Show trouble in shoe industry affects old mass mas S city once proud first lady of leather business washington D C the threat which became news of nine shoe manufacturers of lynn massachusetts either to liquidate their holdings or move out calls attention to a troubled modern industry that was once the leader in its field and a model followed by the world domestic and foreign competition failing markets and friction inside the factories have been blamed for the sickness that has come upon this trade that made lynn famous a business that now employs about workers where were formerly kept busy As far back as 1795 1793 recalls the national geographic society lynn turned out pairs of shoes well established by then shoemak shoe mak ing was industry number one both in origin and in importance settled in 1629 lynn received its town charter in 1631 four years later a couple of skilled shoemakers makes by millions boots and shoes necessary for the new population which is developing with so much rapidity in the immense basin of the mississippi until the civil war the fhe skilled workman with his awl hammer and was the acknowledged titan of this anciently known gentle craft around that time however forces came into play that were eventually to reduce the shoe craftsman to the status of mere machine tender elias howes sewing machine ushered in an age of invention for the art that had changed little in all the preceding centuries within a short time men brought more than a hundred old hand oper actions under machine control and paved the way for still other improvements prove ments in addition enormous impetus to the new machine era was provided by the war itself which brought the sudden urgent need for shoes to equip marching armies prediction by lincoln there is a story that mayor peter neal of lynn explained to president lincoln that one of the new machines could sew around the sole of a shoe in 30 seconds friend neal remarked mr lincoln go home and buy real estate the day of the little country shops is coming to an end shoes will be made in big factories in cities with the ensuing change in methods resulting inevitably in human displacement and social distress came friction and strikes but lynn carried on under the new system and remained until toward the end of the nineteenth century the coun arys leading shoe center king edward VII of england had his shoes and those of his royal family made here while today shoes no longer march at the head of lynns industrial parade the city having turned to diversified products for its living shoe manufacturers and shoe wearers bearers everywhere still owe a debt to this town and state for the model on which the modern world industry was based in massachusetts all the imbor tant changes in machinery and factory methods were originated the robot age while responsible for the impressive growth of the shoe industry in the last century is accountable for another product I 1 now adding to shoe mens worries I the automobile takes so many manoj americans oft off their feet that they wear out fewer shoes than they used to a situation to which is attributed a lessening shoe demand moved in near a tannery already set up and went to work geographical and other f factors actors rn made ade this part of the country ideal for the craft useful in tanning processes were the nearby forests of hemlock and oak swift flowing streams provided water power new england fisheries furnished oil to soften the leather and yankee skippers were soon to develop a seaborne trade with the west coast destined to bring shiploads ship loads of hides to waiting workmen lynn was supreme boston and other towns took up the art but lynn was supreme especially ally in the field of w omens shoes by the end of the eighteenth century she counted among her citizens some master craftsmen with journeymen and apprentices export trade expanded in response to demand by the growing country massachusetts wrote baron dupin to napoleon III in the thirties of the nineteenth century |