Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 258, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1919 — IN WILD FRENZY TO GET SHOES [ARTICLE]

IN WILD FRENZY TO GET SHOES

Italy’s '‘Need of .Footwear Most Crying Demand of Postwar - Days. of Commandgered Profitecr FoctA.e..- C.o-se Excitement in _____ Jte»riy=C+tie s—Ste-res —Ran sacked by Mob for Food. — Florence, Italy.—ls Dante Alighieri lived in Florence today lie might be Inspired to write another ‘'lnferno, with shoes as the prime enus<’-c>f-eviL-Nothing has been so evident tjuffng these postwar days as the need ot Italians for footwear. The recent public d.-m.m'trntions backed byfhe_ Camera dd UtHBLl* _jr<4>aml-H'rs—ofiH-lmr.’’ where stocks fatgoods of all descriptions in the hands profiteers in mally .cit i■ -s w ere conm mandeered and ordered s<>ld at rediicecT prices, precipitated unusual somersaults of trade, but the wildest scrambles were in the shoe stores. Here the demand for shoes produced scenes of the wildest disorder. Frenzy Over Footwear. , Tn Rome. Milan, Furli.—Bob'gnaarid N'nples tile s. iir. h for sli<'o< continued many—days. The —struggles in each city were so great that few lavv■abiding persons tried n> secure shoes. There appeared to be no attempt at fitting anyone. Shoes were handed out in boxes and. the "buyers took them, -se»munjdxr_xmi caring whether they fitted or not just so they were on the basis of a s»> per cent rm duction in price. It was a common —Kight to see' a man loaded up’ w ith shoes fo,r his entire family. To obtain admission to a shoe store was ••■■ftrHy—srs diffreuit ■-as -buying" 4 ticket for a. world serf A* baseball, inyiic* •wait it. long line's before they were uua-the stdr-erooms. ▼. Xh oe~~TLPrrfmhT's~T^v-'(r~YvTO li' the morning and two in the- after- -- nminfai the openirnr nf~ their"srores. but. the long riiue .was waiting for

s-hhes several hours before the scheduled time arrived. Impalieme jHi the ,part of the crowds caused, in most cases. The s.u.mmury seizure of go<ids and the fejiori to ransacking. Foodstores were treated firtt in this way, hut the lawlessness’ soon' siuvmT and stHM-shops S‘ores._.x-amsiicked.. ..would, -be. ileph t ed .nt. t-wry commodity—cab-.: W efe eXHIII pk-s in Spezia of carrv mu in a motor truck find taking them "some fLifF ’cH' five- ini les -tuHside the city for distribution. Whole hogsheads <»f w ine Wi re rolled out of the city in this way an,d distributed, It seemed as if the mob had designated for them the stores to be looted. There was apparently the most systematic pillaging of those accused of war profiteering; Merchants, known to ha\eA'iohtted__gpverninoiie_ tai regulations ~hv selling prohibited articles during the vyur -were—teeatedin the Soldiers soiit to r>-tor., order it. "some eases wen' TKarged with ace ep t - Ing gifts from the rioters and nt other times filling their pockets with eatables. including biscuits, fruit, nuts and chocolate. ■ The new situation created by the arbitrary cominandeerin'gs and fixing

of prices is now beginning to react. Storekeepers are refusing to run their businesses oi) the new basis, while there i> evidently a general shortage throughout the various cities affected by the new ' economic changes. Matty well-to-do families who have a 1 w ays • been lawahi di n g ha ve foil nd ihemscivcs suddenly unable to buy -fond-.——;- —’ ' ~’ Some merchants have closed their shops and gone to summer, resorts in the hope that when summer ends the eruption will have subsided and there wilt be a return to normal conditions.