MILLIONS FOR BOOTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2353, 8 January 1915, Page 6

MILLIONS FOR BOOTS

i THE WAR LOAN GOING BACK TO THE WORKERS. Boot factories open earlv and close late: they are working at full pressure all the time. Some keep on working the whole of Saturday; some even are busy on Sundays, writes F. A. M'Kenzie in the "Daily Mail." By tacit agreement certain restrictions of the Faotory Acts have been virtually abrogated for the emergency. Ordors for boots arrive not.By tens of thousands, but by millions', and at prices not hitherto imagined. .Many workmen are earning from 46a. to 60s. a week, while their wires make each week, an extra pound cr two by billeting and catering for troops The takings of the little shops have doubled, sometimes trebled. _ Manufacturers, indeed, find their chief-perplexity in excusing themselves from would-be customers whose orders cannot be executed at any price. The other evening the committee of tlta Poor Children's Dinner Association met and resolved to curtail i(B usual Christmas charities because the poor are able this year to buy for themselves all the Christmas cheer they need. ■ There are practically no unemployed in Northampton to-day, -savo those who cannot or' will not work 1 When the workers returned after the long August Bank Holiday short time was general, some factories only opening for two and a half days in the week. Then War Office representatives began to come down to purchase stocks for the Army. Specifications were prepared for a model military boot, but' before our War Offioe could arrive it a decision representatives from the 1 French Wax Office arrived to place enormous contracts which now total for France alone 2,200,000 pairs of boots. 4,000,000 Pairs. Representatives from Belgium, Italy, Greece, Montenegro, and various neutral' States arrived, all wanting boots for soldiers. Most of these, however, came too late. Northampton could not them, for our own Army now occupied the field. , The War Office presented its requirements, which have risen week by week until they now approach 4,000,000 pairs of boots and_shoes._ Add to this a quarter of a million pairs of hospital slippers, over half a million pairs of canvas shoes, a. few score thousand half-boots for the Navy, and it may be possible to realise what the trade 1 created by our new Army, means for one industry' alone. Naturally Northampton does not revive all this trade. Her maximum capacpity for Army boots is so far about 90,000 pairs per , week. _■ Twenty other towns and villages in this country have been filled with orders. Every boot manufacturing town from Leicester to Bristol is repeating Northampton's experience. The Government pays good money, . and every expert agrees .that the new pattern Army ooot is the .finest and best every turned out on a wholesale scale .in the world. It costs now eighteen! shillings and sixpence the pair when made by scores and, hundreds of thousands. Manufacturers' here declare it is too good. "If Government would rolax its specifications; we could give it as workable "an article for three shillings per pair less," they say. , Mos people will agree, however, with the wisdom of the military authorities in giving the best. Half of. a soldier's ' value lies in his inarching power, and for this strong, easy boots are indispensable. I can best describe the new regulation Army hoot by saying that it compares more than favourably with i average shooting boots sold m West End establishments for from thirty shillings a pair. Incidentally, from what I hear, some Territorial, regiments are receiving a- very different quality of boots. I heard of one-case where a Territorial officer purchased a number of pairs of boots for his men at five- - and-elevenpence a pair. This is sheer folly t ' , , x , Northampton in August _ almost I workless was by October straining iti self to the utmost to meet the Govern- • ment's demands. Every possible worker ► was engaged. Then •'outsiders were brought in to help in mere carrying ■ end similar details. 'Factories extend- • ed their hours. A coniergnce was held with the chief factory inspector at which it was arranged, in effect, that , while women, girls, and juvenile work- , ers should be guarded, men might be : worked to their full capacity. Special ' workers came on Saturday afternoons . and on Sundays. Work, work, work, that is the note of Northampton .to-. ' dayl , ; Commandeered Factories. Work as they will, however, 'the fac- ' tories here cannot keep pace with Gov- ' ernment orders. Factories unwilling '• to take Government work have been ! 1 commandeered by the authorities and ' ordered for so many weeks to do nothing but Army work. Large. Btocks ' made for private customers have been ' calmly annexed ■by War Office repr'e- [ sentatives. When worried manufac- ; turers ask what explanation they can give to their customers they are told • to refer them to Lord Kitchener; Another difficulty soon arose. Northf ampton shoe operatives are highly pat- ■' riotic. Many of them joined the Territorials and Kitchener's Army. This 1 was stopped by a Government notice 1 to the effect that employees of boot ■' manufacturers holding Government ; contracts would not.be allowed to en : ■ list unless they , had written, permis- ' sion from their firms. A .man . who ' makes boots for our fighting forces is I as good a patriot as if he went into 1 the firing line, men were told. Since : the Regular forces are now closed to • these shoe workers they have formed 1 a Citizens' Defence Force, over 1000 1 i men joining within, a week. In addition to Army contracts the war ; has brought prosperity to Northampton in another "way. It was made a 1 military depot.. The racecourse was taken over, stabling for .2000 Army horses, was built, and between 10,000 1 and 20,000 troops were billeted on the people. Householders receive ninepence a night for each man's housing, with a liberal extra allowance for food. It is calculated that Northampton has received during tho past ten weeks about £20,000 a week from Army billeting, forage allowances,' and payments by soldiers, mostly to working people. This has brought a flood of prosperity to small traders of every kind, from fried fish shops to small tobacconists. Everyone likes the soldiers. They be* have well, and nothing but the kindliest relations exist between them • and the people. Northampton is very well satisfied. Some say that Army orders will keep them busy Until the end of the war; then other nations may be attended to. The only difficulty which manufacturers see ahead is tho failure of suprilies of raw material. Leather goes uo in price almost daily, and even with the present high price stocks are verylimited. Bootmakers hone for big supplies from America,' which may relieve the situation. This one thing, however, thev know. Their share of our new national expenditure has brought them linoxpected and unexampled prosperity.