Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-01-18
AUGUSTA LOCALS
ROTARY CLUB
Fred Belyea Speaks On
Shoe Industry .

! Thursday Evening at Augusta House
IN. p. Perkins Of the Fosdiek Com
mission Explains the SmIeage Cam
/ paian and Committee Is Appointed to
Take Charge Of the Campaign Here
! 1t was a most interesting talk that was
given before the Rotarians at their Thurs
| day evening meeting at the Augusta
House, the speaker being Rotarian Fred
Belyea. superintendent of the Augusta
factory of the L. A. Crossett Co.. who
spoke upon the shoe industry. Mr.. Belyea,
! who is 2S years Of age, is one or the
youngest, if not the youngest, of the shoe
factory superintendents in this country
and his clear understanding of the dlffer-
ent branches of that industry enabled
him to Immediately pick out the things
people like to know about that big in
dust& and to give his listeners broader
understanding OF it.
| No. industry shows as vividly as does
the FfaE. industry" he said, the contrast
of a picturesque past and practical
present. In no industry has there been
so complete a change from a handicraft
70 a. finely organized and co-ordinated in
dustry %here TO all intents and purposes
every operation is performed by machin-
cry.
The change was long in coming, but
il came wa a rush and was completed
in not nfTh more than half a century.
. M 1850 the machines used in the manu-
facture of shoes were few in number,
rudimental in design and crude in pro-
duct. Today there are hundreds OF ma
chimes, essential and auxiliary, used in
the making of footwear A Goodyear
welt shoe, for example, passes through 10j
different pairs of hands and conTorms to
the requirements of is different machines
IN a single department of manufacture"
In hfs talk Mr.. Belyea gave briefly the
story OF the inventors who primarily
made possible the great growth of tha
shoe Industry by the effective shoe ma
chinery. and he spoke of the operat toins
of some Of these machines.
THE meet present day demands" he
said, the up-tO-date shoe factory is plan
ned for practical results, is equipped for
these results, and they are forthcoming.
Standardization of machines, co-o-dinatel
departments and factory buildings 50
constructed and arranged that operations
and processes follow without appreciable
4ess Of time or interruption of labor
there are among the leading changes IN
recent years. Each floor is clean. well
lighted, scientifically arranged and run to
schedule. Sentiment is wholly lacking,
system and precision everywhere prevail.
ln1,
fo ence stages Of manufacture He show
ed goats skin just as it is shipped from
India; he showed it after it had been
treated with lime to take off the hair.
after it had been hung up to dry, and
after it had been stained, ready to be
glazed and finished He showed a pair Of
American trench shoes and a pair of the
previous American marching shoes. one
par OF shoes he showed to the Rotarians
were size 10, q special order, TO be sent 10
Louisiana.
Mr. Belyea's talk was enjoyed not ONLY
by Potarians but also bv a number of
men connected with the shoe Industry
who We're present as guests of the eve
ming, they being Mayor John NJ. Robin
son Of Hallowell, superintendent of the
Johnson Brothers factory, and j. w. Ccl-
Inns Of Revere, Mass. and c. A. Gleason
Of Leominster, Mass, sales agents for
that concern.
The Smlleage Book Campaign
The other speaker upon tho occasion
was NJ. +. Perkins Of the Fosdick Com
mission, representing the Military En-
tertalnment Council, which is a branch
OF the commission for training camp
activities. Mr.. Perkins gave a short
talk upon the Smileage Book campairn
which is to be held for the purpose Of
furnishing hiSh-grade entertainments
at the liberty theaters which have
been built and are being built BY the
government at the dfferen, canton
ments. Sixteen liberty theaters have
already been erected at cantonments
in this country and the next step. rs
SHOWN py Mr. Perkins. is to secure
leading circuit companies to give en-.
tertainments at these theaters. The
plan briefly is to sell during this cam
paiEn these so-called Smiieago books
each OF which, costing 81. conthSaH2o
coupons OF the value of five cent? Gacb
4 person buying such a book can Bend
~ iCidIINt dl OF
these camps, where the theaters3Rve
been erected, or can donate it threaf4b
the agency of the v NJ G. a. or ott1e<
orSanl2atloh. The man in the training
camp who receives the Smileaee noos
VIII use It for admittance to these on
tertalnments. The admission to an en-
tefta1nment Will be not over 25 cents
and each coupon in the book will bc
OF the value of five cents Thus if will
enable men in training, who are not
able to buy tickets to these entertain
ments, chance to see them without
paying cent
The Smileage book canpaicn will
be managed by Rotary clubs in cities
where there are branches Of this or
ganization, and in other places otuer
organizations will take hold of the
movement The Bangor Rotary CIIr
has taken 1000 of these books to dis
tribute.
The following committee Of Rotari
ans was appointed to have charge of
the campaign in this city: Chairman
George w. Merrill Harry W. Reid.
Charles +. Bilodeau. Nathaniel White
u. r. Bither and Harris S. Woodman.
and Lewis A. Burleigh publicity agent.
The names of the chairman and the
publicity agent appointed were tele-
graphed Thursday evening ro Wash