Evening star., 1944-05-01
Stores Likely 10 Face
Package Paper Crisis
Within Three Months

Within Three Months
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 1.-The shortag,
Of wrapping paper, corrugated car
tons and paper bags is moving
toward a climax which industry ant
Government sources predict woulC
be reached IN three months.
Business groups department
stores, food shops, grocery chains
and sundry other merchandisers-
are trying various experiments de-
signed to conserve paper because
they believe supplies will hit rocl
bottom by August l.
In the fast-changing picture, only
last week the War Production
Board announced stores would re.
ceive only about half as much
wrapping paper and paper bags ir
April, May and June as in the
same quarter of last year.
But there are troubles in the at
tempts at salvage. Several mer-
chandisers reported that in trying
to get back used paperboard ship
ping containers-new ones are diff
cult to get-they found that some
box handlers were charging fancy
prcies for them.
In some instances the price hac
scared from normal five cent;
to 80 cents for each box, they said
The Office of Price Administra-
ton stepped in late in the week
however, and announced new dol
lars-and-cents ceiling prices would
be effective May l on secondhand
corrugated and solid fiber paper
board shipping containers at the
rate of 30 per cent of their cost
when new.
Would Cut Prices Up to so Per Cent
The new schedule would reduce
prevailing runaway" prices by as
much as so per cent, the OPA said
Trade reaction was mixed. Many
hailed the move, but S. L. Mayham,
executive secretary of the Toilet
Goods Association, Inc, said he was
opposed to ceilings unless compan-
les started asking OPA for an in
crease in the cost of their products
because of more expensive contain
ers.
He said many used container
handlers were entitled to higher
than normal prices because of
greater operational costs, including
the frequently increased cost of
getting boxes from stores.
Here is the way businessmen are
salvaging paper and containers:
New York departmr Mt stores are
sending out more merchandise un-
wrapped. Various systems are used
to show that articles are purchased.
Sometimes a string is tied around
the purchase with sales slip at
tached and frequently the store
merely slaps on a sticker.
R. H. Macy & Co., reported 1t
salvaged 6,055, ,230 pounds of paper
in 1943, most of it kraft-used in
Wrapping-and the rest tissues and
newspapers-used for packing. The
store also reused 708,703 cartons.
Bloomingdale Bros, Inc, said mer-
chandise delivered to them already
wrapped-Such as brooms and mops
also were sent to customers "as is"
but with sales slip attached.
The sWank higher-class specialty
shops-formerly engaging in elab-
crate gift wrapping and the like
all are cooperating.
1900 Pounds Saved Daily.
Saks Fifth Avenue, for instance,
bales more than 1000 pounds of
waste paper in its basement every
shopping day, salvaging as much as
possible, and sends off about 300
pounds of used paperboard boxes
to waste paper dealers each day.
1t also avoids outer wrappings
wherever possible on taken" trans
actions and curtails gift wrappings.
Merchants throughout the coun-
try are wholeheartedly co-operat-
ing in the drive, the National Retail
Dry Goods Association reported.
Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea
Co. said 1t was trying tests in two
OF Its stores-in New York and New
Rochelle, N. Y.-to see how the
use of paper bags could be curtailed.
The big food store chain-which,
because of its large turnover, prob
ably has a smaller paper bag in
ventory than some independents
said customers could help by bring
ing bags back for reuse or utiliz-
ing canvas and heavy paper Shop
ping bags if they had them.
The National Biscuit Co. reported
its sales and delivery force of 1000
redeemed a considerable percent
age of outside containers" en-
phasizing those retrieved were not
ones which actually incase food
The cartons are inspected and re-
conditioned by the company and
used as long as possible.
The biscuit company set UP its
system last fall. 1t also changed
the construction of many containers
so they could be opened without
damage and used large boxes when
ever possible to conserve paper
board and manpoWer.