The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-09
SHOES next TO
SOAR TO HIGHER
PRICE LEVELS
Not Question Of Prices, But Of
Getting Goods, Say Manu-
tacturers.
BY WILLIAM r. sANeoRN.

~ A. Ao yOQI ODlIllOIl LudL Inc Tls6 Al
price OF shoes is nearing an end. there
are lot of men in Chicago this week
who will tell you that the advance
has barely begun. They are telling
the world that we may all expect
to pay from 50 to 81 more for shoes
next spring than we are paying this
summer, and for identical makes and
quality.
Who are these prophets Of evil?
Shoe manufacturers, If you please, in
attendance at the Chicago National
Shoe exposition, in session this week,
with $50 exhibits Of shoes and &C
cessor1es, and who are representative
OF the largest manufacturers in the
country.
These men ought to be pretty fair
judges of conditions and outlook.
They regret the coming advance. just
as the consumer does. for 1t means
still more capital investment for every
pair Of the outturn. It means still
higher costs for labor, 1t may be. and
at any rate for material, which Is also
largely labor as to COST for wages are
the highest ever known in the tanning
industry. because the workmen must
live. Dave David. secretary of the
Chicago shoe style show, says:
There is no question Of shoes go
ing up. We have been trying to get
prices for the State street stores for
next spring, and 1t seems likely that
the price will be SO to 81 higher than
last spring on calfskin and kid shoes.
There is, however, better supply Of
coarser feathers for the manufacture
Iof work shoes"
Heavy Foreign Demand.
The coming increase is due to sew
teral factors, all 1nterrelated. Among
the most important is given 1.-The
world shortage of hides" and the COM
.parauve scarcity of calf and kid skins,
used in the finer grades Of footwear.
Next in Importance Is the great for
eign demand. both for shoes and
leather. the greatest ever known. 1t
seems. too, that price doesn't count
with the buyers from overseas. What
they want insured is a delivery of the
goods. We must remember that all
foreign labor has been very highly
paid for four years. Admitting that
their money Is not worth as much as
ours, still they got It in lunches, out
side of army circles, and are prepared
to spend it for some Of the comforts
of life, which can hardly include
wooden shoes on wedding days. 1t is
a fact that foreign buyers are crowd
ing the sales rooms of all shoe fac.
tories in the east and are to be found
sitting on the doorsteps of the tanner
les of mornings. waiting for the boss
to open up.
No Chance to Sort Up.
1t is a time honored custom in the
retail trade to do a lot of sorting up
as to sizes, and to flll in lines between
seasons where shortages exist This
hN
are very few shoes in wholesale stocks
ready for "at once" shipment, which
is proving a great inconvenience in
hundreds of shoe stores.
A Richmond shoe man said this
morning: 1--WE have placed a large
order in Rochester, N. Y, for fall de
livery and hoped soon to have some
OF these coming through. Having
written to this effect We are informed
that a part of our order will be filled
some time later, but as to when We
may expect completion Of our order
the firm was unable even to approx
mate the date. Nor do we know tina
we are certain to get all the shoes IL
our purchase, at any time
During a visit to a Columbus, Ohio
shoe factory a few days ago, thi
same merchant was shown the cos
= cucCISs WHICH SuO~eQ LudL
costs (material and labor have al
most doubled in less than a year, ant
the tendency is still upward, for tn,
making Of spring wear, of course.
Chasing the Rainbow
Under the caption, Chasing tn
Rainbow" the Boot and Shoe Record
er, OF Boston, says: AN attempt t.
locate the reason for the unprece
dented high price of hides, skins an,
leather, and consequently of shoes, i
very much like chasing the rainboy
with the expectation of finding tn
proverbial pot of gold at the rair
bows end. The farther one travel
In search, the farther off the actua
end of the solution of the problem
seems to be.
The retail merchant justifes tn
prices asked from the consumer, o.
the ground that the manufacture
names the price to him, and he ha
no other alternative but to pay TIL
shoe manufacturer in turn maintain
that he Is in a position where he mus
\ pay the tanner most any price tina
T. the tanner demands for his leather
4 The conditions are such today that
e practically useless to shop aroun
rom one tannery to another with tn