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ties it was necessary to overcome in order to place the manufacture of shoes in Pennsylvania upon its present plane. It required pluck, energy, foresight and business ability of the highest type to bring about the result, and it redounds to the credit of the Pennsylvania shoe manufacturers as a body that they have succeeded so admirably. True, many of the conditions environing the shoe manufacturers were favorable. They had at their very doors a vast territory thickly populated and settled for the most part with a class of people in fairly prosperous circumstances—people who, when they found that good footwear at moderate prices was being produced within the borders of their own State, did not hestitate to become liberal purchasers. A great number of retail shoe dealers are doing business in the State of Pennsylvania and combined with the sister State of New York the aggregate number of shoe retailers in both States is enormous. The Pennsylvania shoe manufacturer is thus enabled to dispose of his output at home and in immediately adjacent territory, and has the decided advantage of near-by freight rates and greatly lessened transportation expenses, which, in these days, when footwear prices are reduced to a minimum, means much. But taken all in all, the Pennsylvania manufacturer owes his prominence to-day to the fact that whether he operates on a large or small scale, his product is a good one, and will stand comparison with any. Adherence through the years, to a high standard in manufacture, and a fixed determination to give only solid value in his footwear has brought deserved success. Most lines made in the Keystone State have an individuality all their own, and wherever shown, the Pennsylvania shoe is invariably admitted to be an "honest shoe." If the ratio which the past few years has shown in the increasing number of factories is continued, Pennsylvania, as a shoe manufacturing State, will be among the first.

The greatly increasing number of employes, with the enlarged productive capacity of the factories, many of which are equipped with the most modern machinery, justifies the claim that the Keystone State is an important factor in this industry.

No one without personal observation and knowledge could believe that so many shoes of various kinds are made in small country towns scattered through the State. And all of them seem to be busy the year round, with comparatively little, if any, shut down Running all the time is obviously more profitable and economical than running part of the time at even a double production. The amount of rental is no more and other fixed expenses which might be enumerated, are the same whether the machinery runs all or only part of the time. In Pennsylvania, rents are reasonable, labor

of central Pennsylvania are not easily induced to strike or enter into labor troubles.

All kinds of shoes, from infant's kacks to men's brogans, lumbermen's and loggers' shoes, thigh boots and the like are made within her borders. She has always held an important place in the manufacture of army shoes. Pennsylvania manufacturers have supplied a very large percentage of the army shoes for several years past and are still making on Government contracts.

Women's, misses' and children's shoes form a considerable factor in this very important industry and the aggregate output of footwear from the Keystone State is enormous.

Years ago the cobbler shops supplied all the wants of the immediate neighborhood. When you wanted a pair of boots you had to go to the maker and have your measure taken; then, if he had no lasts of your size, he would make them. They made their own pegs by hands, and itinerant shoemakers went from house to house to make and repair shoes for the whole family. Subsequently, the trade was wrested from the neighborhood shoemaker, and the factory system began to grow and to fill the place of shoemaker shops of old.

Twenty-five years ago a traveler could travel mile after mile over this State without stopping at a shoe factory. Up to the year 1872, outside of Philadelphia, Allentown and Pittsburg there were few shoes made in the State except an inconsiderable number manufactured in small shops in Harrisburg, Huntingdon, York, Reading and Williamsport. Now, almost every town has its factory of greater or lesser dimensions and almost every week is chronicled the establishment of some new firm. Some factories manufacture in one plant, men's, boys' and youths' shoes; others manufacture womens', misses' and children's. The manufacture of infants' and children's turns forms an important branch of the State's industry. Formerly you could find factories making all kinds of shoes from a child's to men's heavy boots, and often men's high-legged boots. This same custom is noticeable in foreign factories to-day.

Now, however, in Pennsylvania, each factory has its specialty and every individual operator his special part, in which he becomes expert. It is attention to the very small matters that give high class factories the reputation they have of making nothing but the best, and it is this characteristic thoroughness which has given the Pennsylvania shoe its individuality and high standard of excellence.

A little more than half a century ago machine shoes were not thought of and a factory system was then a long way in the future.

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uppers and soles, giving out the uppers to fit ready for the maker and the uppers and soles to be lasted.

About 1860 some manufacturers began making shoes by machinery. This was the transition period of shoemaking from hand work to machine work. Gradually hand-made goods were dropped and buildings for manufacturing shoes by machinery were erected. From crude beginnings arose the gigantic industrial establishments for the manufacture of footwear so numerous in the Keystone State to-day.

The production of certain kinds of shoes gravitated to certain localities. Operators became accustomed to making a certain kind of shoes, acquired dexterity and, of course, did better on that than on some other.

While some of our factories supply local demands, many have distant trade and the names of some of these manufacturers are familiar throughout the United States and their shoes are known all over the world.

The Building of a Shoe.

An interesting and instructive lesson may be learned by watching the manufacture of a shoe from the sorting of the stock to the final packing and shipping. In the perfectly equipped factory, containing all the modern and up-to-date mechanical appliances for shoemaking, and presided over by experts in their particular branches, each stage of the manufacturing occupies but a comparatively few minutes.

As shoe manufacturing methods are much alike in most factories a description of one will convey a fairly clear idea of the working of all.

The stock room is a very important department of a shoe factory. Here the stock is measured and re-sorted, the object being to select suitable stock to cut to the best advantage according to the characer of shoes desired.

The skins are then passed to the cutters, who dextrously cut with a sharp knife, with the aid of a pattern, the various parts of the upper. Care must be exercised to avoid waste and to not cut any damaged part of the skin into any part of a shoe. The patterns used by the cutters are of pasteboard, brass bound to prevent cutting away the edges. The cutters cut the vamp linings and vamps, the quarter, button fly, tips, foxing and the like, as well as stays, trimmings, top facings, etc., after which the linings are stamped by machine with case and size numbers.

Pattern making has become a fine art and to the skill of the pattern maker is attributed much of the success in creating attractive

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