Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-03-15
NEW SlMPLIFICATION WHAT
IT'S ALL ABOUT
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

| w. SHINGTON, March l2.--When
| the clerk in a store offers you an
| embarrassing array of styles in type
| writer paper or picture frames from
which to select a purchase you may
! be set tn marveling on the perfec-
| tion of our civilization. The wide
variety of stock supposedly indicates
| that we are a people of eXacting
| tastes, and that each customer must
be suited with just the quality or
outline that happens to appeal to
him.
| But if you confide this optimistic
! idea to the shopkeeper you will be
quickly disillusioued. The really be-
| wildering assortment Of goods in
stock is not a sign of progress, he
will tell you. 1t is rather Il sign of
Unnecessary waste, and it is respon-
sible for many of the worries of the
manufacturer and the distributor,
and expense to the consumer.
Economists have for some time
been giving thought to this matter
because it has been shown so clear
ly that riotous complexity in varie-
ties is not in the long run bringing
anybody the most possible profit.
Simplificatiou is the remedy they
{
plification promises IoWer prices,
stabilization of industry, better
wages, and better quality of product.
The Department of Commerce has
for more than a year been carrying
out a program to help industry to
get on a simpler basis. and the Ma
tional Chamber of Commerce
through its Domestic Distribution
and Fabricated Production Depart
ments is actively encouraging manu-
facturers and distributors to work
towards this new ideal in efficiency.
The whole idea is now ia amiliar to
those engaged in industry and trade.
But the consumer who is supposed
TO sbare in the advantages Of simpli-
fled practice has not heard very
much about it.
Simplification does not mean that
we would all be better off if any,
body wore a uniform and tried 20
feel comfortable in a seven shoe ate
Oft one kind of china and slept in a
universe type Of bed. Far frc it..
But consider the case of a collar
maker. Why should his factory turn
out $50 types of collars? One manu-
facturer who was doing this thing
thought it over and concluded that
20 styles would provide an ample Sc
lection for his most fastidious GUS
toner, and 125 varieties Of collar
were dropped from the stock list.
"A cigar factory surveyed its pro-
duction and decided to make six
kinds OF cigars instead of $50. A
firm making farm implements cut
down its varieties from 1902 to 1877.
and a. water bottle manufacturer de-
cided that 5 varieties We're just as
good as 20.
AyoidabIe Waste % Per Cent
These are sa rnple cases where ser
| ious thought has been given 70 the
! statement that, conserva lively speak
! Ing the aYoidable waste in American
industry is at least 25 per cent, and
that a good Aa-t of this waste can
be traced straight TO needless COM
pleXity Of sizes and shapes.
Until recently this complcXity has
seemed to be almost a necessary evil
of competition in trade. But in the
past few years it has become a reg
ular milestone about the neck of
American industry. lake an example
in Containers-one of the lines where
| the multiplicity of varieties is most
glaring.
A jelly manufactures. If he is SO
inspired, may add a two-and-a half
! ounce jar to his two, three. and tour
| ounce stock. This two-and- ~ halt
| ounce jar of jelly may look fully as
| large as a three ounce jar of another
manufacturer, so deceptive are
| shapes and outlines of containers
The two-and-a-half ounce jar, OF
course sells for a little less than
most three ounce Jars on the mark set
1t looks like a bargain to the house
wife who, by the way, rarely pays
any attention to capacities as stated
on labels. Consequently the new
size jar becomes u formidable rya
OF the three ounce package of uthol
jelly makers Each Of these retail.
ates by producing a two o-and-a-hali
ounce Jar to add u his own series
Take another instance in the same
line: in little exhibit Of glass con.
tainers at the Department of Com.
merce there are 10 different kinds Of
IL ounce jars. all roughly similar il
shape. Some are a little taller an6
thinner than others. Some have The
glass ridged lengthwise to accentuat,
iheight. Some have squared anc
some have slightly distinctive base
or neck.
The result ct this variation so ia,