The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-02-17

tanned and orders taken, and Upon the ex
tent OF these depends the production Q
the factories. This plan has proved tn
salvation Of the great shoe concerns Of tn
east, since by itthey have avoided any &C
cumulation Of surplus stocks. Every sea
son has been emphatically made 10 TAX
care Of ite own product. )
Our merchants report very satisfactory
collections In January, and very feV
doubtful claims upon their books. The,
consider the outlook for the spring trade
rs favorable for an improved business.
THE LEATHER BUSINESS.
Apropos 10 the shoe trade Is the man
lfaCture Of leather. We visited the extern
siye tannery OF Messfs. Hoffman 4 Son
which In productive capacity 10 one Of the
largest In the country. From Mr.. HoE
man we learn that the leather business
has had Its share Of vicissitudes, In fact that
for years there has been steady decline
In the price oil manufactured goods. II d
true that the decline In raw stock has been
as constant One very important feature
IN the leather manufacturers the length oil
time required 10 turn the raw material
into q marketable product, the period vary.
Ing from nine months 10 O year. II Is easy
then for even the uninitilted TO see that
with the experience Of years II must be d
difficult thing 10 keep such o business In q
condition TO avoid actual loss from the de.
crease In prices. For instance, the sell.
Ing price Of leather ran down from ~ cents
per pound In 1874 TO SO cents per pound In
1873. a decline OF l2 cents per pound, or
an average decline OF 3 cents per pound
for each year Nor has the decline yet
ceased, for already In the month Of Janu-
AIRY, 1870, there has been o further shrink.
age OF 2cents per pound, ......
The decline In hides also continues.
Mr.. Hoffman showed Us bill OF purchase
Of hides, on which the Ink was hardly dry,
and yet he could on that day have bought
the same lot Of hides at one.lourth Of a
cent less per pound. II will DO seen that
In business which requires IN outlay OF
over $4,000 per year TO keep II In stock,
these fluctuations are very important
considerations. Neither will II be hard TO
understand that the profits Of the business
have not been satisfactory.
NsIsH STRAW PAPER.
There Is but one mill in this line Of
In this immediate vicinity,
The concern OF Messrs. Wagner & Co., OF
West Wheeling. Their warehouse, how.
aver Is In the city, and In charge OF one OF
The partners, A. g. Robinson, ESQ.
The manufacture Of straw wrapping pa
per has experienced continuous decline
Ior some years, especially within the last
.hree or four years. But recently, so to
speak, straw Wrapping paper was q large
TEN In the business Of an retailers of
goods OF every class. Factories sprung up
y all parts Of the country and competi.
ion was very severe, which Of itself made
he business at its best one Of very mod.
srate profits, The extensive introduction
u grocery bags into the retail business OF
hat branch OF trade, and the use OF fine
MANILA paper for wrapping purposes by
he retail dry goods trade, have, In most
,ities and towns, and even In country
stores, entirely driven out straw wrapping
paper and deprived the manufacturers OF
heir largest class Of custom. The decline
p raw material, great as II has been, and
he material decrease In the price OF
abor have by no means kept pace
with the shrinkage in the manufactured
lrticle. Pittsburgh for several years at
oried the best market for straw paper,
tut that fact has concentrated upon It al
most the entire product Of oil the mills In
his region OF country, and as conse.
Iuence none Of them during last season
made any money. A convention OF man
ltactnrers held at Pittsburgh in January Of
his year succeeded in making an ar.
angement by which the price Of paper
Uas advanced somewhat. There is no tell
ng, however, how long the advance will
De maintained,
Asstraw.wrapping paperhas been driven
nut OF the market, manufacturers have
urned their attention to other branches
i the paper business in which much the
anne kind Of stock Is used, and to which
heir machinery can be adapted without
'reat expense. This heavier class OF paper
'nters largely into the building trade, be-
ng used for roofing, and under weather.
and under plastering. The de.
nand Tor paper for these purposes has in.
'reased rapidly and Is still increasing to
uch an extent as TO give promise Of large
business during the present year. Messrs.
Wagner & Go. arc 0nlargingthe productive
'apaclty OF their mill, which must be ac-
'epted as the best evidence OF their faith
n the future.