The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-20 00:00:00

THE BOOT ANI) SHOE TRADE.

Last night a large meetieg ut master boot and shoe
makers in the metropolis, including many of the princi-
pal members of the trade, was held at the Freemasons'
Tavern, with the view of adopting some common course
of action to accommodate their interests to the unpre-
cedented rise in the price of leather of late, and especially
within the last six weeks. Mr. Medwin, of Regent's-
quadrant, acted as chairman, and from the statements
that he and the several otber speakers made to the
meeting it appears that from a variety of concurrent
causes the price of leather is from 50 to 80 per cent.,
many estimating it at even a higher figure than that,
more than it was a year ago. This is not confined to
London, but is general throughout the whole country.
Not wishing to run the risk of losing old customers
by making a corresponding increase in the price of
boots and shoes the masters during the last year have
struggled on at the old prices, hoping that the rise was
only temporary and exceptional, but they have done so
in many cases without deriving a farthing of profit on the
whole trt.nsactions for the 12 months, and in others by
sustaining heavy losses. The case of one well known
tradesmau was cited, who paid a rent of 4001. a-year for
his premises, and who estimated the whole of his profits
on his trade for the last year at only 801., and that with-
out taking into account hie necessary household ex.
penses. This state of things, it was stated, has become
so serious to the trade that the members of it have been
driven to bring the mater under public consideration
with the view of justifyingthem in making an equivalent
advance in the prices of b,mts and shoes of all kinds, not
for the purpose of obtaining greater profits, which they
repudiate, but simply as a measure of necessary protec-
tion and justice to themselves as a body. The scarcity
and consequent high cost of leather are chiefly attri-
buted by the trade to the enormous consumption
of the article during the war, when at the same time
no raw hides were imported into this country from St,
Petersburg ; to the greatly increased quantities of lea-
ther now being exported to the United States ; to the
murrain among cattle in South America, whence we
have been accustomed to derive large supplies of ra-v
hides; to the exportation of boots and shoes in incredibly
large quantities ; and to a decrease in the supply of lea-
ther we have heretofore received from France, resulting
from the extensive substitution of leather for wooden
shoes among the lower classes of the French provinces.
The meeting entirely repudiated the idea of anything '
like a combination among themselves or the trade of
which they are members for the purpose of forcing a
rise of prices in the public. Besides the chairman the
meeting was addressed by Mr. Simpson, of Tottenham-
court-road ; Mr. Moore, of the firm of 13,2rra1l and Co.,
Marylebone-lane ; Mr. Bird, Oxford-street ; Mr. Green,
Shoreditch ; Messrs. Cornell, Hewitt, Hooker, and
others ; and eventually a resolution was passed by ac-
clamation recommending the adoption by the trade of an
average advance in the price of boots and shoes in pro-
portion to the rise in the price of leather. Other reso,
lutions were also adopted for giving effect to the wishes
of the meeting, and the proceedings terminated.