The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-12-22
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For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
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THE WORLDS SHOE CENTER.

New England Need Fear no Competition.
In the New England Magazine for No.
vember is an informing and interesting
article on "New England, the World s
Shoe Center" written by Alfred Warren
Donovan, President of the Boston Boot
and Shoe Club, successful shoe manu-
facturer. Mr.. Donovan devotes particu-
lar attention to the question of shoe
machinery as factor in the develop
ment of the industry:
The making of shoes up to the Civil
War" he says, twas crude sort of
business at best and progress was but
fairly noticeable until Gordon Mckay
with Blake of Abingdon invented and
perfected their remarkable machine Be
cause capital refused to listen to Mr..
Mckay he adopted and perfected leas-
ing system, through which he retained
title to his unknown machines and got
them into factories at low rate to the
conservative manufacturers who at that
time distrusted their efficiency. All
manufacturers know that it was this lone
fighter, penniless and friendless, VIII
started the efficient leasing system,
which was adopted, perfected and con-
tlnued with phenomenal success by the
United Shoe Machinery Company. The
advantage of this method to the strug-
Cling manufacturer, who need not spend
a great sum in starting his business, can
not be over-estimated.
The many manufacturers who have
struggled, as nave here indicated, will
agree with my humble opinion that the
leasing and royalty system was of in
etfable advantage to them and never did
they fear for their future with the able
support behind them. The truth about
New England, is all that is necessary to
advertise her. We are all working to-
gether to make New England superior,
not only in shoes, but in every other line
of activity. Shoe manufacturers and
shoe industry and the shoe feeling in
shoulder to shoulder. Without the great
shoe industry and the shoe feeling IN
the air of New England, the United COM
pany would not have prospered so ia
rhously. Without the assistance of the
company, the New England shoe would
be held back many years in attaining her
great supremacy. Our shoes have gone
out from New England and made us ia
nous. Our shoe machinery interests
have carried the dc ctrine and products
of New England inventive genius to the
distant parts of the world. Both these
manufacturing interests of the shoe in
dustry have been imbued with the whole
some desire to produce at all times mas
terpieces in their particular Ii e, so that
the New England dogma has become
world famous"
He does not fear European competi-
ton. He says:
Although they have: in Europe the
advantage of the same highly perfected
machinery which we have, the European
shoe for four or five dollars cannot COM
pare with our three dollar shoe either in
beauty or comfort We can maintain the
New England lead even in Europe, as
the tariff is not severe. 1t is not in ex-
cess of fifty cents per pair on any Eu
ropean tariff list, while the whole italian
market is open to US with twenty cents
per pair tariff.
In conclusion he declares:
IAN organization that makes it poss-
ible for any intelligent shoemaker to be-
gin the manufacture of shoes without
the initial outlay of a vast sum of money,
and without the attendant loss of in
terest on his investment as we'll as the
loss through depreciation of equipment,
has been potent factor in our progress
No man can say that the startling adj
vances that we have made in the past
decade as shoe men and as New England
business men would have been possible
without that factor.