Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-05
SHOE RETAILERS
NOT PROF|TEERS
The Footwear Situation Explained
by the New York Journal
Of Commerce.

The New York Journal Of Commerce
prints the following
The National Shoe Retailers AssoCia-
ton Of America, after an all-day session
NJ the Aston yesterday, gave out a state
mcnt in which they expressed dIsappOlnt-
mcnt At the fact that the public takes the
attitude that they are proftecrng. and
stressed the fact that the association and
the entire shoe trade. IN fact was Loyalty
supporting the government, and that
their most sincere desire at the present
moment was 10 keep the prices as low as
is possible in the face of the increased cost
Of labor and materials caused by the war
and general conditions that are prevalent
The executive committee Of the Ma
tional Shoe Retailers Association had met
70 constitute themselves as an advisory
body TO the government in the present
situation when practical men Of the trade
are in position to I've Of service. The COM
1nittee in order that the meeting should
be composed Of the most representa- tive
body Of men that the shoe trade affords,
had invited a number of prominent manu-
facturers to meet with them and consider
the problems that confront them both al
the present time
In its statement, after the meeting, the
retailers claim that they are aiding the
government III It's effort 10 conserve man
power and materials with all the power
that can be mustered. They aim TO utilize
every known material by adopting lasts
and patterns most suitable TO the rcalisa-
ton OF the desired saving.
The retailers further stated that the
high prices about which so much has been
said are d result OF a change IN styles,
rather than result of profiteering as is
claimed They argue that while prices
have increased about IS per cent the more
artistic styles. the finer workmanship and
other changes are responsible for the APP
parent increase Of almost 200 per cent
The statement of the Retailers Asso-
citation was as follows:
The executive COMMITTEES meeting OF
the National Shoe Retailers Association
was held to organize and constitute itself
as a committee Of advice with the con-
teInplated government regulation Of the
industry.
We invited leading manufacturers 70
join Us, ar our interests are identical.
THE first purpose the government has
in mind land we are aiding 1t TO our
utmost, is to save man-pOwer. The
second is to conserve leather by utilizing
every known material and by adopting
lasts and patterns such as viii advance
these ideas
"One of the keenest dishppolntments of
the retsil shoe dealers is that they are
misunderstood, and that despite the fact
that they are doing more than ever be
fore TO assist the goycrnme Mt In oil its
aims they are accused Of protiteering.
''Extravagant statements have been
made about great profits being made by
the shoe men, and that high prices are the
result of profiteerlng. This, when ana
lived, was proven untrue
The Harvard School Of Business Re-
search recently issued an annual report on
a thousand retailers In which II showed
that the net profit Of the shoe retailers
does not exceed 9 per cent.
We brought out at our meeting that
the actual increase In the price OF shoes
was about 65 per cent.
The luxurious shoes are sold at high
prices because Of the art luxuriousness
and beauty they have, due to the high
class Of workmanship
This has made this kind 81 shoe very
expensive, just as all other luxurles are
expensive. but may be avoided
"Plenty Of shoes can be bought at
moderate prices if women would he will
ing 10 buy the palmer styles which pre-
vailed before the war period
Joseph OCounor Is president OF The
Retailers and Anthony II GeutIng IS the
secretary and treasurer A G. McGowan
chairman of the Allied Trade Council,
participated at the meeting