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Show SHOE CENTER MOVES WESTWARD. Manufacturers Growing Rapidly. Only a few years ago most of the shoes worn in the United States were manufactured in the East, and many people who have not felt especially interested in-terested and have not kept in touch with the progress made by Wcstorn shoe manufacturers will be surprised to learn that St. Louis now manufactures and distributes annually about sixty million dollars' worth of shoes. It is now stated that one-sixth of all the shoes worn in the United States conies from St. Louis. It simply proves what a few big energetic and determined manufacturers can accomplish in the tiliort period of ten years, for it is a laet that ten years ago ot. Ijouis manufactured manu-factured very- few shoes. Today some of the laro manufacturers are operating several immenso factories modern brick and stono buildings, electrically equipped, and many of these factories have an output of over 5000 pairs daily. Some of these shoe factories represent an investment of $250,000. The most striking example of growth is best illustrated by taking the results accomplished by one of these bic St. Louis manufacturers,, viz.: The Roberts, Johnson & Rand Shoe compnny. Only nine years ago they began "business. In this short period they have erected and equipped seven big'shoc factories, and are building now three more which arc necessary to take care of their growing business. They ship over $10,000,000 worth of shoes annually, and have made a gain over last year of slightly over $2,000,000. They omnloy about -1000 people and pay out thousands thou-sands of dollars daily for labor. Their slogan "Star Brand Shoes Aro Bottcr" must be widely and favorably known, for it is figured that one person in every thirty-two is wearing Star brand shoes. |