The evening times., 1900-07-02
SHOE TRADE IN GERMANY.
American Models Being Brought Ints
General Use.

General Use.
Frank n. Mason. Consul General of the
United States at Berlin, has transmitted
10 the State Department the following in
teresting and suggestive article. translated
from TIE last number. dated May 81. Of
Der Sehuhmarkt." the alert, clever. and
aggressive organ OF the German shoe
and leather industry:
Although the German shOe-manufac-
turing industry has thus far succeeded in
meeting victoriously the competition OF for
eign countries. there row threatens new
rivalry the dangers Of which they must
take tato SERIOUS account.
1T is well known that the American
manufacturers have Tor years past striyen
to increase their exports to Germany, but
have encountered the dificulty that the re-
tan dealers here could not keep up their
stocks by promptly filling In the exhaEI-t-
ed sizes and numbers. Even in respect 20
shoes, II has been found impossible 10 have
the supply depot in New York and the
retail stores in Berlin But EoW the shoe
trade journals announce that the English
firm Manifold which manufactures by
American machinery. methods. and fac
tory system, and which hns about forty
retail branch stores in England and Francs.
is preparing 10 open similar retail stores
IN Berlin. Hamburg, and other German cit
les. What do the German shoe dealers
propose 10 do about this?
ITO cali for 4 protective duty wodi1 BE-
OF little or no avail Il will be better 10
conside. the matter calmly and work hand
in hand with the German saoe mAnufae-
turers to avert the threatened danger. Tns
products of the first-ciass American man-
rFrfof
they are also very dear special feature
Of the American shoes is their long, sien-
der model, which is preferred By many
purchasers here, so that longer form OF
shoe must be in general accepted by s.
All this, however, can be more chesply
provided by he German Manufacturers,
and. since they are here Ia the field, the
German retail dealers have absolutely no
need to render our shoe supply depeEdeat
upon American OF England
The most effective protection against
foreign competitors is TO learn their ad-
vantageous methods. and the beginning OF
this has been made by the notably alert
and enterprising shoe factory OF Lichtrn-
stein & Co. in Dus seldorf. With The aid
of an equally enterprising and well-kno n
last factory, the managers OF the abos E.
named firm have introduced for the coming
seasons trade large number OF original
American forms. and have already o.
cuced their first sarsples. which for the
purpose OF comparison they have c-p.ed
from the product of a firSt-cIass very ex-
pensiye American manufacturer. Iaynen
and experts who have seen the o.iginai and
the copies side by side have dec.are1 the
latter TO be the more elegant and beuti-
full Other enterprising shoe manufactur-
ers viii soon follow this example and
then our dealers viii not need to be
alarmed about the branch shoe stores OF
Manifold.
Commenting upon this article, Consul
General Mason says IN his report:
II simply confirms what has been
known and stated in consular reports for
years-that American shoe machinery anG
lasts. with American-made shoes as mod
els to be copied by workmen directed by
American trained foreInen. are rapidly and
surely reyolutionizing the sh-e-manufac-
turing industry OF Germany. and that one
. important effect OF the hitherto tentative
and limited export OF American-made shoes
20 this country has been TO educate the
popular taste 10 higher standard and com
pei the adoption OF American machinery
arS methods by German manufacturers.
TIE practical impossibility OF keeping up
a TsIah shoe stock in Germany by small
and frequent orders on American makers
was recognized and pointed out years ago:
and. as this method OF sorting up is uni
yersal between shoe retailers and manu-
facturers in Germany II was explained and
reiterated that in order 20 achieve any i'm
portsnt and permanent success, American
exporters must either establish a whole
sale depot in this country or open their own
retail stores in Ham burg Berlin Leipzig
Frankfort. and other principal cities But
neither Of these things has been done. an
an English frrn, manufacturing by Ameri-
can methods. now comes 10 reap what ou.
timid exporters have sown"