The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-10-24
SEALSKIN FAMINE J
IN FUR BUSINESS
Recent Act of Congress Forbid
ding Killing of Seals After
May l the Cause.
st. Paul's Wholesale Fur Trading
Is Coming to the
Front.
{ special to the Standard)

ST. PAUL, oct. 23-The man who
plans to give his wife, his daughter,
or some other mans daughter. seal
skin coat for a Christmas remem-
branco this year will have TO pay
more for It than over before. accord
ing to furrIers and jobbers OF st. Paul
the largest market for fur goods In
the United States. If not the world.
The woman who misses getting
sealskln coat. probably the most prlz-
ed of all garments worn by the fair
sex, because of this added cost can
blame Il on Uncle Sam and his mem
berS OF congress. BY a recent act of
congress 1t WAS made unlawful TO kill
seals after May l and this law has
about put the sealskin line of trade
out of business. This act has made
sealskins so scarce that coat, say
fifty inches long will cost 81 200 this
year. The st, Paul manufacturer,
however, has found ready sale for
all he could make and the factories
have been kept busy supplying the
demand. Bisam seals have been used
much this year in place of the genu-
inc fur. These are made of muskrat
fur. which is very fine and Is guar
anteed to keep mylady as warm as
the real thing. Near and electric
seals have also been made into many
coats, The Russian pony and caracul
skins are next in demand In small
furs the mink holds Its popularity.
Despite the higher cost the st.
Paul fur jobbers have enjoyed the
largest business OF their history this
year. Representatives of ST Paul
fur houses are now In all parts OF
the world 10 purchase supplies for
next years use. The St Paul houses
buy in winter and manufacture in
summer because the fur producing an
imal Is trapped at the season when
nature has given him the heaviest
coat and at the time when the coat
will be most seryicable TO mankind.
These expert buyers are in the Ori-
ent to buy Chinese dog and sheep
skins. in Australia after the 'possum
and wobat hides: In Russia and Per
ella, competing with the great Hudson
Bay company for the purchase OF OF
ter. beaver and mink
Formerly Detroit and Chicago divid-
ed honors with st. Paul in the manu-
facture OF fur goods. but that was lif-
teen years ago Today ST Paul ships
its furs past the doors OF these cities
and practically supplies New England
and New York This city got It's start
in the fur business when the entire
northwest began to barter It's produce
and trappingS with ST Paul mer-
chants. That was back in the eighties
when a buffalo coat. which now would
bring-if it could be found at all
20
was the making of buffalo coats that
caused other cities to become over
Jealous and lose out in the fight with
ST Paul. They sent white men TO
the plains TO Kill buffalo and the hides
were shipped to Detroit and Chicago
to be tanned by white men who tried
to rush along the process The In.
dians OF the northwest had a dellber
ate fashion of their own for tanning
and their methods were much better.
leaving the fur softer and more pll.
able. When Poor 10 got hard up for
cash he traded his buffalo coat and
buffalo skins for whatever he could
get. These coats soon found their
way to St Paul and were afterwards
distributed throughout the United
states north OF the Mason and Dixon
line, and gave St Paul the reputation
OF handling the very best Finally It's
fame grew and spread to other lines
OF turs. thus naturally making ST.
Paul the leading manufacturing and
distributing center of fur goods. st.
Paul handles a wholesale trade of
moro than 100000. 900 annually and
Of this the fur business contributes
a large part