Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-28


in 1854 that a German, named Knapp,
found that pelt could be turned into leather
by bichromide Of potash and an acid. He
did nothing with the discovery, but a Ger
man-American named Schultz used it to
make covers for corset ribs. Then a Boston
firm put forth a chrome-tanned leather and
called ii box calf and willow calf. They
made Knapp's discovery a commercial sue
cess and their work has been used in all
parts of Europe. The Germans have taken
1t up and they bid fair to monopolize the
European trade in such leather.
Just here" said Mr.. Greeves, 81 want
to say that you Americans make a great
mistake in giving way your ideas and ex-
perience. You sell your leather-making
machines to us, and we are now making
American split leather in all parts of Eu-
rope. The American brain is now going
all over the world and the Americans are
getting nothing out of 1t. Europe is fat
tening upon 1t and it will be more so in
the future. You even send your experts
here to show the people how to use your
machinery. You give away your trade Sc
crets, and upon the basis of these the Eu-
ropeans are establishing factories which
will eventually lead to the loss of your
foreign trade"
Il don't believe we will lose our foreign
trade" said I. I'VE are making new ma
chinery all the time and we shall continue
to improve faster than Europe can copy"
you may" said Mr.. Greeves, 'but it
seems silly to give so much when you get
nothing in return. The English go to
America and the secrets of the workshop
are shown them. Americans come to Eng
land and they can't get inside the doors.
l know a big English tanner who went to
the United States and visited the largest
tanneTies. After going through one where
he had been especially well treated he said
to the proprietor: 4 hope you will come
to England and let us show you what we
are doing Two years later the American
did come. He was received with kind
words and offered some hospitality, but not
a word was said about the tannery. At
last the American asked to go through the
works.
"'Ah!' replied the son of John Bull. with
a grin, I should like to oblige you, but we
English never show our machinery and
methods 20 our rivals in trade. We really
can't do that, you know"
But said the American, when you
were In our country you asked for permits
sion to go through our works, and got
it,
Yes, said the Engllshman, but this
is our rule, and we cam go back on it.
We'll replied the American. if you
ever come back l shall assuredly see that
you are kept out of the shops. We are
not afraid of your competition. We have
thrown most OF the machinery you saw on
the scrap heap, and have invented better.
| suppose you have copied the old shop.
At any rate, no Englishman shall ever
enter the new one And he left"
The conversation here turned to the
American shoe, and Mr.. Greeves said:
The American shoe is the easiest and
most stylish shoe made. The uppers are
thinner and more durable than ours, but
the soies are too thin for the English mar
ket. l am surprised you do not sell more
shoes in France. You ought to have a
greater trade here than in England, and if
you will use the same energy to capture
this market as you have used in England
you will have much better results. Your
people ought TO send out rumme who
can speak French, German and English.
As II is, the English and Germans sell more
shoes here than you do, although the better
classes OF the French would surely prefer
the American shoe. Al present they have
most OF their shoes made by hand by the
old fashioned shoemakers. The shoes cost