European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Do Agazine once the world t shoe capital new England has hit 6,60o Jab a third of the thoe Industry work Force r n the lot 18 months. Trying to stay competitive . Shoemakers turn to imports e Ach Day. Don Breingan watched the Supply of leather laces and stitching shrink at me Bangor Fairra factory of . Baso5 co. The Shoemakers. Thero had been no orders Lor new supplies he noted. Rumours of a closing had circulated for months Breingan began asking friends salesmen familiar Wilh the new England shoe Industry if hey knew of other jobs. He spent nigh a chasing leads by phone. Ironically As Breingan and other Bass workers braced to lose their jobs in september electricians were installing wiring in the company s new Headquarters in Falmouth. For despite the closing of three factories in As Many years business is booming for Bass unfortunately Tor Breingan and the other Shoemakers Mas of the shoes come from places thousands of Miles irom Wilton whore George Henry Bass began making men s boots in 1876 places like South Korea. Taiwan Brazil. There foreigners stamp the Bass name on More than four million pairs of boots loafers and dress shoes each year. To remain competitive with Oiher publicly owned Domestic shoe companies As Well As foreign manufacturers. Bass was forced Lomova Inlo the ret nil outlet Market and sell shoes made by cheap foreign labor says Bass president Richard Burrel. Today. Bass imports about 60 percent of its footwear. Fawn Evenson. A vice president of he footwear Trade action coalition says Many other shoe firms also have turned to imports for profits. They won t always fell you. However 1hat they have had to close factories and Lay off workers to make Hose profits she  1970 838 . Shoe manufacturers were in business says Alfred Eckes of the International Trade commission in Washington. In 1984. 459 remained. That year. 92 factories  new England once the footwear capital of the world More than 6.600 jobs one i hard of the Industry s work Force have been lost and More than 40 factories shut Down in the last 16 months earlier this year the Industry asked president Reagan to help Stop the flood of imports that had Swah owed 75 percent of the Demesne Market. The it a omme Ndedi that imports be reduced to 60 Porcell. But Raugust 13ss, Reagan refused to in sic we Jun loader. Bass owns clones Ove seas bin con races Lor most of us imports. If we could wave a magic want and change the dynamics we would certainly want 10 Ninke All our shoes Hal could be made  Bourret says. Bui i Don s think in you Wani to grow and remain competitive you can do Ilas a 100 percent american  some shoe companies have however seb Igo shoe co., denier red Wing and several other priv Ile companies in Northern new England produce and sell Only american made shoes. We produce Onty what we. In oui Westbrook and Bridgton factories can make and Hal his non n Mailer of policy since 946 when the company a is  says Sebago president Daniel Wellehan to say shoe companies can remain competitive Loday unless they import is kind of the Herd menial ii of Public companies that live from Quarter to  jul Levin says. Private companies Are under much less pressure to show expanding profit margin. Wellehan says. The Elore. We Are Able to take a vory to Sirj icim vow of our future direction. We live in this Community our tools Aie in Maine. People in some cases have been working hero Lor 40 years. We feel we owe them a Certa o amount of  Breingan 49, was born in Maine and lives in old town he had been making shoes Lor 25 cais when the Banger factory closed in september at the end of Ashill three weeks before Iho 6-year old factory made its final shoe. The workers were called together. Everyone knew Why. They said. Due to no Relief on import quoins we re having to close Down " recalls Breingan. The Plant s saturday january in. 906 former j Upner visor they Fust Aren 1 a Viking Sho s Niiya Rixe Dru Ingan even Luary Lound a Job it encore shoo corp in Rochester n a. 200 Miles irom his wife and in year old daughter. Encore which in undo twin Brand name anti Pic . A. Employs 760 and i Pori. Only 7. Ppr on of ils shoes Bass opened its Victory Ai the danger International a port in i9fl0 in a one Story Motal building of is  a half mile from the flight line. When the factory opened import restrictions Joro in place and the company was expanding its Domestic Noe business at is Peak. 350 people worked Al the plan but a year Taler Reagan refused la  the marketing agreements which had restricted imparts for  task countries. It Lueit out loue a problem Lor the whole shoo  Burrel says it created a real open Roluri Lylor importers to come inn this Markot " by 1983. Bass la Clories in Jay and rum lord had closed leaving 700 without jobs. The company consolidated its in Mesic Manul picturing in Wilton and Berlin  they employ  we Hope we be so Nick a balance Belem trn porting and Domestic  Bourron cays Rangan s  to renew the import resin Lions was one reason Bass and other us shoe Curp Anict stepped up their importing in 1981. Bou Rel says. In 198-t, 726 run lion pairs of shoes were Impi Ted. Eckes says do that. 21 b million pairs were Lor american companies like Bass thai pay Loreyn companies to Maky choir Sloas the Price of foreign labor is Loo  la to. Contends Burrel. In Brazil workers nuke Beljean 90 cells and s i 30 an hour he says they receive no Tringe Bene Lils and employees Arr Noi required to Pfay social Secundy or medical costs wages in America in you include the benefits Are eight to nine times that Bourret says. Advances i technology and communication also have made it easy to run a tac Sory thousands of Miles away unthinkable 50 years ago. He says. You can t legislate the fact that the technology of common Icahn and travel has changed the world s economic condition  the stars and stripes Page 13