By cating less meat the world has brought about a threatened rise_in the price of boots and shoes. The advances are likely to take place this year, "Stocks of cattle have diminished considerably in the United States." Dr. E, C. Snow, of the United Tanners' Federation, told a "Morning Post" representative a few weeks ago "with the result that there has been a shortage of hides for more than a year. In 12 months those have advanced 70 per cent. in price."
The boot and shoe industry is passing through a critical period, owing to this high price of leather." While the prices of footwear will in some instances be kept at their present level, it will be at the expense of quality, To secure the quality to which he has been accustomed, the consumer will have to pay more There will also he an advance in the cost of repairs.
The Shoe Problem, The statement that the price of shoes is to be raised raises equally the question of the make and finish of shoes. At a very much enhanced price already, shoes are far less well finished than formerly; and wi the shape is more normal and one is permitted and even encouraged not to squeeze the fect, the discomfort of badly finished shoes is, of course, increased by the fashion of wearing very thin stockings. The modern shoe suffers from extremes of thinners and thickness. Formerly the ordinary lace shoe could be worn in the town in comfort and was not always too fragile for country. Today the town—unless it wears Wellingtons—is condemned to the thinnest possible shoes for outdoors which Jet in the water not only below but above as well. The replacing of the laced shoo by the strap makes both for cold and wet, to say nothing of mud.
Ifa thick shoe is demanded, it is 0 thick and so clumsy that it might almost seem fashionable to make the big English foot even bigger While the shoe itself may be more or less, normal in cut—and this is by no means always the easc—the heel is so devised that it is unnecessarily heavy, very ugly in shape, and inex possibly clumsy asa whole. It is not therefore surprising that it is very rarely comfortable f tthe tong, rough walking for whic it woul scorn to be devised.
Tt is the most arid to find at a pair of opposed, say, to 1¢ strapped shoo which is ood tly dry pavements. The only remedy is the ultra expensive shoe, made to order, And yet women walk a good deal in spite of motors, and in wet weather would be thankful to discard the eater, the galosh, the Wellingten—all of which have been rendered necessary junets of the strapped shoe.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.