The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-12-01
BOOST IN COST
OF FOOTWEAR
Shortage in Leather Supply Will
Force Price Higher

Copper country merchants who have
received late quotations nom shoe
manufacturers say the price of al
grades Of leather shoes is certain to
increase. \ decrease in the production
of hides and hide products has been
accompanied by an increase in the de-
mand tor footwear, it * said. Tho
rapid depletion OF the herds has cur
tailed the supply of hides and leather
as well as of meats. ana the manufac.
turcrs of shoes frankly SAY that mcr-
chants must expect higher prices.
The spread of European and Amer
lean fashions I'm footwear among the
oriental races is also a factor i'm send
ing up the price of leather. Every time
a heathcu takes to wearing shoes he
helps to boost the price of footwear
shoe manufacturers are in agree
mcnl that an leather footwear will be
considerably higher In price within u
year or So. Mems shoes of the quality
that sold in 1904 for niacty- three cents,
W ll'llfStlNs Isitl l'l3l Nfhl b'iNdll'i'l ~
$123. or about 33 per cent in eight
years Mems vici calc shoes of the
sort that sold for SD wholesale, in
1900 sold for $3.O5 in 1912. I'm the past
two years alone the price of leather
has advanced from - To 30 per cent.
Our house does not expect 10 he
able To- sell shoes any cheaper for the
condition of the cattle maract makes
certain that reductions in the price
Of leather cannot bc expected" said
the travelling man. In a letter ! have
lust received it is asserted that while
fluctuations i'm the price OF hides and
hide products will occur from time t.
price movement has been upward for
the pas: twenty years and promises
to continue in that direction
Decrease in Production.
The largest part of the domestic hide
supply is obtained from cattle other
than mich COWS i'm other words from
the beef and range cattle, but there
has been a gradual decrease in the
number oC beef and range cattle in the
United states during the past thirteen
years I'm Texas in the thirteen year
period TIA" decrease was ~ per cent;
for the United states as a whole il
was % per cent. During the Same
period the increase in population in
the United States was 2G per cent. This
year Texas will market approximately
& ZOO OBJ head of cattle compared with
S.0OO,57O head i'm 1900 The produc-
tion Of cattle in the United States this
year totals 36.OOO,0Oo, Tho pop
ulation Of the United States
IS estimated this year a. 90
Ooo.OOO. compared with 75.Ooo,99I, In
1900"
In 1900. it is said. there were Tor
every 100 people, siXty-two beef cattle:
I'm 1910, there were Toy every 100 peo-
pie. forty-Gvo beef cattle. and in 1913
there are for every 100 people thirty
seven beef cattle.
If the cattle continues 10 decrease At
the present rate. ana the population to
increase. it is not too much 10 say that
five years from now there will not b"
more than thirty beef cattle for every
100 of population. It is fair To assume
that supply of cattle in 1918 will he
less than half what it WAS at the be-
ginning of the century
The sho" business of the United
states is nuurishing and hides must
be imported in immense quantities.
The increase in middle weight hides
since January. 1911. has been 80 per
cent, The increase i'm Ohio buzz has
been 30 per cent and the increase in
the cost of Chicago CITY calf skins has
been - per cent