The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1919-08-16
CLAIMS DISADVANTAGES

vestigations and has filed great
many reports, but in the last analy-
sis find that they invariably pass
the buck Ito use an every day ex-
pression) to the retailer. No doubt
because Mr.. Retailer has failed TO
organize as other lines OF industry.
including labor, so they find 1t cas-
fer to charge II to someone who Ia
not in a position to file an organized
protest and who would be able at an
election to make his protest felt.
1 presume that the new advances
in price Of shoes this fall. which will
be from 81 to SIS per pair, will fin
ally be laid at the door OF Mr.. Re
taller.
Hides and leather in the last nine
ty days have risen to unprecedented
heights. Raw calfskins which sold
on the Chicago hide market year
ago for A cents a pound, are now
bringing $105 per pound. Light ma
tive cows quoted year ago at %
cents per pound now bring so cents.
Even the despised country hides have
kept pace. as the selects are bringing
co cents. Bluffs so cents and as cents
for heavy cows. This, in itself. will
give you some idea OF what to expect
in the shoe and leather market. La
Dor in the shoe factories has been
advanced three times since the armis-
tice was signed in November. and the
same holds true in the tanneries..
WHY SUDDEN INCREAsEY
The question Just naturally arises
why this sudden and unheard OF
crease In the price OF hides. ]
would say ASK the packers" Eaf'y
in the spring when the general mar
ket conditions were wobbly at least
one half OF the shoe manufacturers
and others engaged in the leather
industries fully expected that leather
and hides would drop. So did good
many tanners; but not the packers.
They held firmly to their quoted pric-
es and every time some tanner be-
came bold and bid on quantity. up
went the price few points. What
enabled the packers to maintain and
even raise the price Of hides when
the market was quiet? Here lies
the whole crux Of the leather indus
try.
The packing industry Of the Unit
ed States and their allied interests in
other commodities extend to every
quarter of the globe. So 1t is an easy
matter for them to investigate condi-
TOMS in every country on earth. The
reports filter through TO Chicago,
and with them reports of the hide
and leather situation. enabling them
to know months in advance that
there is world shortge OF hides and
leather and in the face Of a duh and
listless market maintain and even
raise the price OF their hides, until
today we have a stampede. with ev-
eryone concerned trying to get un-
der cover, With foreign buyers out
bidding us and paying any price in
order to get supplies of hides and
leather which are SO sorely needed in
Europe, no need for the packers TO
slough Off their hides and take any
price offered. Have they not unlim-
tied wealth and storing facilities to
hold their hides until the market
price suits them? Do you blame the
packers9 Would you call a farmers
\ profiteer IL he asked $3.50 for a |
cow today that he raised expecting !
he could market It for 800. Be
cause in the meantime. cows have
gone upY Do we expect him TO say,
Inasmuch as he only figured that the
cow when It was born was worth |
800, that that sum was enough. and
anything above the 500 was profit
eering?
REMEDY IN SIEGIsLATIoN
So It IL with the tanners. Their