PLAN No. 1057. OTHER LEATHER-WORKING TRADES
Other articles than shoes are made of leather, but these are usually more simple than shoes, and require less skill in their making. Some of these articles are hand made, and others are machine made. A few of the processes necessitate both technical knowledge and skill, but the number of men employed in such occupations is comparatively small.
In the making of leather itself, few if any of the occupations are suitable for a seriously disabled man, since work in the tannery is usually wet and heavy.
In the leather industry there are, however, a few skilled occupations other than those discussed above. These include expert harness makers and saddlers, harness repairers, trunk and bag workers, and belt men.
PLAN No. 1058. THE HARNESS MAKER AND SADDLER
The harness maker and saddler must have a thorough knowledge of leathers and of their treatment. He must know how to lay out leather and cut it economically with due regard to the purpose for which it is to be used. For instance, where flexibility is more important than mere thickness or weight, he must select the proper piece. He must be able to adjust and repair the machinery with which he works. As a saddlemaker, he must be able to read blue prints or understand drawings or sketches, and to make patterns or cut the leather according to the specifications.
PLAN No. 1059. THE HARNESS AND SADDLE REPAIRER
The harness and saddle repairer must have a general knowledge of both harness and saddle making. He must be able to make the leather parts of the harness or saddle by hand, and be able to sew by hand as well as by machine. He must be able to take care of his machine and make all adjustments and minor repairs. He must understand the various sorts of leather, and how to cut leather economically. He must be skilled in the use of the tools of the trade.
Other Skilled Occupations in the Leather Industry
Of the other skilled workers, the belt man must know especially how to cement leather and how to treat it so that water or steam will not affect its use as belting. The trunk and bag workers must have the necessary knowledge of how to cut leather economically, its nature and uses according to grades, and how to sew and shape it for the various articles.
Disabilities not a Bar to Success to These Soldiers
A former porter, who suffered from varicose veins below both knees, and a bricklayer, troubled with rheumatism and lumbago, as the result of exposure, were trained in shoe repairing and are now successfully engaged in that work. A former farm hand, who was afflicted with epilepsy, took a course in shoe repairing and is now employed in a shop at higher wages than he formerly received as a farm hand. A teamster who sustained an injury to his spine, overcame that handicap through a course in shoe repairing, which enabled him to become a partner in a shoe-repairing business. A farm hand, who suffered from pleurisy and pneumonia, a farmer, who had his tonsils injured, and a carpenter, who received a shrapnel wound in the chest, were all enabled to go into business for themselves and make a financial success of it, through a retraining course in shoe repairing. A blacksmith, with diabetes mellitus, took a combined course in shoe and harness repairing and has now a successful business of his own. If you like to handle leather, you will like to make or repair shoes, to make or repair harness, or to make other leather goods. Surely some of these offer you an occupation where retraining will enable you to overcome your handicap, if not afford you advancement.