The Beatrice Daily Express

Say Shoes Will Be At Premium By Next Spring

Information received by local dealers in footwear indicates that shoes will be at a premium next spring unless conditions take a radical change between now and then. One Beatrice man who travels for a large manufacturer of shoes stated today that the institution he represents has given him no prices at which to sell their products for the next season and that before he accepts an order he is obliged to submit it to his firm for prices.

Despite the increases that have been made in the price of shoes, the demand is tremendous, due no doubt to the fact that dealers are trying hard to get a stock in their stores before another advance comes. Leading shoe manufacturers of the country at the present time are not guaranteeing delivery on merchandise after March 1.

A news dispatch from Boston states that this week one large manufacturer of shoes has put into effect an advance of approximately 40 cents per pair on the greater part of his important lines and that nobody dares hope that the top has yet been reached, and from all manifestations in the hide and leather situation it looks as if shoes are to cost the consumer ridiculous prices by next spring. The dispatch says:

Each advance in shoe quotations has the inevitable effect of checking the demand for the moment but it soon mounts up again and nearly everybody who is in a position to take orders for spring delivery has all the business he wants. Buyers are more concerned about securing stocks than about the prices they must pay for them. The distribution of shoes has been tremendous right up to the retailer. Everybody believes the trade will keep on its present high speed and fears to be caught short of merchandise.