Show Will Shoes Go Higher i The war in Europe horrible as it has been to most of or mankind has proved a blessing to at least one class that class that class which s seeks eks to thrive by charging the public exorbitant prices for the necessities es of life The sugar suar trust boosted the price of sugar and laid it all onto the war The The leather trust attempted to follow suit but apparently is going to have trouble in forcing its high prices upon this country j The The leading journal of that trade Hide and Leather declares that there is no basis for these advanced prices as the war has not depleted depleted depleted de de- the stocks of this material While our imports have fallen down from the sources that formerly supplied this country they have increased from new sources of supply The figures gathered by the United States government for eight months ending February 1916 showed that our imports of hides were greatly in excess of those for the corresponding periods of the two previous years jears It is I true that we are arc not getting hides from Belgium practically none from Germany very much fewer ver from France none from Russia in E Europe rope and reduced quantities from Canada On the other hand during the eight months' months mentioned period imports of hides were very ery much larger from Mexico Argentina and Brazil Uruguay exported exp exported ex ex- p ported more than three times as many hides to us during the he eight months months' period than during the corresponding period of 1915 and more than five times in excess of the figures for 1914 From the East Indies we received ed three times as many hides during the eight months ending February 1916 as we did during similar periods of 1915 and 1914 ct Cattle hides says this trade journal from countries s other than those specially mentioned in in the government report aggregated no less than pounds for eight months ending February 1916 as against pounds similar period 1915 and pounds in 1914 It is thus apparent that our I losses have been more than compensated for by imports from other I pla places es I The New York Times in an editorial discussing the high prices charged for shoes said The fact still remains as it has been shown that the imports of hides and skins have increased ased greatly and that the bulk of the leather exported either as leather or as boots and shoes or not of the kind that should affect the quantity left here to be made into shoes such as are worn by the people of this country The president of the National Association of Tanners said at the recent confere conference ce in Philadelphia that the sole leather tanners have on hand from three to six months' months supply of raw h hides des and that there need be no anxiety regarding supplies of shoe leather It appears also that there h has been no increase above nort nor nor- t mal in the exports of kid leather or of the shoes in which this leather r is used What seems to have made most of the trouble and anxiety has been overbuying b by dealers who were afraid they would not later be able to obtain the goods they wanted Speculation Speculation Speculation Spec Spec- rather than legitimate buying has caused price increases besides giving the aspect of a scarcity of leather The Philadelphia Record declares that the proposal to add a dollar to the price of each pair of shoes is not meeting with an enthusiastic response in the shoe trade and the promoters of this dollar increase plan may have to abandon it The Record says Their pretext was that the war had cut off their supply of hides but the importation of hides and skins in nine months ending with March were vere pounds in 1914 pounds in 1915 and pounds in 1916 These figures would not exactly support the idea that the materials were wece exceptionally scarce The New York Sun said editorially Some of or the largest producers producers producers pro pro- of shoes and leather have shown an inclination to accept a fair profit and take their share of the burden of the present war conditions One of the leading retail companies of the country and the owners of ten stores after conference with the manufacturers agreed not to raise prices Leather and shoe manufacturers and wholesalers foresee the danger in prices being forced so high as to limit consumption and stimulate substitution says Hide and Leather We Ve have been receiving vast quantities of raw hides and skins and our own slaughter ter of catHe is certainly increasing But our own daily newspapers are persistently preaching the shortage of leather and causing lots lotsof lotsof lotsof of buyers to replenish supplies much more liberally than necessary |