Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-23
THE LEATHER INDUSTRIES
RAPID STRIDES OF AMERICAN PRO-
DUCTS IN GERMANY.
Expectation of Machinery to the En-
pire-ConsumptiOn of Leather and
Manufacture of Shoes.

Manufacsure OF SnOcS.
The status of the leather industries as
affecting the relations of the United States
and Germany forms the subject of an in
teresting report just issued by the bureau
of animal industry. In the whole record OF
industrial development in Germany during
the past six years, the report states, there
has been no feature more striking and sig
nificant than the progress of the tanning
and leather industries, which now rank
about fourth in the productive interests or
the country. AS early 1895 no less than
596,717 persons were engaged in tanning
and the manufacture of shoes, leather
gloves, betting and saddlery. and the value
of leather consumed annually by the Ger
man people, exceeds S1OO,00O,OOO exclusive
of exports.
Special branches of the leather indus
try are concentrated at different points, as,
for instance, the manufacture of shoes at
Pirmaesens, Weissenfels and Luttlingen;
purses, bags and a vast assortment of fine
leather goods at Offenbach, Frankfort and
Hamburg, and tanning at Worms, Strass-
burg, Siegen, Ban Malmedy and Paknang,
as well as in the vicinity of Hamburg
There are in Alsace-Lorraine alone
eighty-two tanneries, according to this re-
port a single one of which-at Strassburg-
employs 80 workmen and tans 10000 hides
per annum. The hides tanned in Alsace-
Lorraine are of domestic origin, or are
imported from North and South America
and from India. The material used is
largely the very superior white-oak bark
furnished by the forests of the Vosges.
but in later years imported forms of tan
mic acid, quebrachO. palmetto and gambler,
as well as chrome, have been introduced
there and now play an increasingly i'm
portant role. The whole subject has an
especial interest for Americans from the
fact that the German shoe and leather
industries are in state of transition from
the slow and primitive methods of hand
labor to the most modern forms Of chemi-
cal tanning and shoe production, and be-
cause this Transformation consists largely
In the adoption of American methods and
machinery.
ImpOrtatfons From America.
The importation of American leather to
Germany. which began after the last
worlds exposition at Vienna. has increas-
ed steadily until there are now in Frank
fort alone eleven firms which import and
deal more or less extensively in shoe,
glove and harness feathers from the United
States. AS this leather is largely made
from hides and skins imported originally
from Europe, its high quality and the
fact that 1t can be exported from the
United States and sold at profit in Ger
many, Notwithstanding the high German
tariff showed the German tanners how far
their American competitors had outstripped
them in the race for cheap and superior
production and set before them lesson
which they have been quick and eager to
learn.
A leading New England manufacturing
company, which turns out exclusively high
class tanning machinery, has been COM
PEELED to enlarge it's plant to meet the
heavy demands from it's European agent,
who, beginning three years ago with an
office in Frankfort, has extended his trade
throughout Germany and into Austria,
Italy and Russia. Leading German tan
ners have visited the United States, and
being everywhere freely admitted, have
studied carefully and intelligently Ameri-
can processes and machines; and numerous
expert workmen and foremen, skilled in
the use of chrome. quebracho and pal
metto. have gone to Germany and received
large compensation for teaching their arts
to the native tanners. In addition to all
this the tanning industry in Germany en-
joys the important natural advantages of
an abundant supply of hides and skins,
Of the best qualities, cheap and profuse
tanning materials. advanced chemical skill
at wages less than those of manual labor
in the United States. abundant capital at
3 and percent interest. manual labor that
costs on an average 1851 per week, and
home market adequately protected and
open to the import of foreign-made ma
chinery at a nominal duty of II cents per
go pounds.
The German tanner has not only all these
points in his favor. but what is, perhaps.
still more important, his home Is of ex-
tiaordinary capacity. The consumption of
leather in Germany is almost phenomenal.
Notwithstanding the enormous increase in
the home-tanned product. the imports of
leather are now greater than ever before.
Several of the largest tanneries in the en-
pire have either been built during the last
four years or wholly reorganized and
equipped with American machinery.
Shoe Manufactures
Precisely similar in motive and method
is the revolution which is going on in the
shoe manufacturing industry of Germany
likewise being Americanized and improved
in an extraordinary degree. Five years
ago large quantities of cheap and generally
inferior shoes were imported into Germany
from Italy and Austria; a few OF the bet
ter grade from England and Switzerland,
and a small quantity of the fine high priced
work of Paris manufacturers to supply the
most exclusive trade in the large cities.
The product of most German factories was
then of but medium quality, lacking in
style and costly out OF proportion to it's
merits. The American factOry-made shoe
then appeared first model, diScreetly
imported by the better class of manufac
turers and used for the guidance of their
operatives. Later q few of the more en-
terprising American manufacturers sent
statesmen with samples, who made small
sales to retailers, especially in such Ger
man cities as have a large permanent
American colony. The handsome and high
ly finished imported shoes attracted i'm
mediate attention and were sold rapidly,
but provision had been made for
keeping up the stock except by repeated
orders sent to the United States, which
required from two to three months to be
filled the trade naturally languished. Re-
tailerS well as their customers were
pleased with the American shoes. but as
they Were for the most part merchants
of small capital, ignorant of the formali-
ties of Importation; ti1nid about paying in
advance for goods which they had not
seen, and accustomed to being supplied
from hand to mouth by European manu-
facturers, they soon became discouraged
with goods which discontented their Gus
toners with homemade shoes, and which
created a demand which they could not
readily supply.
The American shoe exporters, on the
other hand, spent months in seeking for
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