Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-20
ALL ABOUT LEATHER
Department of Commerce Is
sues Valuable Statistics.
FINE MARKET FOR GOODS
introduced in European Countries
With Marked Success.
OUR METHODS BEING COPIED
Germans Sent a Commission to Find
Out How We Made Such Ex-
cellent Chrome Leather.

Quite remarkable monograph on the
leather industry of the world has been is
sued by the Department of Commerce and
Labor in the form of one Of the daily con-
sular reports This pamphlet is the result
Of an immense amount of work the
part both of the bureau Of manufactures
and the American consuls all over the world
1t shows the progress of the leather trade
in the United States and the comparative
progress in Great Britain and Germany,
our nearest competitors 1t also contains
the leather schedules from the tariffs Of all
countries Of importance in the world. It
is a mass of Information and statistical
tables, and is a compilation likely to be Of
great value to all people of the country in
terested in the leather industry.
The report says. in speaking Of the leather
industry in this country, that the progress
made is one that can be looked on with
pride by the whole nation. Efforts made
In recent years" says the report Ito secure
foreign markets for our leather goods and
footwear have met with marked success"
Found Favor In Europe.
For long time American sole leather
found favor in certain parts Of Europe. and
would doubtless still be sold there in large
quantities but for the successful efforts Of
the Heyl, Doerr and Reinhart people at
VoiiuS, Oh the ktIllHe, 10 secure the secrets
OF its production. BY putting the chemist
and the tanner side by side these men were
able to produce a sole leather which they
claimed was equal to that Of the United
States in appearance. IL 1t did not surpass
1t in durability.
The claim was made by Massachusetts,
and Milwaukee tanners that the German
product was by no means as durable as
Beverly and other places in this country.
One thing is certain in this connection.
Foreign competitors are sparing no effort
to secure knowledge Of our best methods.
Of excellent feathers OF all kinds and to
make new discoveries by original research
In the laboratories connected with many of
their tanneries. Austria, celebrated for
certain feathers, has an excellent tanning
school in Vienna. Germany. our most vigil
liant and forceful rival, established a splen-
did tanning school In Freiburg. Saxony,
twenty-five miles from Dresden, and sup
piled It with all the most modern machinery
used In this country, and to preside over
IT as head director secured man who had
been fifteen years a manager Of the P1ster
& Vogel tanneries in Milwaukee,
Germans Sent Commission.
ION one occasion. anxious to learn how
American tanners produced such excellent
chrome leather. the Germans sent COM
mission. headed by the great patent leather
manufacturer, Cornelius Heyl OF Worms,
to this country to study our methods. n
correctly reported, THIS commission went
back only fairly successful but by pursu-
ing the German method Of research, labora-
tory experimentation, putting the chemist
and the practical tanner side by side they
cladn to have reached satisfactory results.
For the. last ten or fifteen years American
shoes have, been making good progress in
every. market into which they have been
introduced. Their superior merit has COM
mended them to popular approval"
The American exports Of leather in 1892
amounted to only q little over SIP, 600
Today 1t aggregates $40. 900 600, and Is in
creasing SO rapidly that the $4,000 900 Is
fairly in sight.
Great Britain has been our best Gus
toner in the leather business. as in nearly
all other lines Of trade. In 1905 she took
81. 455. 372 worth of sole leather, and nearly
Sill O00, 900 worth of other leather and 1eath-
err manufactures. Her nearest competitor
was Japan, who took total of So, 500 OC0
worth Of sole leather alone The trade
with Japan IL largely increasing, however.
while that with Great Britain shows a
slight falling off, The total import Of
leather and leather manufactures to this
country during 1905 was 1852, $40. Of
which over one-half was in raw material.
An Increase in Exports.
The leather trade OF Great Britain for the
year 1905 showed an increase in exports all
along the line, but the grand total was only
SIT SAG. 100. little over half Of what was
shown by the United States.
The German trade showed an increase in