The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-09-24
why SHOES WEAR OUT
Magazine Article Tells How Trust
Takes Its Toll on Every Pair
Made.

Do you know why your shoes have !
been growing more expensive? Why |
they wear out more quickly? Why, |
year by year you are getting f1imsier
soles and cheaper leather? In an article |
on Sidney w. Winslow, Gear of Foot |
wear, in the September Hampton's,
Judson c. Welliver for the first time
exposes the hold-up of every shoe
trust-one of the most perfect trusts in
the world. In a careful analysis of
this institution Mr.! Welliver cites
startling figures.
He says:
For the year ending March /, 1909,
the United Shoe Machinery corpora
ton reported earnings of $T,255,683, of
which it had paid in dividends $685.
500 and added to it's surplus $780,
SIT.
IF you will keep that fine round fig
ure, $7,255,683, in mind, will bespeak
your attention to recent statistics of
| the shoe industry, as reported by the
census bureau. According to that re-
port, the total capital invested in the
shoe manufacturing business in the
country was 1922 100000. That Is to
say. the dividends and surplus which
the machinery trust slowed away in
1909 amounted to SO per cent on the
entire capital invested in the shoe
business in the country.
How the trust gamers it's extrava-
CANT earnings Mr.. Welliver explains as
follows:
THE machinery trust takes the first
6 per cent on the investment in shoe
manufacturing. OF course, the trusts
defense is that it provides all the ma
chinery.
The TRUSTS common defense against
charges of extortion," says the writer,
sis to sniff and say that the total aver
age royalty per pair of shoes is some
where from 8 to cents, and who cares
for that? But listen to the other side.
Explaining that claim, a man who
makes nigh half million pairs of
shoes a year, said:
1.-The royalties run from about 6k
cents on mems shoes of good quality.
down TO considerably less On cheap
shoes. On a $3.50 pair Of mems welt
shoes the royalties will be about 51
cents. That 5h cents is a heavy item
in business done on our close mar
gins. The upper leather must be OF
: about one grade anyhow; the econo-
, mics must be largely in the sole. Now
: If on that $3.50 shoe you put 20-cent
sole, the shoe will wear a few weeks
, If you can put on Decent sole-an6
the difference is just about the trusts
royalty--it will wear eight to ter
} times as long Yet you couldn't tell the
: difference between the two soles, t
! look. at Them
: ITO understand the effect OF the shoe
machinery trust on the consumer, IN,
' reader needs to realize the narrownesl
: of the shoe manufacturers profit.
g THE great majority of shoes are re
t tailed at price around SO per pair
$ and the $3.50 price is the next mos
i popular.
e 1.-The manufacturer sells a So sho
: to the wholesaler at a price arount
: $1.25; the manufacturers net profit i
e probably around per cent, or about
:. cents per pair. The wholesaler sell
( the shoe TO the retailer at $1.35 to $1.4
l. per pair. The retailer sells it TO tn
g consumer at 50 per pair. These price
k will vary. up or down, in various cases
but the chances are that they represen
e with fair accuracy the average figure
d in the trade.
$ 1T is evident that very sllgi1
s change in any Of the conditions affect
: ing manufacturers cost has seri
e Gus bearing on his profits For ex
= ample, an increase of cents per pal
It in the royalties paid the shoe machin
e cry trust on So shoe would mean
+ decrease of cents of his or cent
= profit on a pair of slnoes--in othe
d words, decrease of rs per cent I
1914 per cent?
70 twenty-five cents added to tn
price of a $3.50 or 81 shoe means
st burden to the shop girl earning Sc
e. week, or to the workingman trying [
IF raise family on an income of $50
r. to $500 year. Can you realize whs
t. a pair of shoes mean TO shop girl
$, To a workingman? To the three
II four or half dozen children OF II
,s workingman?
d, Shoes are just about as necessai
at as bread. IL you want to get rigl
ly down and anaiyze the primitive d,
Ut mands of life."
or Cicely, who clings to the degenerat