ABOUT LEATHER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3039, 28 March 1917, Page 6

ABOUT LEATHER

A WORLD-WIDE SHORTAGE

AMERICAN SEARCHES FOR

SUPPLIES

"For the first time since the English and the French were fighting the Russians in the Crimea there are no stocks of leather in the world," said Mr. C. E. Bosworth, Commissioner of the United States Department of Agriculture, in conversation with a Dominion representative. Mr. Bosworth recently completed a tour of New Zealand, undertaken for the purpose' of studying matters connected with tho leather industry in this country, and he has nowgono to Australia on a similar mission. Hβ expects to spend several years visiting all the countries that produce hides and leather, or that could produce cither article. "The plain truth is that the world is right face to face with a shortage of leather," he added. "There is not enough leather to go round, and it looks as if some of us might have to do without boots, and bags, saddles, harness, engine belts, and all the other necessities we make from leather. That is why my Government has sent me to look into the matter and see what the position is going to be."

Sir. Bosworth explained • that the shortage of leather was not merely a consequence of the war. It nad been threatening for many years, cwing to the rapid increase in the number of consumers of leather, tho enormous growth in the industrial demand, snd the reduction of supplies of hides in the ■world's markets. The ohango in tho ratio between the number of hideproducing animals and the number of consumers of leather could have only one meaning. The effect of tie war had been to bring matters to a head quickly by exhausting accumulated stocks of leather in every country. One order for boots placed in the United States in the early stages of the war had required for its execution some 276,000 sides of the best leather, and ether orders had followed. The European countries had quickly used all their own leather, and searched the world for new supplies. ' "Thero is no substitute for leather, that is, for Rood leather," said the American. "The army that walks on leather is going to heat the army that walks on any other lfnown substance. So the armies have used up all the leather there is, and they are crying for more. " "Where are the extra supplies coming from? Well, as I said, somebody is going to go short of leather. The countries that can pay the most will got the goods. But my Government has sent mo to look into a few corners of the world where the supply of leather can possibly bo increased; I am going up into the Northorn Territory of Australia to have a look at the buffaloes there. Perhaps those boasts are not giving up just as much of their hide as they could spare. Wo must discourage waste wherever it goes on. Then I am going to spend a few months in China, where thoy are allowing cattle to die from anthrax. No need for that, you know. We have got that anthrax proposition well fixed, and I am going to show the Chinamen whjt they have to do.

"I have been having a talk to Sir Ernest Shackleton about those ■ sea elephants he used to meet down South Georgia way. .Very thick hides'they seem to grow down there. The Not*> wegians kill a lot of sea elephants for the oil, and I am going to see about getting a few dozen hides into, a tannery in America. Then I am planning a visit to Africa to seo about tho skinning of the rhinos. There are (rood hides from Africa, but the black fellows spoil a lot of them by bad skinning. My Government wants thorn shown how. to handle tho hides in the raw and get tho best results from eaoh beast.- Every bit helps,, but you can be sure that nothing is going to prevent the shortage. There isn't enough loather now, and there will be an even shorter supply in tho future. You will have to pay for your boots."