The Forrest City times., 1891-05-29
FREE RAW MATERIALS.
WHAT FREE HIDES HAVE Ac-
 COMPLISHED.
Large Increase In Exports of Leather an1 Boots and shoes-English Buyers in the American Market-A Strong Case for Free Raw Materials.

Large Increase In Exports of Leather aA4
 Boots and shoes-English Buyers in the
 American Market-A Strong Case for
 Free Raw Materials.
 The wisdom of the policy of free raw materials is well illustrated in the case of leather. Hides were put on the free list nearly twenty years ago, and our ex- ports of leather and leather goods have steadily increased ever since then, reach ing during the fiscal year ending June 80, 1890, the total of SIP, ,43s, 0oo These exports will be still larger during the fiscal year now drawing to close.
 On the subject of our fore ign market for leather, the Boston Boot and Shoe Re- corder says:
 Foreigners have become steady pur- chasers of shoe making material from America. The future growth of the traffic is certain to be continuous and rapid. There are those in the leather trade who feel that in another ten years the volume of foreign transac- tions in leather will be double what it is now. They assume, of course, that there will be no absurd legislation to interfere with the business. The proposition a year or so ago to tax hides startled the trade somewhat at the time, but that has gone by and we cannot expect any interference in that quarter for several years to come. We shall expect the same steady increase in years to come that has been going on for the past six or eight years
 "English buyers of leather" the same journal goes on, "are now considered to be one of the regular factors of our market, and hardly a day passes that transactions in leather by these people l11 ,-I, L commission merchant continues to so- licit consignments of American leather, and considerable Amer can leather is now going into this channel
 The foreign demand for leather Is so strong and steady that it is looked to to raise prices AS the Recorder says: "The fact that larger quantities than usual of shoe materials are going out of the coun- try will inevitably streng then the deter imitation of holders of leather to adhere to their price, and to advance if they can"
 Under the influence of cheap leather our boot and shoe industry has devel- oped, and machinery and methods have been invented which place us far ahead of Europe in capacity for rapid work. Our shoe making machinery is even now being introduced into Europe. Mir. John T. Day, editor of the London Shoe and Leather Record, has recently been visit ing this country In speaking of his visit the Boston Boot and Shoe Recorder says: During his visit to America he has been Investigating the methods of boot and shoe manufacturers in this country, and as result will take home a mass of interesting information relative to it. In comparing English and Ameri- 1fx ol. n,,, c%~ta hesitatingly that we are far ahead of our British cousins in the use of modern machinery and in the manner of doing the work"
 s Such have been the benefcent results of free trade. But these results have not been reaped by foreigners alone, but in much larger measure by our own people. Never were our shoes so well made and cheaply sold as to-day. The pasteboard soles and heels, so common just after the war. have entirely disap- peared, free raw material enabling our manufacturers to turn out cheaply shoes made entirely of leather.
 With the increased exports of leather there has been also very great increase in the imports Of raw hides. These im- ports last year reached nearly S22, 00o, GOO.
 It has certainly been of no disadvan- tage to our farmers that this large quan- tity of hides came into the country free. No one grows cattle for hides; and the value of the hide, Is so small in compari- son with the meat that it scarcely en- ters into calculation.
 If free hides have proven of so great benefit to the leather industry, giving it a large and stable foreign market, why would not equal benefits follow free wool?