The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-01

The factories increased their products
ID per cent during the len prosperous
Years preceding the civil war Bu,
! mhch OF the snoe was still made bv
{ hand, only the simpler processes he.
: ing entrusted to machinery. Eyery-
BODY sand that there were some things
ABOUT shoe that a machine could
never make. As late as sg2 only
/ hfteen years ago. the Massachusetts
manufacturers declared thai tbev nnoS
I never rear Western or Southern com
! petition. because 81 much of the shoe
! must be made by hand and there was
l not sUtbcleni number of skilled Ia
porers anywhere but ~ Massachu-
setts. Since that time the shoemskipo
machinery has beer so improved and
developed that successful shoe facto.
! res may ne operated anywhere if
ihere IS money enough I" build plant
ieas" the machinery and hire some
workers
Just here comes il ono of the great
problems nf the shoe business The
shoemsking machinery is controlled
ny one concern, the United Shoe Ma
cnnery company. II owns the nat.
onts- Without It's machines no man
can make shoes in competition with
those who do use them " NOT op,-
mas complete monopoly on many ef
the patents. but makes y conditiop IN
leasIne IT'S tools that lhe lessee shall
not buy or rent tools and machinery
from any other concern. The Legis-
lature OF Massachusetts has oEsssf a
Diil, wb,ch becomes ef'ocrivc toda.
prohibiting the imposition Of such cor,
dItonS III 4 machiner.- Lease. TIE d..
mand III England f"r Sme.i.au-masc q
shoes has forced he English manU-
tactuTers 10 initiate INC american ar
ficie, ard they. tco have been forced
10 come To tho United com pauv for
machinery. The same conditions were
imposed and now a committee of lh,.
House OF Commons has reported bill
aimed to abolish this portion of tho
contract. Other States are expected
20 follow the example oe Massachu-
setts IN THIS cuuntry. The Federal
Department OF Justice has been Frc.
quested by American shoe mannfac.
'urers to proceed against this trust.
Other. problems which are being dis
cOssed IN the shoe trade world ar"
mostly connected with the business of
retailing the shoe TO the wsarcr.
Leather has increased in price. labor Is
more expensive. everything has gone up
In the past ten wears. 'rh. AVERAGE
man has bought his clothes. groceries
and Injuries hit higher prices, and all
without complaint except general
grumblc. With shoes it is different.
Those manufacturers who maintained
retail stores in the various cities bad
made fortunes by advertising onn-pricn
shoes. When "A general advance in cost
was made they found that they had
their public educated TO q certain anal.
lty at fixed price, and there was NOT n.
ing for them to do but accept a smaller
profit or demoralizc the great trade
they had established. They finally
reached the point where they either had
to increase the price or reduce the
per1tv injured thcm almost rs much rs
II had helped other business men
On the other hand. the shoe retailers
have some advantages over their fcl.
lows in other lines of trade They have
been much more successful in their fgh,
against the cncroachmcut Of the dc.
partmcnt store While the great de.
partmrnt stores OF the cities sell manv
shoes. the shoe stores still control the
bulk of the business. There arc a
great many men who do not like To 90
into a department store, Again. people
arc particular about their footwear be
cause shoe that does not fl is tho
most uncomfortable thing Imaginable
10 most people ~ seems more proba bile
that store selling nothing but shoes
will pay more attonirop 80 fitting the
foot properly. Whatever the business
or psychological reasons, il is evident
that the shoe dealer is sin ahead in
the race with the big store that sells
everything.
While the phrase ''hoots and shoes -
is still commonly current. high boots
arc not used nearly so much. even in
the country, as they were Il few years
ago. Styles arc changing constantly, and
with the improvement in shoe making
the demands Of fashion are more in
sistcnt The shoe retailers stimulate
their business by invcnting all sorts
Of pretty and attractive shoes for
women. The women formerly. BOUGHT
shoes when they needed them, now they
must have shoes because they are styl-
ish The vogue of having shoes 10
match thc color Of every gown is fail
ing, but mlladv must needs have much
pretty footwear.
For men the STYLES do not huctuate