THE RAW MATERIAL OF HEAVY LEATHERS n 



to injuries to the animal before it is killed, e.g. brands, 

 scratches due to hedges and barbed wire, old scabs, goad 

 and tar marks. All these reduce the value of the hide. 



All the defects in hides involve a very serious loss to 

 the community, and the time is rapidly approaching when 

 their continuance is insufferable. The loss is not usually 

 very considerable to any individual, though very large in the 

 aggregate. The hide is a minor part of the beast's value, 

 and a somewhat damaged hide does not involve a very 

 serious loss to the farmer. Some with typical stupidity 

 regard a few warbles as "the sign of a healthy beast." 

 These defects involve practically no loss to the hide 

 merchant, tanner or currier, as each pays less for damaged 

 material. The loss falls upon the community, and the time 

 is ripe for the community to insist upon the elimination of 

 these defects. The national resources will be for some 

 years strained to their uttermost, and preventable damage 

 must be considered intolerable. The principal defects in 

 hides are preventable, and ought to be prevented. The 

 warble fly could, by a united effort, be rendered before long 

 practically extinct, a task which is facilitated by the fact 

 that it is not migrative. Bad flaying and careless treat- 

 ment of hides resulting in putrefaction are still more easily 

 remedied. The communal slaughter-house is long overdue 

 from the standpoint of public health, and would, under 

 conditions of cleanliness and skilled workmanship and 

 oversight, also solve the problem of ill-flayed and tainted 

 hides. 



The question of the raw material is of first importance 

 to the leather trades. There was, before the commencement 

 of the European War, a steadily increasing scarcity of hides, 

 causing a constant increase in their price. This was due 

 partly to the fact that cattle were increasing at a less rate 

 than the population, partly to the growth of civilization, 

 and more extensive use of leather in proportion to the 

 world's population, and partly to the constant discovery 

 of new uses for leather, e.g. for motor cars, aeronautics, etc. 

 The question of raw material was under these conditions 



