The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-18
LEATHER TRADE BAD
THAT IS THE COMPLAINT OF
FRENCH MANUFACTURERS.
Prices of skins Have Been increasing of
Late Years and American Competition
Is Severely Felt.

WASHINGTON. Sept. 1s.-Consul Chap
man Coleman, of Roubaix, makes the fol-
lowing report on the steady and marked
increase in the French market price of
leather and other prepared skins and their
manufacture in connection with American
expectation of these articles to France:
From articles recently appearing in
French publications, based on carefully
collected statistics. it is shown that prices
of the various kinds of leather and Of pre-
nared skins in general nave of late years
greatly increased and are still increasing;
in fact, in so formidable a degree as 10
seriously menace certain French INDUS
tries which manufacture and employ THESE
materials. The situation shows. It Is as
serted. that II is a question not of slight
augmentation of prices, such as frequently
ocerrs with respect to many kinds OF
merchandise, but of increases attaining the
height of 90 per cent. as regards hioes ana
skins generally, whether raw OF tahneu'
and of from 80 to 10 per cent. as REGARDS
their products-footwear n sloVes-"i.h
resulting conditions of peril to French IN
dustry. which call for careful investigation
as TO causes and remedial measures.
These adverse conditions are held to be
largely due to the killing of the domestic
industry by American expectation, but NOT
because the American production is greater
than the French, as has at times been as
sumed. This view might be warranted
with respect to South America, but the
fact remained that North America takes
from France large quantities OF skins OF
all sorts, buying them In a raw condition
ana preparing them very cheaply for fur
Their manufacturing processes, thanks to
American perfected tools. 1t would he
quite possible for France to overcome this
disadvantage, it Is stated, by shipping to
the Urlted States dressed skins, ready for
manufacture, il 1t were not for the high
duty rates obtaining there. 1t has become
Imperative, 1t Is argued. that the French
| government come to the aid of the domes-
tic Industry by an efacacious increase OF
protective duties, which would increase
French production; otherwise the existing
disastrous conditions would continue or be-
come even worse.
According to statements made by the
president of the Syndicate-C Chamber of
Manufacturer of Skins and Leather, of
Paris, an eminent authority on the sub
ject, the question has entered upon a dis
quieting phase, the prices ruling In the
French markets continuing to rise. The
increase in prices commenced about ten
years ago. In 1896 raw hides of oxen and
COWS from the slaughter-houses of Paris
cost $7.72 per 10 pounds; in 1904, $3.50; lii
1906, $12.16. This year the price attained an
extreme limit Of 1892, representing an in
crease of 20 to 70 per cent. taking place ln
ten years. The price Of calfskins increased
in a still greater degree; in 1896, 90 kilos
equal to ITO pounds, cost $12.S 5 in 1901,
s1L76; in 1906, $20.S4, representing an in
crease of 80 per cent. a temporary later
slight decrease seemed, to be of little sig
niicance. Sheepskins had mounted from
500 in 1898 to $12.35 In 1906, an increase of
IS per cent.
The same eminent authority further ex-
presses the view that no other domestic
industry is as seriously menaced as the
one in question, and assigns as grounds
for the existing conditions recent Social
legislation, namely, the laws respecting
weekly rest. insurance against accidents
occurring in labor. the cost of business
licenses, but. chiefly, American exporta-
ton to France, discourag1ng and lessening
French production, and also, to a very i'm
portant extent, the great and rapidly In
creasing development of the automobile
industry, which had within the last few
years absorbed a large part of the avail
able leather product. For a complete
automobile, only the middle part of the
skins being used, and the remnants being
of little or no value, three hides were
necessary. Apart from the body of the
Nenlcl6, the WneSlS ana the ledIner gar
ments used consumed large quantities of
the article.
Footwear, it appears, is the branch of
the industry most directly menaced by the
increase In the price of leather and other
prepared kin and their products. A
searching inquiry made among the mer-
chants dealing in footwear in the various
quarters of Paris had resulted In showing
a general concurrence in the opinion that
the situation had never before been so
bad. Dealers at fixed prices who six years
ago delivered articles at $l.45 now sell at
Sap, and at that an inferior quality. AS a
rule the cheaper kind of articles in the
footwear branch. such as felt slippers and
coarse shoes for laborlng people, bore the
largest increase Of price; such slippers,
for instance, selling a few months ago at
81. % could not be sold now at less than
$0.3S to $043. a varying increase, accord
ing to the article, of from S to. 60 per
cent; and it was the people Of small
means, In particular, who found in these
conditions just ground of complaint and
of hope for better times.
Merchants dealing in footwear agree In
attributing the increase of prices COM
planned of to the enactment of the social
legislation referred to, one prominent dealer
stating that they had augmented his ex-
course, a corresponding increase in his
charges. and customers showed great dis
inclination to meet this advance. His bust
ness suffered like that of others dependent
on the prices of leather and skins. Where
five employees had formerly sufflced, he
was now forced to have seven, in conse-
quence OF the weekly rest law.