Back to Shrounds

Back to Shrouds

The shortage to end all shortages loomed up last week when New York and Washington undertakers hurriedly conferred over an acute shortage of coffins. Some said the supply would last only six weeks, others thought about four months. The trouble began last summer when WPB banned metal coffins, forced all manufacturers to wood. Since then things have gone from bad to worse--coffin makers cannot get standard woods like walnut, mahogany or redwood, must use soft pine and poplar. New kilns for wood drying are not available ; coffin workers are romping off to war plants (one Pennsylvania outfit has already lost 35% of its employes). Unless WPB soon eases its restrictions, most undertakers will have to go back to the Middle Ages technique, wrap their customers in shrouds.

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