AUSTRALIAN LEATHER. 
Australian Leather. 
ITS DEFECTS. 
By F. A. Coontns.* 
In the first place, I Will deal with the export trade. This has been largely in 
the hands of a few exporters, who generally bought on commission for London 
firms, English wholesale firms who have agents in Australia, and one Australian 
firm who distribute their own leather in london. ~—— 
Now, under these conditions, we find that, with few exceptions, the Australian 
tanners do not,know where their leather goes after it reaches London. There 
are various rumours which seem to indicate that the Australian leather is 
retanned and finished as sole, harness, bridle, strap, kip, bag-leather, and a 
certain proportion is sold direct to the boot manufacturer. 
One cannot say a great deal about the quality of the exported leather when 
one does not know what it is being used for when it reaches London, but I think 
that your Committee will agree that if we had this information Australian tanners 
would be in a better position to increase their export trade and place on the 
English markets finished leathers of such a quality that they could be sold direct 
to those manufacturers who produce leather goods. . 
Now, if we turn to the leather exported to England, we find that the majority 
of it goes Home as finished sole leather, and if it is not cut up and used as sole 
leather all the labour required to finish that class of leather could be returned 
as so much money wasted. This same labour could have been used to producé 
some of those lines mentioned above which give good wearing results when made 
from Australian leather. 
Before the war the great majority of our sole-leather tanners did not pay 
much attention to the general public who wear the boots, but they devoted their 
energy to producing a profitable leather which also satisfied the requirements of 
the boot manufacturer. ‘Now the boot manufacturer requires a cheap leather, 
anu if the people were keen, and could detect an inferior leather, he would have 
to put a better leather in the boots, and the quality of sole leather would then 
be kept up to a higher standard, but as the people do not demand a good sole 
leather the standard must naturally be low. 
I do not want you to get the impression that I think that all Australian sole 
leather is not up to a desirable standard, but I do not hesitate to say that a 
large proportion is inferior as regards quality. The production of this inferior 
leather is probably due to the fact that there is a big demand for it.- To produce 
this cheap leather the tanner reduced the time for the tanning process, and fills 
up the leather with extract and glucose. 
There is no doubt that a large proportion of this inferior leather has been 
exported to Englarid, and thosé men, who are advising the British Government. 
as to the mest suitable leather for military boots, certainly know that this 
particular leather wiil not give desirable results, especially in a wet climate. 
There is no doubt in my mind that the British leather experts know the quality 
of this leather, and if they condemn it for military purposes they could hardly 
allow it to be used for civilian boots. 
Now, if my statements are correct, it is not a fair proposition for us to expect 
the people in a wet climate like England or the soldiers in France to wear this 
leather on the soles of their boots. Such a leather in a wet climate would absorb 
water quickly, and open up to the undesirable soft condition it was in before the 
rolling process. We must also note that. of all the various tanning materials few 
produce a leather which offers less resistance to water penetration than wattle- 
bark. So that, since the war started, we have been producing a light or thin sole 
leather whieh does not reach a high.standard as regards its resistance to the 
penetration of water, and we have sent this leather to a country where there has 
been a big demand for a heavy or thick sole leather, capable of offering a great 
resistance to'the penetration of water. 
’* Report furnished by Mr. Coombs, of the Sydney Technical College, to the Institute of Science 
and Industry. ‘ 
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