Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1808-06-07


leather, 90 cents per pound can scarcely be
obtained. And yet the English leather is
cheaper at the price it costs than the coun-
try tannage is at its reduced price because
| It's tex ure is so far superior. Some Ame-
| rican tanners of confined ideas and not O..
pen 20 conviction may say this assertion is
erroneous. Such men | would refer TO a
SHOEMAKER to whom the appellation of
mechanic can be Justly applied :; and he
viii tell the American tanner that if he
gives TINS country sole leather the same
working between his lapstone and hammer,
that he gives Ben leather, this country sole
VIII be sorednced as to unfit it for an on,
sole, tor strong shoe or boot. Whereas,
the Ben leather will swell and improve un..
der the hammer.
Tanners of enlightened minds NAV rea..
son thus; this mans remarks are striking.
MS quotations OF Ben and our sole leather
are correct, and 1t would be doing well
10 make an experiment, by employing a
| mechanic to tan Ben leather, the prospect
| OF profit is tempting in the extreme. How
ever, 1t is hazardous undertaken and
When view my stock account on the day
| commenced business (but a few wears ago)
and look to the bottom figure of it this day,
Ind my profits annually to be from Is
to Is per cent. shall be with these pro.
hts content, andsjog on in my usual syst.
ems, and leave these experiments to be
tried by others.
Others may say the green leather and
bark of England are superior to those of
this country. But such AN idea would be
erroneous. The green leather of this coun.
try is OF as good quality as that of any
DINER part of the world; and that kind of
bark so plentiful IN the country, called
| Water Oak, Is of superior quality to anv
which England produces
| And 1 can tell the American tanners.
with verdcity, that notwithstanding all the
| local advantage he possesses, and the ma
ny disadvantages the English tanner has to
encounter, that the English tanner (thro'
the medium OF his agent or factor,) can
meet nun IN MS own market, pay the same
prfce for has green leather and bark, pay
I all expenses OF commission. for sailing or
drying the hides, freight, Insurance, and
export duties here, and an import duty in
Eng land; and after manuEac Turing such
OF them as may be ft for Ben leather, he
can re-ship them to any market in these
states, and obtain the price above quoted.
his assert ON wlllto many appear enigma.
tea, and such, no doubt may wish for an
explanation. snail therefore Law before
them the local situation of the Eng ish and
American tanner, which shall be the sub.
Ject of my solution.
The ENGLISH TANNER
PAYS for green hides, per 10 from II to
II cents
For calf and veal skins, per Id II to 1!
| cents
For kips and runners, per lib IL to IS
| cents
Horse, foal, pig, deg and sheep skins, are
ought by hand, proport onably high.
For bNrk delivered in his lanyard, per
! ton, oi twenty IA Indred, So TO 60 dollars
lie has no slaves, no apprentices pays
MS yourn ymen from ID to 4 dollars per
week, and to manager from 600 to 500
dollars per annum.
He pays an annual Iicence of about so
dollars and annual duty for every cubic
( loot OF his watts, handlers and latches, which
on Ben leather amounts to 10 cents per
pound.
HE AMERICAN TANNER
Pays for green hides, per Id ] q cents
For calf and veal skins, per ID Is cents
For kips and runners, per ID 7 to 10 cents
For horse. foal, pig and dog skins, he pay
proportionably low
| He pays nothing for labor, but what feeds
or Clothes his apprentices, slaves, horses,
! sc
He generally is his own manager, and has
10 uuty 10 pay.
For bark he pays from to dollars per
! cord, and allowing 1 1 a cord to ton
| OF % cwt. he has his bark delivered at
from 10sl IL dollars % cents, per ton.
The above prices of green leather and
bark in London were those of the 10Th of
March 1905, on which day I had been in
that city and those of this country will be
found equally correct.
Hence it is notorious that notwithstand.
| ing the many and considerable disadvanta.
ges the English tanner labors under, vet
from his refined mechanical knowledg q,
he not only accumulates an independent for
tune thereby, but in a phianthropic point
OF view he scars far higher than the A
merican tanner that is, he gives employ.
ment to many more of his brethren.
! 1t would be vain 10 offer any thing res
pectiDg the systems practised in tanning
Ben leather, as the most minute theoreti-
cal explanation would fall far short of a
desired information to the mind Of the most
enlightened tanner unacquainted with the
practical systems used therein. However,
Will say that there is no lime made use
OF IN any OF the processes, and that sailed
and dryed hides can be so manufactured in
20 Ben leather.
In order TO shut out England forever from ex-
'or'ing Ben leather into this country I wou'd
most warmly recommend tanners Tor other gen
| lnrIeu ufito bo reI O.