Bepoets of Judges. 95 



To the Board of Managers of the American Institute, New York : 



Gentlemen. — As judges of tlie sole leather entered hi competition 

 for the Schnltz medals at your fortieth annual fair, we have to express 

 our regret that, from the very small number of samples presented, the 

 competition cannot, at least in the lino of hemlock leather, be said to 

 fairly represent the tanning industry of the country, as was undoubtedly 

 the object of the founder of the medals. With some four or five hun- 

 dred tanneries sending sole leather to the markets of New York, Bos- 

 ton, Philadelphia and Baltimore, or so located that their managers 

 might, with very little trouble, enter the lists as competitors for " the 

 grand medal of honor," we find that, after the matter has been fully 

 presented to the trade, the attention of tanners having been frequently 

 called to the subject through the Shoe and Leather Reporter, and 

 when ample time has been given for the consideration of the subject, 

 this being the second exhibition since the offer of Mr. Sclmltz, only 

 fifteen tanners are represented as hoping to obtain the gold medals as 

 the " best tanners " of oak, union and hemlock leather. 



Upon the samples presented, however, and under the conditions 

 prescribed, we render this report, with some explanation of the 

 grounds upon which we make our awards. This is, in our opinion, 

 necessary to a better understanding, by the trade at -large, of the basis 

 upon which the competition rests, according to the broad and liberal 

 proposition of Mr. Schultz in his offer to found the medals ; we may 

 thus also remove the prejudices of many in the trade, who have here- 

 tofore considered it impossible to make such comparison between dif- 

 ferent grades of leather as will be equally fair for all competitors, 

 distinguishing between the different recognized classes of manufac- 

 ture, and giving due weight to the merits of each tannage, to the end 

 that more thorough workmanship and a higher grade of practical 

 efficiency may be encouraged among our tanners. 



In addition to the two medals at first offered, Mr. Schultz has since, 

 in an informal way, expressed his willingness, in accordance with the 

 recommendation of the judges of leather at the fair of last year, to 

 cause to be presented to the best tanner of union (or mixed oak and 

 hemlock) leather a medal similar to those at first proposed for the best 

 tanner of pure oak and the best tanner of pure hemlock leather, the 

 terms of competition remaining the same. 



It will be remembered that Mr. Schultz, in proposing to present, 

 through the American Institute, gold medals — " one to the best hem- 

 lock tanner and one to the best oak tanner" — stated that the awards 

 were not to be made upon "a few exceptionally thick and thoroughly 



