Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-04


Census bulletin number 221. which
deals with the manufacture of boots
and shoes, shows that New England is
still far in the lead in this business,
employing more than half the total
capital and. manufacturing con-
siderably more than half of the total
output. The West has made large
gains in the past decade and Gin
cinnati. st. Louis and Chicago now
rank among the first 10 cities in this
business. Brockton, Lynn and Haver-
mill rank first. second and third re-
spectively, showing that Massachusetts,
holds the place it has had from the
earliest DAYS of the republic when it
made the shoes for the continental
army. Until 1900, Lynn had ranked
first for 125 years. Auburn ranks 10th
in the country in the manufacture of
shoes. the only city Maine has in the
list of "a which manufactured products
valued at over 100000 during the
census year of 1900 The remarkable
thing about Auburn's position is that
it was not among 165 principal shoe
manufacturing cities reported in 1890.
The bulletin shows that in 1900 there
were 1900 boot and shoe manufacturing
establishments in the country, with
capital employed of s1O1, 1928, en-
ploying an average of Isl, 900 men and
women and paying them $67,0OO.OO0 an
nually. The value of the products Of
these 1900 establishments for 1900 was
s261 ,02s, $50 and 219, 235, 419 pairs of boots
and shoes were manufactured. The
growth of the industry during the
decade was steady but not phenom-
email. and about kept pace with the
growth Of population. Our exports of
were only s5,526, 29O in 1901 and that
was million and a half more than in
any previous year. 1t would seem
that our manufacturers have an OBJ
pcrtunity here to show their enter
prise. In fact, they are showing it, for
more American shoes are going
abroad. every year, but the field is
very large and we ought to be export
ing many more than we are. The
maximum yearly capacity of the COM
bined factories of the United States,
on a basis of three hundred working
days, is slightly under 40O,O00,000 pairs,
showing that all the factories running
at full capacity would require not eN-
ceding seven months to produce all
shoes consumed in the United States,
and those exported for the year ending
June 80. 1900.
AS to Names part in the manufac-'
ture of boots and shoes, the bulletin
shows that we have As establishments
with s5.14S,27S capital, employing $500
people and paying them over 100000
annually. Its product in 1900 was ST.
295.S47 against $1O,335,342 in 1890. The
state ranks seventh Ill iHiouIit VI
capital employed, and sixth in the
value of it's products and in the num-
Der of wage-earners. During the
decade Maine shows a gain in capital
of $343,332, or II per cent, and an in
crease in product of s1,960,5O5, or 10 per
cent. Compared with 1880, the gain in
capital was 276.1 per cent, and in
product I'LL per cent. So in spite of
our idle shoe factories, Maine holds a
leading place in this great industry
and the business shows n large and
constant growth. Massachusetts, OF
course, leads with New York second,
New Hampshire third and Ohio fourth.
A feature of the business which the
bulletin notes is that there is a con-
slant decrease in the number of men
employed and a corresponding increase
in the number of women and children.