The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1895-08-29
SCARCITY OF LEATHER.
r.onch government Cannot Sup.
ply Ite Army with Shoes.
.,-,.,.,,oi Causes OF the Great Failing on
=, the suppIy-No Practical soiu-
ton OF the Distressing
q" Problem.

leather is so scanty and high Of
loo inst now in France that the min
is,cr 81 war Is greatly perplexed over
.heouestion of how TO secure the nee
essarv footwear for the great num-
orof men which that nation keeps
continually in readiness for its defense,
Not only this, says the New York
Worla. but q sufficient supply Of leather
IN The saddles, harness and other fur
nisbinrs of the cavalry and artillery is
lacking.
When the government invited bids
recently for the equipment of the
troops with shoes and horse furniture
lie only contractors who dared make
an offer demanded so high figure that
tbeir propositions were rejected, and
those who have yet contracts to fill for
these articles are seeking every means
oossible to break them, fearing that
rim will be the result If they arc COM
nelled to carry out their agreements.
Hides have doubled in price since the
berinnirg Of the present year. This
unusual state of affairs in the leather
trade was thought at first TO be the re-
B S,,lt of q corner in the market, but it
has since become evident that the re-
. rnarkablc scarcity in that commodity
/. Il produced by a variety Of simple and
natural causes.
Three of the principal reasons for
8 This dearth Of leather are: The recent
var between China and japan, the
y MANY revolutions and bloody conflicts
" IN the South American republics and
the scarcity Of fodder and pUsturugu
ewing to. the uufuvOrablc weather of
: last year and the year before in the
countries Of the world from which the
principal supply Of hides comes.
The catastrophcS of tho climate and
y of war in South America, although
serious enough in themselves, would
/ not alone have been sufficient to bring
about the present state Of affairs. 1t
Is the war between China anC Japan
B which is more directly rc3ponai3lr for
= the dcarth which now prevails. When
war was declared Jupan placed large
contracts in the United States ior tho
/, equipment Of its infantry and c;,"u,t5
with footwear and other furu."Lii-~S
To fill these promptly the contractor.
in this country bought Up nearly Ill
the visible supply Of leather suitable
for that purpose.
slncc the war closed Japan has sent
new orders of equal Importance to tax
. merchants here for fresh Supplies u
shoes and military trapping :, and Tx
markets have been swept bare to ii.
them. The price Of green" hides hu
therefore risen SO high that the tanners
( are buying rs little as they can, and ;
large percentage of the tanncric!
throughout the world are closed.
In France especially the wholesale
manufacture of shoes is in a dcplOra
!. BILE state. Generally the product Of on'
i season is made up TO sell the next, bu
s owing to the high prices prevailing thi
@.year for the necessary raw material 1
( great number of the shoe factories ar
X closing and throwing out OF employ
( ment q large number Of workmcn.
An immediate and practical solution
. of the question seems impossible. III
crisis has not yet been reached, AM
, the ultimate outcome will be interest
ing TO notice.