THE BOOT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 198, 10 January 1913, Page 5

THE BOOT TRADE.

A BUSY SEASON. INTERVIEW WITH MR. HANNAH. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Thursday. Some interesting remarks on the subject of the price of leather, and consequently of the price of (boots, were made to a pressman by Mr. Robert Hannah, who has just returned from a trip to England. As an instance of the great demand that exists, he stated that he knew of a case in Which one of the leading tanners in England received three consignments of hides for his own special use, but before he landed them he was offered o%d per lb. for the raw material, a price never heard of before. Naturally he accepted the offer. All over the world the rise in the price of leather was taking rAace. There were large stocks in the Balkans, but they could not get them away on account of the war. Apart from that, however, the demand for leather was so great and the production was not increasing, that it could not be complied with, and the natural result was an increase in price. The price of leather had gone up 5 per cent, on three different occasions during the last three months. That meant, of course, that the price of boots had gone up correspondingly, and .manufacturers would not accept forward orders, even at the last quotations. England, he added, had never been so busy as at present. Manufacturers are chary of accepting immediate orders. They would prefer them at four or six months.