Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-03-23
TALKING Of LEATHER.
Plans Of Combine Not Yet
Devuiged.
THE SHOE MEN ALARMED.
Mr.. Proctor Claims the Combination
Will Work Injury to No One.

BosToN, March 2s-Interest In the sole
leather combination grows rs facts In re-
gard to IL become known. The men
concerned I'm IL are as tight as the
traditional tightness Of an oyster, and
limit their conversation on the subject,
in most cases, TO referring inquirers
to somebody else. Shoe men and others
whom the combine will affect. seem
to be in doubt as to how the matter will
operate with them. They have been Loaf b
to believe the early rumors OF the founda-
tion of the combine, and now that 1t Is an
established fact are all at sea.
The men in the combine hold the key to
the situation, and what they will do only
themselves know. This information they
are not giving to the public.
The combine II, of course, an undoubted
and established thing The men who are
forming 1t control q large percentage Of
the tannsries of the country 80 IL Is easy
to see that they will have no great diff
Guilty In accomplishing their ends. The
capitalization has been put by some as
high rs 500, ,0OO, eco, but the most trust
worthy information
Makes It $50, 900. 900.
Statements have been made that the
combine was about to be organized under
the laws Of New Jersey, and would issue
its stock Immediately, In two classes, but
this Is mere guesswork. The leaders are
not giving out any plans.
There seems to be feeling In the leather
district that the talk of elevated prices and
added expense to buyers is an exaggera-
tion. 1t is held by many Of the best men
on the street that the effect Of the COM
bine will be merely to steady and not raise
prices.
This would, Of course, be beneficial to
shoe men. The thing which these men
fear the most IL the raising OF prices on
leather. They have large orders to I'LL and
are unable to purchase the leather ahead.
What troubles them Is to know where
they are to figure out profit on goods
selling the present rates, as they must
II they are compelled to pay more for their
leather.
Whether or not the movement will have
this effect remains to he seen.
On the street yesterday there was con-
siderable condemnation expressed with
reference to stories appearing in some OF
the Boston papers, one prominent shoe
and leather man, In no way connected with
INC ShaiaCociiNhis shoh ~
''mere fol de roll"
The head and front Of the NOV ement
seems to be Thomas +. Proctor, and to him
nearly all the leather men refer the inter-
viewer.
Mr. Proctor Is extremely reticent. Ac-
cording to him at least a month will elapse
before anything is accomplished. When
action is taken he claims that prices will
not be raised, but merely steadied His
theory is that his scheme
Will Benefit Those In It
by the economics made possible and by
the more steady market, and will injure
no one.
A prominent worker in the movement
laughed at the idea that II would make
prices oppressive. He said that early in
the season, about month hence perhaps,
the combine would fix price for the sea-
sou. The manufacturers would know just
what their leather WAS to cost them, and
they would have no fear Of changes In the
market without due notice.
An officer of the Shoe and Leather as
sociation said that while he did not know
much Of the inside workings of the
movement, he still thought it might be a
good thing. He called attention to other
trusts, and said that rs they had lowered
the prices of articles to the consumer, he
saw no reason why this should not opsr
ate similarly with shoes.