794 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[Seitember 1, 1920. 



ANNUAL REQUIREMENTS TWO HUNDRED MILUON PAIRS. 



From the lattst shoe manufacturers' directory we learn that 

 there are about 1,000 manufacturers of shoes with a rated daily 

 output of approximately 2,059,400 pairs of shoes. This total in- 

 cludes shoes of all kinds, many of which are not adapted for the 

 use of liberizcd soles. It seems fair to assume, however, tliat at 

 least SO per cent of this production might be adaptable to fiberized 

 soles and thus we estimate a possible daily requirement of 

 1,029,700 pairs of fiberized soles. 



Unfortunately the shoe industry is seldom able to keep em- 

 ployed at its full rated capacity and we must make further de- 

 ductions in order to arrive at a fair estimate of the possible 

 demand. It is fair to assume a working year of 200 days' pro- 

 duction and we thus find that the total annual requirements of 

 fiberized soles might be 205,940,000 pairs. 



Assuming that the rubber manufacturer might desire to run 

 his plant on a basis of 300 working days in the yar, we find 

 that this requirement would mean an average daily production 

 of 686,466 pairs per da\'. 



At an average price of 33 cents a pair, this would mean an an- 

 nual volume of business amounting to $67,960,200. The average 

 price herein taken is a very low one and the reader will note that 

 these figures do not take into consideration anything but the 

 manufacture of new shoes. The repair trade will consume an 

 enormous quantity of soles in addition to the above, and at a 

 slightly increased price. 



No actual statistics are available, but the production figures 

 for fiberized soles today are stated by some to be around 25,000 

 pairs daily, which means that we are now supplying about 3^ 

 per cent of the possible field. A business that has already 

 reached a volume of $2,500,000 yearly and which has a possibility 

 of growth to thirty times that figure, should not be considered 

 lightly, for, while the past five years were profitable ones in 

 these specialized products, there is yet much work to be done. 



Only a few retail shops make a reasonable showing of shoes 

 with fiberized soles and when they do display them, their ap- 

 pearance does not always stand well by comparison with leather- 

 soled footwear. A line here and there is the usual finding, but 

 nothing like a complete line for men. women and children. Some- 

 thing must be done to bring this fiberized footwear into the class 

 of its leather-soled brother and a brief discussion of some of the 

 difficulties attending this will not be amiss at this time. 

 SUGGESTIONS TO SHOE MANUFACTURERS. 



It is natural that having pursued the even tenor of their ways 

 for decade after decade, shoe manufacturers should resent the 

 suggestions of rubber manufacturers as to how shoes should 

 be made. That, at least, is a fact, but it does not alter the other 

 fact that the finish of a shoe often commends it to the purchaser. 

 With the edges of fiberized soles left rough and unfinished on the 

 shoes they can never be of prepossessing appearance. This mat- 

 ter of refinement in finish rests largely with the shoe manufac- 

 turer because it has been pretty clearly demonstrated that with 

 a little greater care and slightly altered machine equipment or 

 treatment, he can considerably improve the appearance of the 

 fiberized soles on his lines of shoes. The manufacturers of shoe 

 machinery have made the way comparatively easy by perfecting 

 special machines and parts for these processes, but as they mean 

 an increased investment in machinery they have not received 

 the attention they should. The dominating factor in the matter. 

 however, is one of labor. The shoe manufacturer realizes that 

 to finish the edges and bottoms of fiberized soles means an extra 

 operation or at least a different one and this means a change in 

 the existing labor schedule. He does not take kindly to a plan 

 or suggestion that will disturb a class of labor which has already 

 shown itself to be highly sensitive to price schedule agitation and 

 changes. Makers of shoe inks and finishes for these soles have 

 much to do along constructive research work and toward the 



production of an edge ink that may be set and worked in the cus- 

 tomary way without chipping off the edge with slight handling. 



Manufacturers admit that fiberized soles do not require the 

 handling before application that leather soles do. They are also 

 aware of the fact that a lesser number of operations is necessary 

 to attach and finish them. Besides these two very substantial 

 savings in handling and manipulation they are confronted by the 

 fact that instead of paying an average price (today ) of 90 cents 

 per pair for oak leather soles, they can buy a fiberized sole that 

 will wear as well, if not better, for 45 cents. In addition they 

 may capitalize as they please on the additional benefits of flexi- 

 bility and waterproofness. Many shoe manufacturers agree that 

 where there is such a ready method of effecting economies in 

 shoe cost without impairing the value to the wearer, a little 

 greater efifort in the matter of style and finish is worth while and 

 they are concentrating their attention upon these points. 

 HINTS TO RUBBER SOLE MANUFACTURERS. 



Rubber manufacturers must bear in mind the fact that no 

 fiberized product can be a "blooming" stock and be permanently 

 successful with the shoe trade. Its very appearance is against 

 it and, moreover, all efiforts at better finish will have been de- 

 feated for this bloom will destroy them. 



Fiberized soles that stretch appreciably are equally undesirable, 

 for it matters not whether they stretch in attaching or in wear- 

 ing, the very mischief is the result. Style features and the lines 

 of the last and pattern are built into a shoe and once built in, 

 they must not be lost through instability in the sole itself. Soles 

 have been produced that are wonderfully free from stretch in 

 either direction so it is evident that this point has been realized. 



The fibrous content of these compounds is an important matter 

 for the various ingredients must be bonded together in a tough, 

 fibrous mass that will lend itself to the process of "loose-nailing" 

 these soles in shoe manufacture. Such soles should be available 

 for heavy work shoes where only nailed work is desirable. Some 

 soles have met with partial success in this direction, but for one 

 reason or another the field remains hardly touched as yet. Con- 

 sider for a moment the fact that such a shoe would have a bot- 

 tom impervious to the action of lime and phosphate fertilizers 

 used on farm lands, unaffected by the ammonious seepage of barn 

 and farm-yard enclosures, and withal, be waterproof and slip- 

 proof to all kinds of walking. 



One of the truly important fields for these supersoles is in the 

 manufacture of children's shoes. Let the little ones go to school 

 staitnchly clad with shoes bearing waterproof, slip-proof and 

 durable soles instead of soft, spongy, water and dew-soaking 

 leather soles. Very close cooperation between the manufacturers 

 of children's shoes and fiberized soles should prevail and for 

 mutual advantage. 



Some mechanical difficulties seem to have thus far beset those 

 who have tried to manufacture a fiberized product in sheet form. 

 Such a soling would meet with a ready sale as has been proved 

 by the few partially successful attempts in this direction and alt 

 that seems now to be necessary is persistent research and me- 

 chanical genius to bring about perfected processes for manufacture. 



Soles of lighter gravity are also needed. At present the lead- 

 ing products compare favorably with sole leather, but as the 

 thickness of fiberized soles is nearly always greater than leather 

 soles for the same shoe, some product of lesser gravity should 

 come forth to oflFset the actual difference in weight. Light- 

 weight compounds have been produced with gravities as low as 

 1.03 which is considerably below the average product today of 

 1.30. A compromise gravity figure of 1.15 should be easily ob- 

 tainable. 



THE SUCCESS OF COMPOSITION SOLES. 



Let it be known that various fiberized soles have already proved 

 their value in wearing tests on the soles of Army shoes in actual 

 warfare and in cantonment usage. Under Government tests these 



