The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-09-22
THE GRAFT IN SHOE PRICES

THE GRAFT IN SHOE PRICES
"Please state through your pape
that the price Of shoes will be higher
next year and if people want to save
money they should buy now"
4 The above modest request was
made by shoe drummer who was in
Moscow Saturday, and is part of thu
propaganda of the shoe trust, which
Is robbing the people Of the United
States Of millions of dollars every
month, to encourage the people to buy
shoes at present prices which are at
least 100 per cent too high.
"Thele is no excuse except graft
for shoes selling at present prices,
said a Moscow merchant who sells
shoes, i'll discussing shoe prices with
the writer. "There is bound to be a
tumble in shoe prices and manufac-
turers and dealers who are heavily
stocked with shoes are anxions to sell
their pig stocks before the bubble
bursts. 1t is going to burst before
long, you may be sure of that"
This merchant is undoubtedly
speaking the truth. The dealers and
manufacturers are holding up shoe
prices from 100 to 200 per cent above
what they should sell for and give
the manufacturer, the wholesaler and
the retailer each fair profit They
are holding up prices by propaganda.
No German intriguer ever conducted
a more systematic campaign OF pro
paganda than the shoe and leather
trusts have conducted and are con-
Quoting in the United States. "Shoes
will be higher" appears in almost
every newspaper. Most of the papers
fall for the propaganda, others are
paid for it. This cry of "shoes will
be higher" is echoed from every shoe
factory, every wholesale house and
almost very retail shoe store. 1t must
be kept up or the fictitious prices
will fall. The people must be made
to believe that prices will be higher
later OF they will not buy at the in
flated prices now asked and received
for shoes.
Wher you hear this propaganda
Just ask the preacher of it what will
make shoes higher next year than
now. Tell him that the price of hides
has declined 60 per cent in the past
two months. Tell him the war is
over and the various governments are
not taking the leather that was re-
quirad during the war. The demand
for leather has decreased SO to so
per cent from what it was during the
war. Yet the American government
made a thorough investigation of
shoe prices and the cost of manu-
featuring them during the war, when
leather prices were at the highest
point ever reached, and determined
that no shoes should sell for more |
than SO per pair and fixed the prices |
from SO to SO
Yet, when the war demand for
leather had ceased; when millions of !
pairs of shoes made for the govern /
nent fer the armies were being Of I
Tered for sale; when leather prices I
lave declined 90 per cent and there |
S nc demand for hides because the I
market is overstocked, shoe prices
ave climbed heavenward until people I
ire paying from So to $40 for a pair
If shoes and the leather trust is pre-
,aring for higher prices by propa-
,anda, in which the announcement
frequently appears that 1925 will be
he price Of pair of shoes next .
ear" T. will be if the people stand
or such prices, but if people refuse
O pay the grating prices asked, the
rice of shoes will decline. AS the
doscow merchant says ''the bubble
viii burst"
~ "a IA
DON,T RE- A KNOCKER