the least iron and
steel for their production.
In mems and women's clothing the
simplihc2tion of styles agreed upon
will reduce the material required by
from u to % per cent, and by restrict
ing the sizes of samples about 3,450,O00
yards of cloth will be saved annually
The high price of tin has led to
great reduction in its use for solder
Babbitt metal, bronze, tinfoil, etc, and
silk dyers have learned that they can
get along with 80 per cent of the tin
formerly used in giving luster and
weight to certain grades of silk. Great
economy has been effected by induc-
ing manufacturers to standardiZe the
size of the boxes In which their goods
are packed. Waist manufacturers, for
example, are packing two or three
waists in a box instead of one. This
will. save probably two-thirds Of the
freight space formerly used for ship
ping waists. Similar economies of
shipping space have been effected in
many other lines of business
In the delivery of goods substan-
tial economies have also been secured
by the partial abolition of &c. o. D."
and "on approval" deliveries, as well
as by reducing the number of daily
wagon trips, and price concessions to
| those customers who acquire the
leash and carry" habit have also re-
duced the retailers cost of distribu-
! ton.
The list of these innovations could
be greatly heightened, but from those
described some idea may be had of
the enormous saving in the cost of
manufacturing and distributing goods
that has been effected in alm5s. every
department of trade.
All these innovations are essentially
methods of saving labor, and if they
are not abandoned after the war they
will add enormously to the wealth.
creating power of the Nation, for
wealth is but labor in a concrete and
useful form.
The work of the Resources and Con-
version Section of the War Industries
J II 4