MODERN TANNING 



Ifl by electricity) have been called into existence and accepted 



\vith avidity liv the trade. 



chrome Proce**. By the chrome process, for example, superior leather 

 No produced from the strongest buffalo hides in seven days, from cow- 

 tndf in twenty-four hours, and from sheep and goat skins in six to eight 

 ; and these operations formerly took thirty days, or as much even as 

 .tiihtren months. There are two methods of chrome tanning, viz. by one 

 or 1'V two vats. After the required submersion the hides or skins are re- 

 moved from the drums and piled up on a table for twenty-four hours, so 

 allow the tanning liquors to drain off slowly, the while completing 

 nn ing process. After this the felts are well washed in several changes 

 of water and are then put into a solution of borax and water to neutralise Add. 



t race of acid. The neutralisation of the acid is a point that demands Neutr lta * Uon - 

 il consideration. After further washing the leather is now ready 

 dyed or fat liquored, according to the purpose for which intended. 

 A point of great moment is the circumstance that once dried, chrome peculiarity 

 1\ it her can never again be sufficiently wetted to allow of treatment, so 

 that the complete preparation for its final purpose must be undertaken 

 almost immediately the hides or skins are taken from the vats. The half 

 s pursued by many Madras tanners it would seem may have to be 

 abandoned if they propose in the future to adopt chrome tanning. But the Preference 

 new process is neither expensive nor difficult, and with such improvements 



Hiiplished it is not difficult to understand why salted hides and skins SUns> 

 are preferred to the more expensive half-tanned goods of Indian former 

 trade. While the discoveries here briefly indicated and others too numerous 

 to mention have proved of supreme moment to the leather trade of the 

 rest of the world, the Native tanners of India have stood still and seen 

 their interests being frittered away. Protracted immersion has for many 

 years past been admitted as impossible in India. The superiority of 

 European leather over that of India was accordingly freely acknowledged 

 as a direct consequence of that circumstance. But now that scientific and 

 effectual rapid methods have been designed and freely accepted in other 

 countries, India alone stands aloof and speculates as to the obligation of 

 Government to aid a decaying industry. With the few European manu- 

 facturers alone have the discoveries of the past twenty years assumed the 

 position of guiding and controlling influences in internal reform and 

 commercial advancement. 



Imports of Leather. But in spite of general backwardness the imports, 

 leather produced by some of the tanneries, especially those under European 

 management, is in certain respects fully equal to the best imported article, 

 and for rough wear the boots turned out by the Cawnpore factories are 

 even superior (especially when the price is taken into consideration) to 

 the corresponding imported goods. This view would seem to be supported 

 by the fact that the imports of unwrought leather do not appear to be Unwronght 

 advancing at a rate commensurate with those of manufactured leathern r 

 goods. Thus the imports in 1900-1 stood at Rs. 5,55,911 ; in 1901-2 at 

 Rs. 4,18,348; in 1902-3 at Rs. 6,61,480 ; in 1903-4 at Rs. 3,81,192; 

 in 1904-5 at Rs. 3,72, 167; in 1905-6 at Rs. 4,24,596; and in 1906-7, 

 Rs. 5,04,407. If to these figures be added the value of the imports of 

 saddlery and other goods (except boots and shoes), the grand totals L*thrn 



me in 1903-4, Rs. 26, 19,633 ; in 1905-6, Rs. 30,60,820 ; and in ll 

 1906-7, Rs. 32,58,681. 



637 



