The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-10-29
CAPE IS MAKING
$4,000 PAIRS OF
SHOESEACH WEEK
international Plant Now Run
ming at Record Rate With
700 Employees at Work.
ST. LOUIS SHOE MAN
SEES PROSPEROUS ERA
Shoe Sales in South Greatest
in History-Merchants
Have Money.

The Cape Girardeau shoe factory is
producing $4,000 pairs of shoes each
week, its full capacity, and the largest
number ever manufactured here. The
factory officials have received instruc-
tions from St. Louis to run the plant
full time and with full crew.
Seven hundred employees are now
working in the factory, fifty of whom
have been employed within the past
two weeks, and the indications are that
the factory will be operated through
the winter at record capacity.
1--WE have not been informed by St.
Louis why the unusual output is nee
essary," said Pat Murphy, treasurer
of the local plant, "but | presume it
is due to a revival of business over the
country. | don't believe we have filled
a single war order, and am quite sure
that all of the shoes we are now max
ing are to be sold in the United States.
"All of the international Shoe Com
pany's plants are running on full time,
and on the whole, | believe We are
making more shoes than the company
ever did before.
"This time last year the local fac
tory was running only four days a
week, and with very small force. We
usually take stock the last week in
November, and during that period, we
close down. Last year We were closed
two weeks before the stocktaking Pc
riod, but We have so much work on
hard now that | believe it will be nee
essary to take stock at night. This
would not necessitate our closing
down."
Wylie Creel, a stockholder in the
International Shoe Company, who was
in the Cape last week, informed The
Tribune, that his company exceeded all
previous records last month. The COM
pany's sales, he said, were $2,000,000
greater in September of 1915 than for
the same month last year.
"There has been a business revival
all over the country" said Mr.. Creel,
"and especially in the Southern States.
There has always been plenty of
money in the United States, and the
general belief among big business men
was that the depression was caused
by the war and the fear that the
United States might become involved.
at seems to be the general opinion
among the large money interests now
that the United States is certain to
keep out of the conflict. The shoe
business, therefore, is no different
from any other industry. When the
war comes to an end, and that may not
be far distant, the European countries
that are now torn asunder, will call
upon the United States for shoes and
other wearing apparel, as well as
meat, flour, wool and cotton.
"The general opinion every where
seems to be that the United States is
sure to pass through period of great
prosperity for few years immediate
ly following the war. l believe one
reason why there is such demand
among the merchants of the South fol-
shoes now is due to the belief that the
demand for them will be so great after
the war that the price will be ad'
vanced.
But as familiar with the business
as am, do not anticipate an increase
in price. The factories will have sup
piled the demand in the United States
by the time the war is over and the!
will be in a position to make shoes b!
the million for consumption in Europe
"Last year the merchants of th'
South were very conservative in thei
buying. This was due to the fact tha
there was a scarcity of money in tn
South, That whole part of the countr!
was swamped with cotton, and Their
was no money to move it. This cramp
ed the merchant, because he sold t.
the cotton grower with the understand
ing that he would wait for his none.
until the grower sold his cotton. An
when the cotton was not salable, tn
grower could not obtain money and tn
merchant was not paid. This prevent
ed the merchant enlarging his STOCK
"As a consequence he was virtuall