The Washington times., 1917-01-12

VI the leather consumed IN INC
United States it may roughly be esti-
mated that about 20 or 75 per cent
enters Into footwear, perhaps 10 per
cent into upholstery, predominantly
Of automobiles; perhaps 10 per cent,
into the betting of machinery and
other mechanism of manufacturing,
the remainder into trunks, travelling
bags, pocketbooks, gloves, and into
the finer artistic leather products.
The consumption of leather In
which everybody is concerned is Of
that in shoes. The animals whose
flesh is most suitable for meat pro-
duce the hides that are most largely
made into leather. =
Although meat has become less Of
q necessity in the diet of every day
virtually every person has his feet
encased in leather during waking
hours. That increase and diffusion
of the human race in the United
States and its persistent onslaught
upon the food animal, which have
caused a diminishing per capita con-
sumption of meat, have brought 1t
about that not enough hides and skins
are grown in this country to meet
the demand Of its people for shoes.
Uppers OF Kid.
The uppers of shoes are made prih-
cipally of kid, the vamps Of shoes
for women of kid, Of those for men
of calfskin, and the soles are made
of the hide of the COW, the bull or
the steer.
Kid is made of the skin OF the
goat, There are comparatively rev
goats raised in the United States.
They abound in portions of Europe
especially in Spain; in South America
in India, China and Australia. IN
many of these countries their mix Is
of the drink and their flesh OF the
food of the inhabitants, but their
skins are shipped to the more ao-
vanced nations to be tanned for con-
version into shoes and gloves. Inc
greater proportion of these skins
have been imported into the United
states, where they have been tanned
both for consumption in the United
States and to be re-exported for man
ufacture in Europe.
Produced Only Hall.
For many years prior to the war
the United States produced only about
half the calfskins transformed into
leather in its tanneries; the remain
ing half was imported largely from
Europe and especially from Russia,
where more of veal Is eaten and tan
neries are few.
The hides of which sole leather Is
made are obtained in large quantities
from the packing houses OF this coun-
81 NET1r
large quantities from South America,
from the Far East, from Africa and
from India
The importation Of hides, the thick
covering of the heavy animal, and
of skins, the covering of the lighter
animal, has, of course, been greater
in a time of prosperity than In q
time OF depression.
Were Not FIourishing.
In the months Immediately proceed
ing the war the industries of the
United states were not flourishing.
Throughout the country shoes were
being patched and half soled, worn
until they were worn out. Great
stocks of leather had accumulated In
the warehouses. Competition of other
The tanneries of Canada were extend
ing sales in the United States, and
those OF Germany were active in mar
keting their wares, especially the fine
grades of calfskin, in the manufac-
ture of which they excel.
Not long after the outbreak of the
conflict in Europe came the demand
of the warning nations that rapidly
depleted the stocks of leather in this
country. For the millions of soldiers
shoes were needed that could be
worn on the march, in the trench,
and in the assault. The supply had
often to be replenished, because
pair of shoes seldom endures the
rough wear of the infantryman
longer than thirty days; 1t often
happens that he needs two pairs In
this time.
Barred Expectation.
After obtaining footwear for their
armies for nearly a year from the
United States, the allies determined
to manufacture it within their own
confines. England prohibited the ex-
portation of hides from her colonies
to other than English ports. There
upon the hides of Canada, India, and
Australia went to Great Britain
which also competed vigorously Cor
the hides of the Argentine.
But even with all this, Great Brit"
ain has been obliged to obtain, large
inportations of leather from the