The New York herald., 1877-10-17
LEATHER DEALERS CONVENTION.
lsxuAx MEETING OF THE NATIONAL HIDE ANp
LEATHER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AT THE


LEATHER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. AT THE
PRELIMINARY SESSION YESTERDAY.
The National Hide and Leather Association OF the
United States, ono OF the most powerful nnucn-
Vial trado guilds in this country will hold It's annual
ession in this city during the current week at the
Union League Theatre. The initial meeting called
10 order yesterday at twelve O'Clock by Marshall
Icwell OF Connecticut, and lasted until late hour
the afternoon. An adjournmept was then declared
until ten O'Clock this morning. Sessions will be held
daily throughout this week until Saturday, which day
VIII be devoted to visiting the public institutions OF
the city Perhaps the most important subject to come
before The Convention tho tariff upon leather. Mr..
George b. Allen, OF Milwaukee, will read paper ad-
vocatng reciprocity treaty with Canada and suggest
Ing an arrangement by which he claims the tariff
can be reduced SO .as to bencdt not only
the trade but the government. The rela-
methods Of classifying hides aud leather general
statistics OF the trade and the rcspcctve qualities OF
jects Of discussion during the week. Beyond tho
ganlsation Of the Convention the making OF speeches
board OF officers little done at the arst session.
YEsTERpAy's MEETING
There were present nearly all the following officers
oi The association :-Prcsident Marshal Jcwcl Hart
Louis Baaui Cincinnati; Il. Z. Tillinshas., Chicago;
Kansas CITY. Secretaries Jess. r Ely. Baltimore; L.
7. Leas, philadeIphia; Joseph l. Croui, Detroit:
sousiss SS,'' conSl.,os' s ' Jackson s. Schultz New
York. In addition TO these there were noticed
IN the Conysn.ion n MI George w. A,Sn, Milwaukee;
Upton, Salem, Mass. g. |. Webster, Boston; W.
4. Glssscn, osseso, u. X:i 4. y. Tarxell. Water
'9wn .M.. hsnS1Hs ns,sS,s Wai'orn y 4 M:0,s
Lexington; a;' LOUIS Y0' G, in, arifshs, Prospect
X; N Spencer Thomas Elmra; James y. McLan,
shipperseurg, and Il Clay Larrable, Baltimore. ON
druced Mr. Isaac II. Bailey, who made an address OF
welcome 70 tho delegates.
Gentlemen, y said he, 'tne privilege has bcen ac-
corded to me Of opening this Convention by sau,a-
ton OF welcome 10 all who hays come TO attend II.
In the name OF your brethren of the trado this
metropolis tender to youa cordial greeting The
city you have selected for holding your council 10
most suitable one. Now York has from the begin
ming Of the century been the leading mart OF the sole
leather business There o are are Isceiysd here an an;
here 600 900 sides OF leather The West has OF late
been dspuung tho empire Of the metropolis, bnt u s
. friendly spirit. New England claims precedence
because OF the multiiorm warp IN which sne fashions
no difference OF opinion Much of your leather in its
last analysis Ia the contribution TO the understanding
owe tner possessions to the tanners with whom they
have done business, and their relations have always
been those Of tnterdependence and mutuahty.
They have thrved together Jared III together,
the fates wero propitous or adverse, but the one
has rarely proated by the reverses OF tho other.
The time you have chosen 10 particularly opp0r-
tune Thore never was greater need OF conference
and concert among the tanners There IS some-
thing wrong in the existing condition OF tho bush
nesa As TAR as the East is concerned there
prodt IN our occupation. ! am glad to believe that
in the West our friends are more favora0y situated,
and mono OF u.s. am sure, envy their good fortune.
But either because paying too much for hides
getting little tor leather we in this section
more strongly than that but Il is not worth while to
mar the cheerfulness OF this ConveaIon by putting
enough to say that hsmiock sole leather which con-
sutes the bulk Of the stock that finds ts way 70 the
New York Market does not sell on the average for as
much It costs The explanation, perhaps. is not 80
lar 70 seek as the remedy. There IS more leather
made for the time being than there are markets tor,
but now shall curtailment be madeY We have an
export trade which has already attained imposing
proportions and Is manifestly increasing; but there
has never been any profit in It, simply because We
have always anticipated foreign demand instead Of
waiting Tor II. little moro patience, y little less
haste, touch Of conservatism. would change this
traffic from q losing TO lucrative one. IL Will be
curious and instructive study for this Convention
to find out why 1t 10 that while every other branch
ci the leather industry nourishes that one which IS
the root Of tho whole Is ianguishins ana worse
than proftess II will devolvc also upon this body
TO devise measures for nsuring adequate exnib
ton OF American leather ut the Paris Exposition next
year. That rs matter which will stimulate your
sr In tho name Of the leather msrchaSts OF New
York | bid you welcome here, and trust that the
proud old trade which has wthstood every vicsstude
time past with such unintcrng strength VIII IN the
future enter upon fresh career oil prosperity
In n bret address Governor Jewell referred to the
inauspcious circumstances which the organiza
tion formed at Phladelphia last year, aud Con-
graduated those present upon tho more favorable
conditions under which they were again assembled.
Mr.. jackson 3. Schultz stated that as very many Of
the members OF the Executive Committee lived in
other States that body had not yet been able 10 hold
meeting, but it would do 30 at once, and would ar
range programme for the convention. Outside of
questions OF actual manufacture the most important
problem, ne said, whether this country was to
supply Europe with leather He iurther stated that
the Executive Committee would submit TO Congress a
plan tor the establishment OF trade bureaus in Euro
pean capitals