The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-09
AMERICAN SHOES FOR FRANCE.
Merchants Desire to Communicate
WITH LesdIne Manufaeturers

Merchants Desire to Communicate
With Leading Manufacturers
Robert P Skinner. the UIited States
Consul at AfarSeiIies. writes to the State
Department that he has been called upon
by several French shoe houses for the ad-
dresses of leading manufacturers Of boots
and shoes in the United States, who are
DESTROYS OF extending their trade 10
France In connection with this matter,
Consul Skinner says:
Complaint is frequently made at this
consulate that American manufacturers
are too much disposed TO establish central
agencies at Paris and 10 rely upon them
10 cover the entire French field The re-
suit il that the ParIsians are frequently
unable 10 do justice to their great extent
Of territory and are under the necessity Of
increasing their prices 10 such an extent
as TO interfere with successful COMPETE
ton in the provincial cities Shoes i'm
ported at Paris for example, must be sent
b. rail from Havre to that city, repacked,
and fc-=arded again by rail 10 the ulu-
mate buyer In many cases, the local
freight charges exceed the cost Of trans
J0rtatIon from New York 70 France Mar
settles. being a seaport city with frequent
means OF direct communication with New
York. offers every facility Cor the trans
action Of business between buyer and sell
CT. and is itself an exporting port for the
entire Mediterranean field
.-I-p to the present time. practically no
effort has been made 10 dispose Of Amert-
can boots and shoes as such in this city,
although various retail shopkeepers sell
British Tootgear, and IatterIy q lively
trade has been created between Marseilles
and the Balearic Islands. 1 know of but
one retail dealer who advertises Ameri-
can shoes. This merchant, while pro-
claiming in large letters that American
footwear may be found within, IS tempo
rarii- without anything Of the sort He
was induced 70 undertake the sale OF
American shoes in consequence of re
quent applications for them probably On
the part of many tourists who pass
through the city He purchased a small
line OF mems shoes from d Paris agency
and has had good success IL dlspoSiHg or
them at 81 81 per pair The only unfavOr-
able criticism offered at this shop Is that
the American shoes had too much of a
curve in the inStep; that the sole OF The
instep pressed against the foot Models
with the almost straight sole he sold rap
idly, and finally disposed OF the others
Ills experiment having succeeded. and the
words American shoes advertised IN MS
windows, having proved attractive TO Gus
toners. he has concluded TO purchase
again and may perhaps add a line OF wO-
meas shoes
These circumstances, while very Ir11-
ling in themselves. Indicate that there Is
q nascent interest In this line of Ameri-
can merchandise. and that an experiment
having succeeded on a small scale, might
readily be pushed to success. III a very
much larger way
The French tariff imposed on American
footwear Is Is cents per pair on boots for
men and women, and 1893 cents per pair
on low shoes and slippers While these
rates are higher by about 10 cents per
pair than those on similar merchandise
imported from most European countries,
the difference, l think, may easily be oY-
ercOme by our manufacturers
IF serious attempt is made TO build up
a boot and shoe trade in France 1 trust
that q special effort viii be made to
push high-class goods. There is at pres
eIit no lack of cheap and clumsy ware.
and the success of our people viii finally
rest upon their reputation for the pro-
ductiOn of cOmfOrTa BILE, stylish and finely
finished shoes Up to this time, France
has been rather behind Great Britain and
Germany in importing this class of rner-
chandiSe from the United States partly
heca use French buyers are accustomed 10
having their boots made to order. partly
because French shoes. and especially la
dies boots. are rather better than SINH
lar manufactures of other European coIin-
tries, and partly because of the Cfreren-
tial tariff which our manufacturers must
pay. These ImpedimentS 10 trade are not
sufficiently strong. however either singIy
or combined, to stand in the way OF sue
cess If our manufacturers are disposed to
make the effort