Scissor Plan

Cutting an industry's costs by coordinating its members, a plan now being studied for U. S. railroads, is also before British industry, where it is called "rationalizing." Last week the British Imports Duties Advisory Committee was seriously considering a plan for the formation of "Iron & Steel Corporation of Great Britain." The direct object of the plan is to concentrate progressively all production in the more efficient plants and eliminate "redundant and inefficient works."

While the U. S. was hemming over its railroads and Britain hawing over her steel, five big British cutlery makers in Sheffield acted. Last week the U. S. Department of Commerce reported that the five are lumping all their orders for scissors, manufacturing all scissors in one plant and shipping them to the members of the group for delivery.

Well could U. S. scissor-makers afford to adopt some such plan for increasing profits. Biggest U. S. makers include J. Wiss & Sons and W. H. Compton, of Newark; H. Boker & Co. (established in 1837, now run by the founder's grandchildren), J. A. Henckels (branch of the German firm of the same name) and Griffon Cutlery Works, in Manhattan. Several other companies make scissors as side lines, including United Shoe Machinery Corp. of Boston, Landers, Frary & Clark of Xew Britain, Conn., Remington Arms and Winchester Repeating Arms Co. of New Haven.

The U. S. scissor business is bad because Depression has brought the cost of finished dresses so low that little home dressmaking is done. Big scissor years were 1928 and 1929. People who then would pay $1 or $1.25 for scissors now want them for 49-c- retail. Big dressmaking companies use cutting machines, not scissors. Manicuring scissors remain in steady demand, but buttonhole scissors are becoming obsolete and cheap German iron (not steel) scissors imported for sale at 29-c- harmed the U. S. scissor business. Scissors in 5-c- & 10-c- stores have done less damage to the trade since they are made of cast iron, not forged steel, cannot be, sharpened and are used for little but paper cutting. Some moderate success in stimulating business has been obtained by marketing chrome-steel scissors that will not tarnish, and magnetized scissors useful in picking up pins & needles.

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