The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-10-11
AFIELD FOR LEATHER.
Why Cannot Seattle Ship it to
the Orient.
SHE HAS THE BEST OF TANNiN.
An Undeveioped Industry That would
Would Buy From Us.

japan Is making rapid strides IN mast
featuring IA many lines since it's victor
ious struggle with the sleeping giant #
Asia" China. and the making Of boots
and shoes AZ a price below competition.
is one Of the industries which has par
ticuiar bearing on and interest 10 the
state Of Washington
David Kellogg. of this city, has made
study of the opportunities here for tan
ming leather, and believes that the new
field opened up in Japan will make
magnificent opening in this city for the
starting Of this industry He IS enthnsi-
astic over the possibilities in this diTec-
ton. He said yesterday:
we have the greatest body Of hemlock
on Puget sound that there is on earth.
and the cheapest. and we can center at
Seattle per day so OF the cheapest hides
in the United States. With these condi-
fions. We can make leather and undersell
anybody in the Japanese market, no mat
ter where they make their leather
Stretching from the Straits of Fuca 10
Gray's harbor is an area OF hemlock tim
Der 1no miles long and fifty miles wide, in
terspersed among fir. cedar and spruce
That hemIeck contains more tannin than
the Fest Michigan and Pennsylvania hem
lock.
This Japan field is a new one. il has
fust dawned on US that here is a great
market for leather. and with ships pass
ing our doors we can ship leather there
very eheaply Here is the place TO make
IL for that market, for no Eastern firm
can compete with US. When once the
Eastern tanners realiZesthe extent of the
japanese demand for leather IL will not
he long until the facilities here for manu-
featuring viii be taken advantage of.
Another advantage we have is the cheap
oils for dressing leather There could be
a large production here of oil from dog
fish. herring and other fish. and 1t can be
produced as cheaply here as anywhere.
"A Japanese firm of boot manufactur-
ers recently sent an order TO Melbourne
for sole leather that amounted TO $50. coo
Mind YOU. that was just one order from
one firm. Why could we not get AZ least
a part of such trade as that? From this
great demand for leather il is evident That
Japan intends o go into the manufacture
of boots and shoes to compete with the
English in Asia, and il undoubtedly in
tends to invade the United States. Right
here ! could give you a good argument
for high protective tariff. for how can
American labor compete with the 10 cents
n day labor OF japan? But We will not
talk politics now. The japanese can man
ufacture shoes at such rates that IL would
he impossible for the American manufact-
urers 10 compete with them. Now. shall
we make an effort TO get this immense
trade that is opening UP, or shall we sit
down supinely and let them get their
leather from Australia or any other coun-
try?
There is no more promising industry
on the Pacific coast than making leather
for the Japanese market. The longest
pole knocks the persimmon; whoever can
furnish Japan with the cheapest leather
will get the orders and Puget sound can
do it. The proposition only awaits tho
action OF some energetic capitalist to he
demonstrated This city is the hide cen
ter for most of Washington and parts Of
Idaho. oregon. Montana and British Co
lumbia."