Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-08-01
kAmcARoo LEATHER


II Il son and ,Iore PIt.hle rA.n c.lEskls
or Kid.
why don't you wear shoes OF kanga-
roo skin7r asked the old shoemaker.
as be knelt TO take the measure OF his
customers foot
II don't know responded the Gus
toner, unable to construct line OF de-
tense on that very moment And then.
perceiving that something more was
expected of him. he queried rather
helplessly. why should /? what is
the advantage of thems"
IF you ever have tender feet" an
swered the shoe man. you would
fully appreciate kangaroo skin Why,
the leather is soft and pliable-very
much more so than calfskin or kid
That makes the shoe ever so much
easier to the foot Then 1t is
great deal lighter than those
other materials. and that's an advan-
tage. and, as for wear. why. kangaroo
skin is far ahead. Look here" and go
ing to his bench. he picked up two
scraps OF leather. Now. this Is kan
CARGO skim and with his sharp shoe
makers knife he made two short Incl
sious from the edge Now tear from
these" But this the customer. though
not man of weakness, was unable to
do The same experiment being made
with calfskin, that was torn with
ease. That" ended the old man.
shows the difference in wear. and the
price is Just about the same"
But the customer was a newspaper
man Immediately he turned Swamp
ward, and within half an hour stood
in the presence of one of the city's
largest kangaroo men,
The kangaroo" began this gentle
man, lis. as you know, native of
Australia Prior to ten years ago
they existed in untold numbers. They
became such a pest and so disastrous
to the sheep pastures that the colonial
government offered q bounty for their
! destruct ton Now, up to that time
there had been no permanent or set
tied use for their skins and hides. To
go back a little, however. say twelve
to fifteen years ago, these skins came
to America in considerable quantities.
But at that time their value was un-
recognized. Strange as they certain
ly were to American manufacturers.
| their disposal was only possible at
ruinous loss The parties interested
| in the scheme withdrew; worse of by
some 100000.
'.Now. about this sime-say 1850
| new process of tanning was devised
by which kangaroo hide was made
into a shoe leather, superior in
strength, durability. softness and
fneness to any thing of like weight
and nature ever before used for the
| purpose. Then was the manufactured
leather trade-marked under the name
'camelopard.'
From that time forward did the
| merits of kangaroo skin become more
| generally recognized. At the present
| time the sales are enormous, the
material having. in large measure,
supplanted waxed calf, gloved calf,
| French calf, kid and similar goods
used in the manufacture Of the lighter
and finer foot wear. And the manu-
| facture of foot wear. you know, has
reached its most magnificent pro-
| portions in America Here more
taste is displayed and money expended
on this article of attire than any.
where else on earth
'-Only in America has a successful
system of tanning been devised Over
in European countries kangaroo skin
is tanned. it is true, but it is in COM
paratively little use. Here the tan
ming is not by any means solely OF
the 'camelopard' brand Other maui
facturers have devised systems very
like unto it. and the product of these
is in very general USE
LAS is always the case when any
thing meets with extraordinary sue
cess. as this very truly has. many imi-
tations have been brought into the
market. Often and often have women
especially bought boots of Dongola
goat under the impression that they
were of kangaroo skin Again has
the manufactured product of sheep
shin been passed off in imitation.
The trade in kangaroo skins shows.
indeed. great and gratifying in.
crease.-N. Y. Mail and Express.
| CANADA'S GOVERNMENT.