Willmar tribune., 1900-11-14
AMERICAN BOOTS ABROAD,
A Branch of This Country's Export
Trade That L. Growing Very
Rapidly.

"A oEaHSA OA AhA8 Export
Trade That Ii Growing Very
Rapidly.
The treasury figures of the foreign
trade in American boots ana shoes
show that it has grown from 81 $685.
$40 in 1897 to $3,66s,435 in 1899. Very
recently the United States consul at
Leipsic in a communication to the
state department. called attention to
the increasing German demand for
American shoes. He says that cheap
shoes may be sold in large quantities
in Germany, and advises .ne establish
ment of warehouse in Hamburg or
Bremen, and sales-stores in Berlin,
Dresden, hamburg, Leipsic and Mum
ich. Germany is not one of the coun-
tries which has heretofore contributed
much to the foreign trade in Amer
lean shoes-the exports to it last year
of boots and shoes were to the value
of 100000 only-less than one-third
the value of the American shipments
to Mexico.
The best market for American boots
and shoes at present is Australia, to
which, in year, $75O,00O worth are
sent. England follows with purchases
last year of 100000, then the West
Indies with 100000, Canada with
100000 and Mexico 100000. It is
matter of general observation that
through the substitution of machine
made for hand made shoes, through
the economies introduced in the proc
esses of tanning and by the introduce
ton of improved mechanical process
es, the selling prices of American
boots and shoes move steadily down.
ward, and no other country can COM
pete with the United States in these
particulars, provided that market
is once attained, says the New York
Sun.
Heretofore the sales of American
boots and shoes have been almost ex-
clusive-y in countries in which Eng
lish is either the language spoken or
in which mercantile business is car
ried on in English. To other coun-
tries the headway made has been
slow, particularly in France, which
took only $4,000 worth OF American
boots and shoes; and to the countries
of South America which, while ex-
tensive purchasers of --merican goods
and food products, took only $4,000
worth. The facilities of the United
States for supplying not only the
people of this country but the people
of other countries as we'll with boots
and shoes at low-notch prices are un-
rivaled.
| The sales of American boots and
shoes in Asia last year were to the
amount of 100000, chiefly through
ports under British administration,
and the sales in Africa were to the
amount of $15O,OOO. The American
consul in Hong-Kong, writing of the
opportunities for larger sale of
American goods in China, pointed out
that Chinese do not wear leather or
rubber shoes. All Chinese, except the
coolie class, wear shoes of cloth, with
thick felt soles, faced with leather
and of peculiar shape. These are
made locally and are very cheap.
Notwithstanding this fact the ship
ments of American boots and shoes
to China were so per cent. greater in
1899 than they were in the year pre-
ceding, and it has been found gener-
ally that as occidental customs and
attire are introduced into Asiatic
countries the demand for American
and European manufactured articles
increases.
It is noticeable feature of the for
eign trade in American boots and
shoes, dealers say, that those shipped
abroad from this country are so sat-
isfactory tnat a market once attained
is not thereafter lost, though the in
vasion of the German commercial
market would seem to be against
many serious obstacles.