The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-08-08
DO PACKERS CONTROL
THE LEATHER MARKET?
Soaring Cost of Shoes May BE Due
to Corner I'm Leather and Too
Much Profit.

! cracked for the immediate considera-
stion of the all-absorbing question Of
how best to reduce the cost of living,
and both the president and the senate
Z are deeply engrossed in solving this
sdificult problem. There seems to be
9 as many plans as there are individ-
Vuals All admit. however, that it is
= more difficult and more eXasperating
than the old Chinese puzzle which ev-
< erybody worried over and nobody
4 worked in the olden days.
: A few days ago the agricultural de-
pcrtment made a startling forecast on
the price of shoes, predicting that
winter shoes would cost the consumer
something around $40 a pair. This
announcement, in conjunction with
indications of similar advances in
prices on other necessary articles,
Brought fort hprotests from people all
lover the United States, and it at once
became obvious that action on the
part of the government in an effort
= to regulate prices was the only thing
that would meet the situation, and
NOW both executive and legislative
forces are at work in attempts to dis
cover what course to pursue in the
matter
resolution has been introduced
by Representative Igo, of Missouri. to
ascertain the cause and necessity for
the increase in the price of shoes:
IN ta;, ~ e.,
price and selling price. and the re-
I tailers' cost price and selling price
!or the years 1913 and 1919. This
resolution is now pending, but de-
o ,yed.
heThe Missouri representative had al
ady made a little investigation on
own hook, in which he found that
retailers were, at least in some in
&C races, charging more than they
should. 1t is said that he purchased
4 pair of shoes OF certain standard
brand right here in Washington, for
which he paid $12. Believing that
the price was too high, he ordered a
similar pair from the manufacturers
and he received the shoes and the
bill. The bill was an astonishing rev.
elation. 1t was only $5. The retail
merchant had made 81 on an invest
!, ment of So This was a mere straw,
y but it showed which way the wind
was blowing, and Mr.. Igoe at once got
busy to see what he could do toward
: looking further into the appalling
( >yagedy of rapidly increasing high
tices
This feature is so closely connected
with the general subject of increased
cost of living that il is at once attract
ing the attention of those who are en-
deavoring to solve the problem. No.
one seems able to explain the steady
rise in the cost of raw material. as
no one will dare to say that it has its
cause in the natural law Gf supply
and demand. On the other hand. il
has been suggested that probably this
particular price advance may be due !
to cornering TIL emarket by specu-
Iators on hides and leather Those
who are in the business, however, saw
they do not know the cause of the
rise or where it will end if allowed to
go on unchecked by legislative or ex .
ecutive interference.
There is considerable talk of n vast
surplus of army shoes, but it is de-
MED taht there are great quantities
in this country, though it is admitted
that there are 100000 pairs OF
army shoes in France, which the gov
ernment expects to sell at about $500,
pair If the French government will
take them. If not it is possible the
entire surplus will be returned to
this country and sold. 1t is said that
there are only about 600, 900 renovat-
ed and reclaimed pairs of army shoes
in this country. Whatever surplus
may have been on hand went to the
returned soldiers as they have been
discharged.
The government had advertised for
public sale at Chicago $4,000
worth of surplus army leather. and
right at this time the price of pack er
hides steadily advances in price 1t
mas increased from so to 125 per cent
since last spring. and the advancing
price is reflected in the price of the
finished article. To what extent the
packers dominate the leather market
la /.