Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-24
FEATURES OF TRADE.
The Outlook for a Large Volume of
Business in Drygoods
SEyER BRIGHTER THANJUST NOW.
'ittsburg Shoe Uppers in Demand From
Every Part of the Land.
ONE OF THE LOST INDUSTRIES
OFFICE OF The DISPATCH,
PrrrsHURG. TUESDAY, February 2S

The spring iobbing drygoods trade has
.lareer volume of business this season than
last Domestic goods are especially active,
and decided Improvement is apparent for
the past week or two Though the month
has another half week to 60 on, it is al
ready an assured fact that, so far as volume
of trade is concerned, the volume of busi-
ness for February viii exceed that for the
same month of last year. March is uni
iormly :he great month for the iobbing
trade and, from present outlook, the March
now close at hand will make record better
than any previous month as regards volume
of business. The great activity the past
week or two has already raised price of
blue prints, which are now selling at 512c
against 81 a week or two ago.
Imported goods are coming in freely of
late, one of our leading firms reporting re-
ceipts of eight to ten cases per week from
foreign shores A carload of curtains and
linen goods was received from abroad by
this firm within few days and was deliv-
cred directly at their warehouse without
the formallty of going through the Custom
House The Custom House officials thought
better to enter up the goods at the place of
destination than at their receptacle on Penn
avenue and Garrison alley.
The Shoe Upper Trade.
This citv supports one of the leading
factories of the land in this line. The de-
mand for Pittsburg shoe uppers reaches the
farthest East as we'll as the farthest West.
Orders from Boston, the center of the shoe
trade as well as from San Francisco and all
Intermediate centers of trade, come in
freely for this line of goods An order
from London. England, was placed by the
above manufacturing firm within the past
week. -.. .....
1t is now an established fact that the shoe
upper industry has come to stay. With the
exception of the few who cater TO the fancy
trade, shoemakers now buy the uppers, and
their business consists in fitting and fasten-
ing the sole to the upper, which is ready for
their use from the manufacturer hand.
Interviews with several of our shoemak-
ers have developed the fact that the French
calfskin has no longer the lead that it had
a few wears ago in footwear lines. Such has
been the Improvement in the homemade
article that fully 90 per cent of the calf
skins now worked up for footwear is home
made. A decade ago there was not above
50 per cent homemade, and the time draws
near when French calfskins will be thing
of the past as far as America is concerned.
This country is steadily improving in quail
itv of its products in leather lines, and it is
only question of short. time when we will
be able to produce everything demanded by
the trade in quality equal to anything pro-
duced in the Old World.
Lost Industries.
Among the industries which of late wears
have departed from this city to seek more
cougenial climes is the tanning of caltskins
New York City has become a great center
in this line, bat of late Chicago and Mil
waukee have been making rapid strides
towards taking this industry from the great
metropolis
The drift of things in the hide and leather
lines, like the star of empire, seems to be
westward. Our city manages to hold the
fort in the harness leather line, but in most
lines of finished hide and calfskin products
this city is no longer factor of importance.
A want of push and pluck has without
doubt been the reason for the departure of
many important industries from this 10
more congenial sections.