Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-06-17
INVITATIONS OF LEATHER.
How They Are Psimed on Upon the fuh
lie for Footwear.


lie for Footwear.
"The oft-quoted statement" said .
veteran shoe deal, TO a reporter yes
terday afternoon. There are tricks In
all trades but ours. is the coenpletest
fallacy ever perpetrated upon an I'M
suspecting public. The fact is that
there is no given trade in which frauds
are not continually conjurcd and sue
ccssfully worked"
Specify"
III will tell you a few in our business.
for am best informed on that subject.
having been in the wholesale manufac-
turing trade for score Of years. Right
here let me tell you the cause of il. In
any business there is a continual strug-
gle between manufacturers, and this
makes il necessary for them to econo-
mize and figure to reduce cost In the
most trifling details. for 1t Is the few
cents margin that makes the profit
which enables the fortunate to wear
diamonds and drive fast horses"
II sce.n
''Some years ago there was q rage for
cheapcning goods. Cheap substitutes
for standard stock were eagerly sought
for. They found them, too"
"Do you know of any local devicesp"
II do. A prominent manufacturer
here, who has good reputation and
does business amounting TO hundreds
of thousands annually, devised scheme
some time ago which was destined to
make big profits. He made a great
many tipped shoes. The advantage Is
the extra protection to the toe. making
two thicknesses of leather there, and
giving better service, especially in chill
dren's shoes. Well, this man cut
piece off the vamp Mt the toe, and join
cd the vamp and tip by stitching them
as usual The result was only ono
thickness of leather there, and when tho
tip was worn through there was hole
in the shoe"
THAT surely could not make much
of saving"
Couldn't, hp it saved just so
much whole stock, and reduced tho
estimated number of feet for case.
Then it saved the best part of the skin,
for the TANKS can not be cut up into
vamps."
Was the trick discoveredp"
Unfortunately it was. The manu-
facturer overstepped himself there, and
the shoes which he sent out ripped
badly. The consequence was that he
had q lot of shoes to take back. He
was money out in the end.'
What are some othersp'
. Some manufacturers, in making
double-soled mems goods, have cut
heel-lifts out of the first sole, and filled
it up with pasted stock OF leather
board. Then I've heard Of cases
where the tap-sole was reduced to o
mere strip around the edge, with some
cheap material for the center filling.
Heels are often made almost entirely OF
cheap manufactured stock. Only tho
best of shoes have sole leather coun-
tiers.
"How about the uppers?'
There is deception everywhere.
There Is no prime stock made which
has not an accompanying imitation.
There is imitation French kid; imita-
ton Curacao kid; imitation everything.
More sheep-skins are made up 10 re-
semble kid than you would imagine.
There is even imitation sheep-skin.
Z" How can they be detectedP'
"Only by years of practice. No
plain, ordinary, everyday buyer can
tell India kid from Curacao. The In
dia kid is made of sheep-skin."
And sold for genuine kidp"
"Oftcn. Its conscientious dealer
who will say this shoe is not kid, but
shecp-skin. made up to resemble kid. v
Are these receptions practiced as
much in Rochester as in other citics?'
mo. Eastern towns are the hot
beds of shoddy shoes. Rochester shoes
arc generally good, but there are tricks
in the trade everywhere. Come around
again and I'll tell you some more. "
Rochester IN. Y Democrat and Chron-
icle