The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-28

average step of 30 inches and that in travelling one mile each foot strikes the ground 1000 times. This means that in an 18-mile march the soldiers foot strikes the ground 1s,000 times, and if he had a rough place in his shoe that place gives his foot 1S,00o individual rubS or throws him out of action during the march.
 The army shoe board found that the men were not fit to pick their o8n shoes. They found that the average man wears shoes two sizes too small, and that his foot swells and enlarses while marching. Two-thirds of the soldiers were wearing short shoes, and 1t was only two out of 200 who would naturally select shoes too large for them.
 At present the feet of the soldiers are fitted according to rule. One way is to load the soldier with, his full equipment of about 40 pounds weight and have him stand on a platform in his bare feet His feet are then meas used and ample room is given for ex- pansion. The average shoe is about size larger than the measurements and the soldiers are shown how to break, in their footgear. The govern ment gives them directions as to the care of the feet, and the officers have
 
 see that they are all right. Special recipes are given as to the treatment of bllsters and corns, and the men are even shown how to cut their toe nails. The nails should be cut squareIy across to prevent their growing ip at the corners, and misshapen or clubbed nails are pared down.
 All foot diseases are well known to the flat md hrnI arches are good reasons to exempt a man from draft. The draft board, however should be careful to note the difference between a flat foot which is real and that which is only appar- ent. The negroes foot is flatter than that of the Caucasian, and yet it does not interfere with marching. There are certain white men who have feet which are negroid in character, and il some of the muscular development of the sole, almost fills up and obliter- ateS the foot arch The footprints of such men resemble those of flat feet, but the men can march all right and there should be no exemption in their cases The true flat foot looked at from the side is flattened over the instep, and at the front the inner part of the side of the foot seems to be sunken. If the man steps in a basin of water and then walks over the bare floor the whole or greater part of the foot arch will be registered in the foot arch will be registered in the inn imprint. There are many stocky, mus cular feet which give no pain in march, ing, although you might think other wise to look at them.
 It takes an enormous amount of leather to make footgear for the army By the time this letter is pub lished the number of shoes made for the soldiers will approximate S000O,- poo pairs. and the factories will be turning out additional pairs at the rate of 100000 per month. They will make 50.000 pair per day or about 5000 per hour for each hour of the working day all the year through. The leather for these shoes comes only from the firmest and best part of the hide. It is from a wide strip above the belly and behind the shoulders extending over the back to the root of the tail. It is known as the bend. The strip is so small that only. five pairs of shoes can