The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-04-17
HOPE FOR LOWER
PRICES IN SHOES.
Great Drop In Price of
Hides and Calfskins Here
In Vermont
GREAT TUMBLE IN
MUSKRAT SKINS
Price Dropped 50 Apiece In One Week
All Hide Men Trying to Force
Lower Prices-Most Serious Obstacle
Is High Wages for Labor.

BURLINGTON, April l7.-No matter
what propaganda is issued from various
sources in regard to keeping prices M,
there is no denying the fact that prices
III some commodities here in Burlington
are taking a slump, and big slump. This
Is especially true of leather, which ought
to mean cheaper shoes at some time in
the future.
Today at the Burlington Rendering
company, cured hides are being bought
Tor . and 80 cents, whereas last fall as
nigh as % cents per pound was paid for
them. 1hls is a reduction of nearly one
bali which has taken place in a gradual
decline over a period which began Jan
| uary |. 1t has nothing to do with the
season OF the year as a year ago they
were nearly as high as last fall 1t is a
natural reduction, which in the opinion
| OF the men in the business has come to
stay.
Calf skins, which also help to supply
the necessities Of life, have also shown a
very big decline, coming down nearly
$3.50 each since last fall, and they are
| coming in good all over the country at
that, according TO the hide dealers They
sold as high as seven dollars and the
price at present is between four and four
and a half
! The greatest crash, however, is in musk
rat skins The bottom fell out of them,
last week and they came down nearly -
/ apiece within period of a week No
| body seems to know what will happen
to them but the big fur auction next
week in New York will give pretty
! general idea. There seems to be a strong
effort being made by all the big dealers
To reduce the price on furs for the reason
that they had reached such a high price
that no one could buy them A large
amount Of money was lost in the rat
skins At the Rendering company as
much as 1915 has been paid for skins
within few weeks, but no skin will be
bought at more than 1926 now and II Is
expected that much less will be paid Rats
that were shot are not wanted but are
bought for p to 80 cents, whereas as
high as s. has been paid for them. The
high priced rats are those which arc
trapped. The price of those muskrat.
got so high that the retail price of a coat
4 reached nearly a thousand dollars anC
people are not buying goods at that price
as they formerly did.
At the plant on North avenue there i
nothing disheartening about high prices
for there is no increase in the price o
fertilizer this. year and the farmers arr
getting lots more for their money for tn
reason that all the French potash which
is needed is coming into the country
/ which makes for better fertilizer at tn
same price.
| Word has gone out among the men il
the hide and allied businesses that every
| one is stretching every effort to reduc
/ prices and the results have already be
y come apparent to marked degree. Tn
biggest thing they have to contend Will
in this work is the labor situation, the.
say While they are starting the hide
on the process of becoming shoes at
greatly reduced price. labor troubles in
creases in wages and one thing and an
other will keep the price of the finished
article far above old standards for tn
present but a reduction is bound to com
: some time.