OCR Text |
Show oo WOODEN HOES. (Salt Lake Tribune.) The old adagcNthat necessity is the mother of Invention Is once more brought Into prominence by the many ways in which the Germans have cultivated cul-tivated the Inventive genius of tho country since the outbreak of the war arid the closing of her ports to the commerce of the world. Early in the strugglo, when the danger of a food shortage became both apparent and real, experiments were made in the adulteration of wheat flour, potato meal being one of the principal ingredients in-gredients used Various other substitutes sub-stitutes were employed to keep tho wolf from the door, some of which had little alue as food. But the savants sa-vants were unable to supplement nature na-ture to any considerable extent, and bread tickets have been In use in the cities and towns of Germany for many months. In the production of man-killing do-vices do-vices the German scientists have been more successful, and many a likely young fellow has 'been sent to his long home who might have escaped with his life under old-time methods of conducting war. Many of these death-dealing inventions merely mark the evolution in warfare and need not be enumerated. Others were produced pro-duced under the spur of necessity, a notable case being the discovery that wood pulp could be used in the manufacture manu-facture of high explosives in place of cotton. It is claimed that the substitute substi-tute is both cheaper and better than the cotton used before the blockade shut off the supply. Wo have our doubts about wood being 'better than cotton for the purpose named, but if It can be used as a substitute In the manufacture of explosives the Germans are entitled to credit for the discovery. As in the case of food and munitions muni-tions the Germans have ibeen forced to find substitutes for the wearing apparel ap-parel customarily used. Old clothes can be revamped, or, If too far gone, the material can be separated into its component parts and again mado into cloth, Great quantities of cheap clothing Is made of similar material all over tho world. It is different with footwear. When leather shoes are worn until they can no longer be repaired, ubo may be found for portions por-tions of the upper leather, but this also plays out upon being used a second sec-ond time and new material must be employed. The leather supply of Germany Ger-many has been exhausted 'by the enormous quantity required for shoes for the soldiers, harness for the horses and other war purposes. In consequence the people of the great central empire have returned to the wooden shoes of their ancestors. The modern wooden shoo, however, Is said to be vastly better than the old-tlmo product. The upper portion 01 this shoe is made of black canvas and the sole is composed of thin strips of wood glued together. It is claimed that the new footgear Is both elastic and durable, and that it will probably remain in general use after the war. As tho cordon grows tighter the Germans Ger-mans will doubtless invent many more substitutes and return to primitive primi-tive conditions in cases whore their Ingenuity fallB Those who survive the war will all be pastmasters In tho science of economy and the art of existing with little to eat or wear. |