The Washington herald., 1909-01-31
SHOE FACTORIES
FACE 4 CRISIS
Labor and Machines Throttle
Eastern Manufacture.
WESTERN ENTERPRISE WINS
New England Concerns Show Weak
Resistance to Monopoly which
Checks Their PrOgress-Competi-
tors Gain Business in Consequence.
Methods OF Machinery Trust


the Hamilton Brown Shoe Company, OF
St Louis. Of the old-established shoe
jobbing house OF the Batohelder & Lin
coin Company, On Atlantic avenue. Bes-
ton. and the subsequent advertisements
OF the ST. Louis firm in leading Eastern
dailies. caused a considerable ripple IN
the Eastern shoe trade. though conf
dence in the ability Of New England
manufacturers 10 hold their own was
/ generally expressed
/ New England shoe manufacturers, how
ever, know that there are hard days
ahead for them, and that Western COM
petition Is now a serious matter. Bos-
TONS decline in shipments OF over 100000
cases in 1908. Brockton's Of 10000 cases,
and Haverhilrs OF $500 cases. can partly
be accounted for by the general depres-
sion in business. but deeper reasons
also must be considered-reasons that are
not concerned with good and bad years.
but with the fundamentals Of manufac-
turing and selling
Considering manufacturing first, the
progress Of shoe making in New England
/ is opposed by two oostecles-labor and
the status Of shoe machinery. Regard
ing the former, it is not too strong a
statement 20 make that the next five
years will see a notable change in the
shoe manufacturing centers Of New Eng
land. meaning a decided loss for Massa-
chusetts and q considerable loss or New
England. This win be caused by the
exactions Of labor
Western Work Costs Less.
Regarding shoe machinery. it can be
stated with authority that Western man
ufacturers to-day. because OF their cour-
age in resisting the Shoe Machinery Com
pany. are manufacturing at considerably
less cost than their Eastern competitors.
Their courage is in using superior ma
chimes, made by independent machinery
companies. with whom New England
manufacturers, as a v-hole, are afraid
10 deal
Considering these two elements Of la
Dor and machinery separately, and then
taking them together. for they are in a
way connected. the labor question Is first
IN order and viii be considered not from
a standpoint Of right or wrong on either
side. but in a simple exposition Of facts
The labor problem in the New England
shoe industry is not IN general unlike
that Of any other industry. It is made
Up of an increase Of demand on one side,
refusal on the other, strikes and finally
a settlement But the New England shoe
manufacturer appears 10 have lost a little
in each contest, 50 that to-day labor ap-
pears to have the upper hand, and is
conscious OF its power. Look at the re-
cent strike at the Caunt factory in Lynn
and the outcome, which was complete
victory for labor.
Machine Problem Difficult.
The cause OF the strike shows that the
labor and machinery problems are inter
woven and viii be dealt with later. A
prediction has been made that another
year viii see the removal from Lynn OF
four OF Eve Of its leading shoe companies
These companies viii seek more encOur-
aging locations. such as Maine and New
Hampshire, OF even the West, IN an at
tempt 70 avoid the labor difficulty
Next consider the Doug as case in
Brcckton- Without going into the merits
Of the case, the important fact Is that the
business has been crippled In BrOckton
and compelled TO seek factories in Maine
New Hampshire, and Haverhill. 1t is
noteworthy that the head OF the concern.
". l. Douglas. has always been looked
upon as q champion Of labor and elected
governor Of Massachusetts by the labor
vote.
This case illustrates The inevitable clash
OF employer and emPloye under present
conditions in the shoe industry in New
England The latest report from Brock
ton IS that at least FIVE Of its large fac
tories are contemplating moving TO other
locations for the manufacture Of their
go and $ shoes.
Foreign Labor in Factories.
An examination Of the cause Of such
labor troubles reveals first large for
eign element in shoe labor. with its at
tendant relation to the union labor and
wage This. Of course, is not peculiar 20
the shoe industry. but It is specially i'm
poTtant in this industry in the competi-
ton between the East and West. for. II
is by no means the seriols factor in the
latter section that Il is IN the former So
great is machinery a part Of shoe manu-
featuring to-day that the skill Of the op-
orator is comparatively unimp0rtant.
Cheap labor can. therefore, be used
prOftably. particularly in low priced
shoes Cheap labor. Of course. is bound
TO conflict with the union wage scale
The unions have been shrewd enough TO
bring this cheap labor within the fold
and then raise the standard Of wage
This means an increase in the cost OF
production TO which the manufacturer
must submit OF take serious chances of a
disastrous strike.
HRmPered by Machinery Trust.
Taking up next the machinery question,
there Is disclosed a system OF paternal-
ism not duplicated in any other industry
Of this country. The misfortune Of New
England IS that It submits more patiently
than the West. and suffers in conse-
quence the more The fight in the pass
age Of the above machinery bill two
years ago this coming March partly dis
closed the machinery situation, but only
partly. That biz opens freedom to Mas
sachusetts shoe mauUfact and yet
30 OF them opposed II. so helpless did
they. confess themselves to be IN the
hands OF the Shoe Machinery Trust. BY
the old machinery lease they were prac-
tically not allowed to use any machines
except those prescribed by the trust. The
shoe machinery bill, which finally passed,
struck out such provision in the lease.
And even now Massachusetts manufac-
turers, or a majority OF them, have not
the courage to face the trust by encour-
aging Independent shoe machinery con-
Germs, even when the latter are making
machines much superior to those of the
trust.
King Silent About Egypt.
T,hare rras No mention Of r,o,--.. 1. IL.