The St. Joseph observer., 1922-08-26

JEFFERSON CITY, Aug. "a
Correspondence - Boots, shoes,
slippers and other footwear to the
value of $157,147,141 were turned out
in Missouri during 1920 by sixty-three
factories scattered over the state, an
nounces a bulletin of the Bureau Of
Labor Statistics, constituting advance
information" from the 1921-1922 Mis-
souri, Industrial RED Book" given
publicity this week by Commissioner
William II. Lewis.
The total value of Missour-made
footwear jumped from s52,522, ,OO6, the
record, 1914. the year the World War
began, to the present highwater mark
Of $1571471I1, a clear gain in aggre-
gated worth Of $1O4,625,135, or in ex-
cess of 1919 per cent. While the high
er cost of leather and other materials
and supplies used in manufacturing
boots and shoes and similar commodi-
ties, and reasonable increases in sal
aries and wages Of those employed in
the industry. helped to swell the total
worth to the amount given, yet there
was a substantial gain in quantity and
quality of output.
An Army of WclI-Paid Toilcrs
1t took a total of 21.644 men and
women, boys and girls to manufacture
and distribute Missouri's 1920 output
of footwear, and this army was paid
S24.1O4.1O8 in salaries and wages. In
cluded among the employees, besides
the actual skilled toilers who turned
out 3O.O0O,OOO pairs of shoes, boots,
slippers. pumps and similar commodi-
ties. were the hundreds of well-paid
statesmen the Missouri shoe manufac-
turers depend upon to put their pro-
ducts into the hands OF retailers, all
high -salaried presidents and similar
corporation officials. superintendents
of factories, accountants, auditors and
bookkeepers, and, also, all miscellan-.
eous office help. including the men
and women who pack and otherwise
prepare the finished article for dis
tribution to Jobbers and dealers.
Missourrs 1920 shoe industry rep
resented an invested capital Of $47,-
555,OSs. as compared to $2s,O33,5O2
for the year 1914. The World War
greatly stimulated the Missouri shoe
industry. as facts and figures which
follow convinclngly prove, giving the
state at least third, II not second rank
for value of the total production and
quantity turned out. New York and
Massachusetts, are the only close COM
peting states.
Tho Share of the Wage Farmer
With $24.1O4.1OS paid in 1920 by
Missouri shoe factories to their 21,644
calaried and wage-earnlng employees,
the yearly average earning for each
salaried and wage-earning toiler, the
twelve months was S1,114. In 1914,
with a total of s9,97s,61O paid to H.
O72 tollers high and low in rank, the
earnings per capita was $685.. The
average increase in yearly earnings in
six years. 1920 over 1914. was s529
for each worker. or 9O4 per cent.
In reflecting over this increase in
the annual earnings of shoe workers
1920 over 1914, it must not be for
gotten that the large increases in the
annual salaries Of presidents and other
high-paid corporation officials. and OF
the large army Of travelling salesmen
helped, materially, to swell statistical
Iy, not alone the annual earnings o.
skilled wage-earners, but, also, th'
visible per capita increase in salaries
and wages for all lesser paid manua
and clerical employees.
Earnings, Shoe Manufacturers, 1921
The 1920 returns made by G3 Mis-
souri, large and small factories indi
cate that to manufacture footwear
which had a first wholesale sellinl
value OF $157,147.141, 1t took disburse
ments for materials and supplies, sal
aries and wages. rent and taxes ant
: insurance, and all other purpose
classed as miscellaneous" totalinl
| S143,973,973. With all disbursement
. apparently accounted for, the tota
! earnings for all factories for the yea
f, aggregated $14.O73,16s. or a little owe
, 9.S per cent over all disbursements
q The earnings also represented littl
over S.95 per cent OF the first whole
( sale selling value of Missouris tota
, footwear manufacturing, 1920.
r The 1920 disbursements by Missouri
n boot and shoe manufacturers for ror
. and taxes and insurance reached tn
total Of s4.S33.262 on the selling valu
alton of $157,147,141, or over S.75 PC
cent, as compared to S2.105,440 fC
the year 1914 on boots. shoes an
other footwear which had total fri