The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-04-17
SHOEmAKING.
The New England Shoe Towns
Wonderful Results OF MachiZerY
Work.

The New England Shoe Towns
| Wonderful Results OF Machizer!
| Work.
Boston Correspondence ssn Francisco Call.
The shoe manufacturers Of Massa
chusetts have petitioned Congress
now owned by the Mckay SEWN,
Machine Company, originally granted
10 Robert III. Matthias and Gordon Nc
Kay. This patent will expire in few
months. 1t is alleged that the machin,
is detrimental to the interests of TIM
people, who are the consumers, whiN
not advancing the interests of the man
ufacturers, excepting those who ar,
interested in the profits of the Compa
ny. Tt is also alleged that the patenteet
and their assigns have already made
hundreds of thousands Of dollars from
the machine, having received the full
benefit contemplated under the law
The right of controlling the mauufac-
ture and sale, also the use of the ma.
chimes, 1,200 already sold, and the roy.
atty to be paid for using the same the
next seven years, is an immense power
worth millions of dollars. 1t is also
alleged that in case the patent is re-
newed the advance in the price Of the
stock of the Company will reach a
high premium, putting at least $4,000,
600 extra into the pockets OF those who
are in the ring On the other hand,
the owners of the Mckay Sewing
Machine, as well as the owners Of the
latest improved pegging machine,
claim that the entire amount of royalty
paid fol- fair or fine goods Is SO small,
81 cents on sewed work, and two
cents per pair on pegged work, that
the difference is unknown to and dis
by the consumer. That is to
say, the royalties are small and the gen.
eral gain to the public large.
To go back about twenty years
there were scattered all over New
England many towns known as shoe
towns, where in shops the leather was
cut by hand, then was parceled out to
makers or 'bottomers,' who for por-
ton of the year labored upon the land
and portion of the year are fishermen,
and at odd times make boots and shoes.
These boots and shoes were taken
fro m the shops and brought back fin
ished, varying time of completion from
one week to six months, or even q
year they were returned to the shop,
packed in cases, and sent to
a market for sale. The result was that
to accumulate for q season sufficient
shoes to meet the demands of the mar
ket required six months time. To see
what is possible in these days of shoe
read this: GA large shoe
turning cut 2,4OO pairs
of shoes per day, was destroyed by
fire Wednesday night, with contents,
valued at $4,000. 1t was busy sea.
son, with plenty of orders on hand.
On Thursday the manufacturer hired
a neighboring building aud set carpen-
ters to fitting it up; on Friday he or
dered his machinery it arrived and the
men set it up; on Monday work was
and Tuesday he was filling or
ders, as usual, turning out the full
of 2,4O0 pairs. 1t is great
thing to save a manufacturer both his
orders and customers-the savings Of
one seasons profits; but machinery is
a big thing, especially in shoe shops.
The Mckay Sewing Machine Com
pany, which is now having fight in
Congress, sewed 45,OOO,OOO pairs of
shoes last year, aud there were pegged
upon the pegging machines, 81, 5,O0O.O 600
pairs last year. And those machines
have entirely revolutionized the busi-
ness. There are 100000 bushels Of
loose pegs made in New England, and
those pegs sell from IS cents to Is
cents per bushel; yet patented peg
wood "a strip or ribbon of wood cut
across the grain, and Of a width just
equal to the length of q peg, has so
the loose pegs that last
year there were 55,OOO,OOO pairs Of
boots and shoes pegged with it. The
whole expense of this peg-wood
averages about one-fourth of a cent
per pair. Nearly 1000 of these pegs
are driven into the shoe in minute,
and there are about four to six pegs to
an inch, or about twenty-five inches of
pegging to the shoe. Over 100 varie-
ties of shoe machines are now in the
market. The man who invented this
had to borrow money to
enable him to perfect his device and
pay the fees of the solicitor and Patent
Office, besides having borrowed $780,
900 in order to enable him to introduce
it into the market. It cost the parties
who invented and introduced into the
shoe shops the "cable screw-wire ma
chine," 100000. Six hundred pairs
of pegged shoes can now be made in a
day by q gang of ten men. Where
before, shoe-shops existed throughout
New England, now shops haYe be-
come larger, labor is classified, and re-
ceives larger compensation (strikes
to the contrary Notwithstanding; !;
wages have advanced SO to 100 per
cent. to the laborer, and the shoe in
quality is 25 per cent. better than twen-
ty-tive years ago.
A YANKEE who had never paid
more than twenty-five cents to see an
exhibition, went to New FORK thea
tre one night to see "FOrty Thieves"
The ticket seller charged him seventy