Kkhruary i, 1904.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



163 



THE RUBBER SHOE JOBBERS WILL MAINTAIN PRICES. 



THE sixth annual meeting of the Western Association of 

 Shoe Wholesalers was held in St. Louis on January 5 

 and 6, including a banquet on the evening of the first 

 day, tendered by the St. Louis Shoe Manufacturers' and 

 Jobbers' Association, which was attended by about 150 whole- 

 salers and guests. The officers were unanimously reelected, as 

 follows: Orlando C. Smith, of Chicago, president; George W. 

 Freeman, of St. Paul, first vice president ; S. W. Campbell, of 

 Chicago, secretary, and an executive committee consisting of 

 representatives of important jobbing houses in eleven cities. 

 The business meetings were devoted principally to arriving at 

 an agreement on rubber shoe prices for the current year. At 

 the banquet the toastmaster was Erskine M. Phelps, of Chi- 

 cago. President Smith, in his address, told the story of the 

 beginnings of the association, which grew out of the determi- 

 nation of a few jobbers in Chicago to do what they could to 

 discourage price cutting on rubbers. To-day the association 

 has nearly a hundred members and covers the western states 

 and the northwest, and out of it have sprung several other as- 

 sociations, in New England and elsewhere, and as a result of 

 the whole a National association has been organized, the next 

 meeting of which is to be held in Boston in February. An ad- 

 dress was made by the Hon. David R. Francis, ex-governor of 

 Missouri, and president of the World's Fair commission at St. 

 Louis, who mentioned that his first employment was in the 

 shoe store of an uncle in his native town in Kentucky. Ad- 

 dresses were made also by representatives of the New England, 

 Middle States, and Southern shoe jobbers' associations. This 

 was the first meeting of the association outside of Chicago, 

 and the members were enthusiastic over the character of their 

 entertainment at the hands of the St. Louis trade. The chair- 

 man of the committee on entertainment at St. Louis was 

 George W. Perry, of the George W. Perry Rubber Co., of that 

 city. Before leaving the city the visitors were taken through 

 the World's Fair grounds, where they were photographed in a 

 group. 



The sentiment of the jobbers assembled at St. Louis was de- 

 cidedly in favor of keeping up the standard of prices for the 

 year 1904. Since the United States Rubber Co. have discon- 

 tinued the practice of fixing the prices at which the jobbers 

 shall sell rubber boots and shoes to the retailers, the jobbers 

 through their associations have taken up the matter. The 

 adoption of the resolution fixing the minimum price was prac- 

 tically unanimous— being adopted with a single dissenting vote 

 — and was for the entire year, unless otherwise ordered by the 

 executive committee, which has power, if the necessity arrives, 

 to make proper price reductions. There will, however, be no 

 indiscriminate price cutting, unless some members of the Asso- 

 ciation break faith, which is not at all regarded probable. The 

 resolution adopted is as follows: 



Be it Resolved, by the Western Association of Shoe Wholesale) s, in con- 

 vention assembled this fifth day of January, 1904. — That each member 

 present does hereby agree and pledge himself and his house that he will 

 sell rubber boots and shoes of any brand, either United States Rubber 



Company's or others, at a profit to ourselves of not less than and 



per cent., and that there shall be retained a profit of not less than 



and per cent, on the advanced cost of the goods on hand June 



I. That we pledge ourselves to do this for the entire year 1904, or un- 

 til further instructions are received from the executive committee of this 

 Association, and that we will not deviate directly or indirectly from this. 



[Note. — The rates of discount meniiqned in the resolution, having been agreed 

 to in executive session, are held in reserve here, oui of deference to the wishes 

 of members of the association ] 



Included in the attendance, besides leading jobbers, were the 

 following representatives of the rubber shoe trade : 



Charles B. Allen, Chicago manager of the United States Rubber Co. 

 and Boston Rubber Shoe Co. 



George S. Miller, general sales agent, Joseph Banigan Rubber Co., 

 Chicago. 



Eben H. Paine, sales manager. United States Rubber Co. , New York. 



Charles A. Coe, selling agent, United States Rubber Co , Boston. 



W. H. Jones, selling agent .United States Rubber Co., Baltimore. 



F. F. Shaffer, superintendent Goodyear's India Rubber Glove Manu- 

 facturing Co., Naugatuck, Conn. 



E. I. Aldrich, selling agent, Hood Rubber Co., Boston. 



A. F. Solberg, selling agent, Boston Rubber Shoe Co., Boston. 



Chester J. Pike, selling agent. Hood Rubber Co., Boston. 



E. R. Rice, manager of branch stores, United States Rubber Co., 

 New York. 



I. E. Coulter, selling agent, Grand Rapids Felt Boot Co., Grand 

 Rapids, Michigan. 



A. D. Warner, superintendent. Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Co.. Bea- 

 con Falls. 



E. G. Studley, Grand Rapids Felt Boot Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. 



BY OUR CHICAGO CORRESPONDENT. 



The members of the Chicago rubber trade who attended the 

 convention of the Western Association of Shoe Wholesalers at 

 St. Louis, on January 5 and 6, express themselves as well 

 pleased with the success of the attempt that has been made to 

 guard against price cutting. The rules and agreements which 

 were in force last year were continued for another year. There 

 has been some disregard for the agreements on the part of in- 

 dividuals. Those in attendance, however, declare the present 

 system is far ahead of the old method of contracts with a re- 

 striction clause, between the manufacturer and the jobber. 



There was less cutting last year, according to all reports, 

 than during the previous year. While the association does not 

 include anywhere near all the jobbers in its territory, it has ac- 

 complished a great deal in bringing about a uniform price on 

 rubber goods for the protection of all concerned, and to secure 

 to each a fair profit. 



But the question of uniformity of prices is not the only mat- 

 ter in the interest of the trade with which the association has 

 concerned itself. Another thing that is being urged is a clas- 

 sification of shoes as second class freight, instead of first class, 

 without the necessity of extra expense in packing. 



Chicago again captured the presidency and secretaryship, 

 and the headquarters of the association will remain in this city 

 another year as a consequence. President O. C. Smith, of the 

 Smith- Wallace Shoe Co., who has held the position of chief ex- 

 ecutive of the association for five years, was reelected. S. W. 

 Campbell, of Chicago, who has held the position of secretary 

 for five years was reelected, while George W. Freeman, of St. 

 Paul, was elected first vice president. The association has had 

 but two presidents since its organization, K. L. Barton, of Kan- 

 sas City, being the first, and Mr. Smith the second. 



At the banquet in St. Louis, President Smith said, in his an- 

 nual address: "One subject that has been discussed at this session 

 is the classification of freights. We think that shoes should 

 not be charged the highest possible freight rate, as first class 

 freight, but should be classified as second class. The railroads 

 offer to so classify shoes, but insist upcm our strapping the cases, 

 thus adding a heavy expense to the packing item. Another 

 subject is the practice of dating ahead many bills. There 



