The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-10-26

ed and .lsne ht-red principa j.
for beef. ii3Ir. are an Incidental
product Of ae hl.cn-riag UIsI
ness. II j. Absurd 10 suppose TIA.
putting a tariff oa QUE ~ lie
by products u TIE beef Industry
will materially change Tire price,
paid for cattle. These flctus-e
OF would fIctua-s II -h-re we're
no CON biuatious 70 interfere wItA
economic law, lG accordance
win the supply oil ald demand
for cattle for beef purpose a
a matter u fact there j. lit-le oE
30 connection between The prices
Of steers and Of t4e lide,. lbs
fac, is .uORH clearly Jy statistics
fOf The lat ten wears. Cattle a.
slaughtered for reef. aid -belE
price. are fixed. TO, according -
the prices Of hide. baI almost x
clusively 0y their value for beef
purposes
FREE SOLE LE4I4EE DE-
EANDED.
Under present conditions. I an
Of opinion tia: the removal Of
the duty on hides alone would
not result III giving u lover
prices for sole leather Unless
free hide, ale accompanied BY
free competition IN the tanning
Industry. fne prices Of sole
leather can De maintained a. the
level OF prices iu foreign markets.
plus the du'y OF 20 per cent. on
imported sole leather. That is,
present prices would be main
tanned. The sole leather tanner
would then get his hldes tor
about - per cent. less than the
present prices aud could sell III.
product at the present prices.
. The sole leather trust j. now said
to produce some ~ OF - per
cent. Of all tue sole leather pro
duced in this country. Il mas
: purchased many OF it. cOmpeti-
tors and is reported 10 be uego-
tIallug for numerous other iude
pendent tAuHeIle-. II II owns
OF controls all. j; will. with free
hides. be- enabled 10 add many
millions Of dollars, TO its present
large profits. According 10 the
1900 census. boss. 9G2 hides,
costing S17,7o4. 100 we're used in
the tanning industry. As the
prices Of hides are now about 80
per cent. higher than in 1900.
the tanners must pay over 800,
600. 900 Tor hides, even il they
consume 10 more than in 1900.
a saving Of ID per cent, then,
. means 10 them increased profits
OF about So 900 year. W t
/ maintain that If the tanners. by
means OF free hides, save Sl5.
900, 900 a year in the cost OF
leather, this saving should be
| passed on to the manufacturer OF
SHOES. That We would pass along
10 the wearers Of shoes goes wit b.
out saying when it is known that
there is free competition in the
manufacture and sale of shoes
and that no trust now exists or
Is likely soon to exist in our in
dustry.
While, then. free hides will be
a boon to sole leather tanners,
it Is Improbable that they would
be a boon either TO boot and shoe
manufacturers or 10 the people as
a whole. Free sole leather, with
rec hides, would be a boon to
/ bo.h shoe manufacturers aud the
public. Il We are to have only
fee hides or free sole leather, it
is, therefore, Tar more important
to Us and 10 the people that we
have free sole leath'r rather than
nee hides.
w bile flee sole leather would
curtail the profits Of the tanners,
it would not iLjule the industry
as "A whole, or the workers EN-.
. ployed III it. This is shown no.
! only by experience but 10y the
/ application of the theory OF pro.
lection TO the factss The imports
Of sole leather were no greater
wheu the duty was only 10 per
cent. than " hen the duty was 70
per cent For the wears 1892
1888 and 1894, the total imports
OF band, betting and sole leather
were but SO, coo For no three
Years since 1897 will the import
amount 10 more than $3.50. 900.
The total labor OF producing
sole leather does not exceed
peT cent. Of the value OF the fin
ished leather, and ia probably
less than ) per cent. According
10 different tanners, 1t varies
from 10 / cents per pound.
AS leather is worth from 20 to Al
cents per pound 1t is clear that
the average labor cost is less than
: a bpr cent The Labor cogt of urn,