Arizona republican., 1918-03-02
coutrement where leather is indispen-

confinement where leather is indispen- sable, ask French economists?
 Never before in the history of the world has there been such a demand for leather, with the manhood of score of nations mobilized and shod in the best footgear that can be devised by experts. The life of an army trench shoe" is less than three months-four pairs at least a year for every one or the millions of soldiers in the various fighting countries. Comparatively lew men in peace times bought four new pairs of shoes year.
 And although motor trucks and au- tomobiles have an important place III the modern war, they have not sup planted horses and mules. These anl- mals still hold their place as necessary for hauling guns and shells to tnelr IT. nal positions after the pieces and am intuition have passed from the rall- heads to the furthest advance of the wonderful macadam roads that lead as near to the actual front as possible.
 No motor has ever been constructed that will haul even a field gun through the mire and mud of the "crater zone which encompasses a belt of terrain from to 15 miles deep behind the first l line trenches.
 Aviation has called for huge quanti- ties of leather in a new field, practl- cally non existent. as far as bulk IS concerned, before the war. Much leath- CT goes into the manufacture of an aeroplane. and every pilots uniform is composed chiefly of leather-and the rest of rubber to keep out cold.
 The Germans new mustard gas re- uuires that soldiers facing it be garbed in a sort of divers suit, made chiefly of leather with rubber reinforcing in the crotch, armpits and around the neck. where one perspires most freely. The new gas inflicts terrible burns on any moist part of the body which it 1 touches.
 1 Then the increased manufacturing of all the nations of the world. in their haste to produce munitions of war. eX- erts a strong demand on the finest leather stocks for web belting and a thousand other uses in factories.
 Leather is so scarce in France that the government has adopted nation al shoe" for men and women and chil- dren, which will be the only footgear on sale this autumn. England and Italy are having a hard time producing shoes for the civilian populations, and prices for all sorts of footwear are doubling and tripling with the limit not yet in sight
 And yet in the face of this situation officers of the allied armies all wear the Sam Browne" belts, and the United States army has just adopted it. This belt is about three and one half inches wide, made of the finest sole leather, and has two nch-w wide supporting strap also of inc gran leather, going over the shoulder. This obviates the necessity of ''cinching' the belt tight as it cannot drop or sag because of the shoulder strap. Some times officers wear double shoulder straps, exactly like suspenders, criss- crossed and attached to each side oi the belt.
 In the German army, officers veal the same belts as their men, made ol canvas. No officer prisoners have beer captured for two years with Eew leath' CT belts, and those still wearing then explained that they had old belts issued before the war which they had pre- served.
 All officers and all members of thu aviation, artillery and transport ser vices of the allied armies wear eithel high leather boots reaching to the kne' or leather puttees over ankle-higl shoes. Infantrymen wear puttees, thu French and British using the spira wound cloth variety. and the American
 enlisted man a canvas, leather-rein
 forced logging.
 But all German officers capture,
 since moe than two years ago hay
 worn canvas leggings or cloth spiral
 wound puttees, owing to the lack o
 leather in the Central Empires. Ger
 man aviators are the only enem
 troops wearing any leather accoutre
 ment.
 Students of the economic situation il