The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-11-16
PORK CHOPS AND SHOES


Relation tn Hogs and Hides
. prices should instantly decrease,
while in the same newspaper there
IS likely to appear an article stating
that some labor auixation has
won in its strike for higher wages.
The readers reaction To both re-
ports is the same, Good I'm glad
N hear that" Glad that food is go
ing down and glad that wages IRE
going ND. entirely overlooking the
fact that the latter more than off
sets the former
In the case ~ shoee Nrs Con-
sumner read the first report OF Mr.
McEiwain's statement and ma turallS
took il tor granted that he knew
what he was talking about Being
news (Which may be roughly de-
fined as anything out OF the ordi-
marry, this statement vas given
prominent position in the papers.
The denial which was not news.
was condensed to few lines, where
, II was printed ar all
What Mir. Nc F;lwai1 said was that
hides and dropped not leather. and
certainly rot shoes. as the uniform
ed reader might suppose.
As p matter Of fact, the recession
Ia the price Of hides could NOT logi-
cally be reflected in the retail shoe
market for al least year, even
under normal conditions
Where the Wear Goes
Hides and leather" are by no
means synonymous Their Is lit
tie matter Of from four to six
months which separate them.
Hides are the skins OF animals
which the hair on. These skins
must be SIS trea ted. chemically. that
the hair Is removed and the skin
Itself transformed To the tough.
piiable substance commercially
known as leather In the produc-
ton OF sorae grades Of leather il Is
possible 20 complete these processes
in four months. but the better grades
Of oss-tanued leather take At lesa st
| six months before they are ready
I for use.
The leather IS then sorted and put
I on thN market through the tanner S
/ salesr0oms
/ After reaching the shoe rnanufac-
tnrer II Ia again sorted and then
shipped 70 the cutting room and
thence 10 the fitting room The Mt
ted upper and th~ cut and fitted bot
tom stock so to wha. is known az
the assembly room. whore both
the upper and bottom materials wait
for the convenience Of the last
department Then eorae the various
stages of lasting. heeiing and finish
ing followed by the cleaning. tree
ing. packing and chipping.
Right here enters the element OF
transportation. something over
81 f-. ~
ojbbar nor the retailer has the leasi
control Shipments 10 distant paru
Of the country are delayed Con.
sicnments, even To comparatively
nearby points arc hold up~--and any
where from TWO IL eight weeks are
added to- the time which mus
! elaHse before the shoes reach th'
shelves Of TIE retailer.
TabuL4ye2 therefore the tim,
consumed in the various processes
NAV re divided IN the followin:
manner.
Tanning and treating IS month
Manufacture .,.,~.--. ,t..S month
ansportauon ..-. --... .,.. 20
Time between hides and shoe
at least one year
Another poInt 70 81 remnmheret
IN dealing With Shoes Is that hides
mea NJ leather" Eventually, no
. ''kid from which the ma jority o
women shoes ara made,
Kid feathers como virtually en-
tirelv from abroad--from souti
' America India aud various sec
! tons of Europe, Russia supple
| much Of the colt2Stn and the voriou
.,,iS@E,. ..sess.iss' 80 AiGh eatee %. ia III
manufacture ~ shoes come fror
widely separated points--goats
from China, gambler from Phila
delphia wood Oh from Michigan
lamp black and turpenune frog
North Carolina danfmar from Ne'
Z. Zealand. asphas and eouch0ne fror
South America, henzoin from Suu1a
ira. benzine from TennsvlVauii
!, masiic from Scio and sandarac fror
i Africa--to mention only a few OF IN
:, neceEsary ingredients nN of whic
= are headed upward In price NJ
4 down
EDt. the principal price-factor
G labor And it's hardly necessary
n state what Ia happening there.
e. 1t Nlll therefore be seen that.
c addition to allowing AZ least or
year before the cheaper hides ca
j. reach the public. 1t Will also
= necessary 10 discount some Of II
- 40 per cant saving to make up fl
2 the advance in other departments
s points which the consumer aImo
- invariably falls to take into col
Q alteration
e Demand Keeps Pork rp.
T. So much for shoes
g In the matter Of norf rhNrs ,