New-York tribune., 1918-07-02
Can't Accuse Us
Of Prohteerir1g,
Say Shoe Dealers
Increased Cost of Leather
and Findings RESPONSE
BILE for High Prices

"Consider the hundreds of men who
have made millions of dollars selling
woollens and apparel-then show us
one man who has made even one million
selling shocs!"
If such plutocrat of the footstools
tn e beand doubt of his existence
crystallized yesterday into a challenge
squarely presented TO the Federal Trade
Commission the shoe retailers of New
York City say they would enjoy nothing
better than an opportunity to meet him,
shake him by the hand and ask him
how he did it. But until he is found,
say the shoe men, it would be faircr
not to brand them rrofiteers
The defence put forward by the local
retailers was not only a defence of
themselves, their business methods, in
war time and their war profits, but a
defence Of the manufacturers as we'll.
1t was a general denial that any one
was getting inordnate gains as indi-
Gated in the Trade Commissions report
And along with what the shoe dealers
had to say went the announcement that
prices are due for another sharp lift in
the fall.
Favor Fewer Styles
Action of the government in limiting
styles and curbing innovations" was
generally approved.
ut may sound strange said Frank
Bemlsh, manager of the Andrew Alex
ander stores, "that while we have made
our best profits on novelty shoes, we
shall be glad to see fewer varieties of
them on the market
"The lines that every shoe man wants
to sell and keen selling are the staples
They don't go out of fashion and they
don't have to be closed out every
month or two at less-than-cost prices
Last year we carried shoes for
women in no less than sixteen colors;
and VIC had to have in stock sixty
six different sizes of each
"On such shoes profits are large
They have to be. for as soon as a
new style is in other styles go into
the discard In these same recent years
the younger men have been demanding
fancy shoes. In that way our volume
Of business has been largely increased.
and that means decreased overhead and
bigger profits.
Novelty Shoes d Gamble
"Handling of novelty shoes is a
gamble at best, and large prices must
be asked in the youth of style to
cover he loss that is bound to come.
Because novelty shoes are an ex-
travagancc, we haven't tried to hold
their cost down
Staples have gone up. War condi-
tions are to blame Cotton lining tha,
used to cost 1O12 cents a yard four
years ago was quoted at 56 cents a
yard the other day. Shoe laces are m
4oo per cent. Sole leather that used
TO be 4O cents pound five wears ago
is SO cents now Eyclets, iindingsN7 7
everything that goes into the manu-
iacture OF shoe-arc vastly increased
in cost. 0''NNN
"Don't believe that shoe dealers have
mildly accepted increased factory costs
and passed them on to the customer,
with little extra added for them
selves Nothing of the sort
"lt there is profteering in shoes. it
IS behind The factory. Look to the
man VINO owns the cattle and the man
who tans the hide; look to the man
who controls the supplies of raw ma
terlals that go into the findings. There
you'll ind the prohtecr"
o, John Slater, president of the Retail
SShoe Dealers Association, also gave
health. '''' u
"The fault for high costs is not
Cheirs any more than it is ours" he
sald. Just as VIC are paying $50 a
week to the salesman who used to get
$l5 aHew years ago, so the manufac-
turers have been forced to raise he
wages, of their workers. And bevond
mat there has been the enormous rise
IN the cost of raw materials.
some time ago / wrote letter to
the Federal Trade Commission telling
them exactly how the situation stands. !"
Other dealers agreed with Mr.. Slater
and Mr.. Bemish.
ITS all the cost Of the leather" thew
explained. 1--WE won't get it and the
man,ufacturer won't get it, Ask. the