HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1959-01-23, Page 13t •
sH
is
ohnston
ompany ;Has
'road History
(-C'e tin ibd 7 from Page' 9)
This old company further 'ex-
,handed in 1945' when 'they.. entered
tl,e ..manufacturing<field with the.
purchase of Wragge,'Snoes Limited,.
Preston. This company manufae:
.tures and .sells children's, Cushion
•WeI:t Shoes under: the national
'brand names of. "Health"; "Class
mates" and = 'Young '•'N • Gay".
'Russell4Peel whose fainily.. can
trace their history',back'nost as
far as the.history of shoemaking;.
n Canada,'is president of this cam
pang assisted by his sot, 'Bob
7 i
1949 -.Williams .Shoes, -Limited, •
Drampton;' makers of high„:grade
Goodyear Welt:'• Shoes , for men,
was purchased and, in. 1;951.- the:
W. -J. Duncan factoyy, now Seaforth:
Shoes, was added .. George E.
,Johnston is President of Williams"(
Shoes Limited, with Lei' Simmons-
-as: -managing director. Fred Peel'
is- managing `director of Seaforth
-,Shoes..;
G, Elmer Johnston, remained
president' of the company until his
death in 1952 and was ;succeeded
in the- ',office by' his brother,
'Gy'ynne ,'R.''Johnston, wlio' is the
.HURON SXPO ITO
actor
AAPOES ,Qom`.,,
i
Unce�! Last;Jul
First„Pubjc' Word of the comple-
tion of negotiations leading tq ing
construction, of a ,modern 20;000,,
foot, factory; by Seaforth Shoes
Liixii'ted, . came early- last July;
Ina story carrying the announce'
meet, .The Expositor of; July 4,
1958, 'said:
`,`Purchase ;Of 'an eight -acre site
in Seaforth on which will' be erect-
ed a Modern : shoe factory was' .are
nbunced this week by Prod R. Peel,
manager of :Seaforth 'Shoes Limit-
ed The announcement sets at -rest
rumors regarding the plans'.of the
company that' have been ' in .exist-
ence'for some month~
Mr Peel -said the site located in
the northwest corner of the town,
has been purchased : from Harvey
McLTwam: He said it• was the in-
tention'Of,'the company to :'erect,
the most, modern sloe .factory in
Canada In determining on a "de=
-sign,- the carr:pang has mearporat-
ed ;'Tatest developments -in .factory
construction; loth in Canada and
the United • States.::Construction
detailsare being, completed and it
is expected a contract for construc-
tion ': will be ; awarded ;within • 30
days. ; The ' company' expects
occupy- •the-new-.premises-r-before-
Winter..
-befoe-winter:.
--In'.announcing the expansion pro
gram. 'of the .'Company, it, was in
dicated the decision t erect 'a' new
plantain--Seaforth was -art"--expres--
sion of the confidence which ''J. A.
Johnston Co. `.Ltd. of Brockville,
had in Seaforth. Seaforth Shoes
Limited,js. a. subsidiary •of -•the•
John'stan organization. We- like it:
present head -.-of the -:entire --opera-=
tion
During World War II Elmer
Johnson was Director of Footwear
the !Wartime' Prices and Trade
Board,: His . :wise ',counsel ;rand
sound management • of this '''diffi
eult.•position; did omueh' to keep the_
people'of Canadathe- "best: shod";
in the world during wartime.:years.
To -him went '-a great deeal -of -thee=
creditrfar preventing slice ration
ung in; Canada when it mai • a,
`murn : many -other countries
of .the 'world. During; this period
Gwynrie Johnston "was serving with.
the Canadian 'Armg; "overseas .
The"'company is truly a family,
affair•; in every, sense of the: word.
Peter, son of Gwynne, manages
.the, Retail Division Of the coni
pany, the Peel; family play an-iin-.
portant part in the,nianufacturing;
end .,of•. the business; and many of
the members ` of the':• staff 'have`
been :with the organization for'
more. than. a .quarter' of a century.'
The .total ?Years.,of , service of live -
senior members of, their sales
staff •n:Limb ers` 162 Douglas :Cour
tice: the Ottawa Valley represents
-
five, has a re;eord•of.3'6 years con-
tenuous• service with the' company.:
•
here In Seaforth, and ,we want to
stay. here.' We have confidence in
the community," Mr, Peel said.
22,004 -Peet of Space
The -new factory—one of the few
in Canada designed particularly for
,the manufacture of shoes—will pro-.
vide 22,000 feet of floor space, A
one -storey 'building, it will have a
front 'elevation of -brick,; Construc-
tion throughout will be of steel and
concrete with curtain walls. Esti-
mated cost of the bare building is
$130,000,' but necessary mechanical,'
installations and other equipment
will bring the total cost to perhaps
doable the building cost - -,
Occupying an -eight-acre site
-westof West William St:`and north
of North 'St., . the 215 -foot by 80-
foot,buildin'gi,will.face east. Access
to the 'site Will' be provided by an
extension to -,West William St., and
bya..,new street -:'that -will -be -,con
structed :west from North Main St,
Seaforth Shoes purchased the
long established'W.J.• Duncan fae-•
tory in. 1951. New lines, along with
new processes, resulted 'in increas-
ed demands on 'production which
several years ago necessitated ad-
ditions -.to the -•••-former -Duncan
building Continued demands for
Seaforth_ "Shoes• products. -Past- aut
mmnledFto-astudy of-future--space-
requirements;, -andat-that :time
thought was given , to' a further
large ex'tension :.However, it ' was
found this would not provide : the
required,;- productive -•capacity; •.-and
the construction.oL an entirely new
plant. "
7,---Double-ProductiOn
At -the.- Presient time ;Seafot
Shoes is producing some 2,000 pairs
of shoes- a'day,1 Mr. Peel said. The
new factory is designed ;to make
possible a ,doubled production of at
least 4,000 pairs per. day,
-Present employment of 135 w
be stepped ipby 25 per cent within
six months; whenit is expected at
least 170 will be , employed.
Negotiations leading • to ° the de-
cision to .construct a ` new Plant
have been carried'out during re-
cent'. months m t en M> Peel!,
embers of the rn council,
the' Industrial committee of the
Chamber of Commerce,
With the -completion of its' new
factory, Seaforth Shoes .will va-
cate its MainStreet location This;:
intiirn,.its_.being purchased. by-thei
tovin for,$20,000. and it, is expected`
that; it - emilable t'i
a ,new industwillbry- 'forade this`avaarriount by
the time it is vacated. In-• addition,
the townis to provide- necessary
access streets and; service exten
sions for- the new Seaforth Shoe.
site:
Seaforth 'Shoes will continue to
occupy the' former public'- school
burl=drug on C n cls St whrcii
purchased several years
which is in - use as --a Warehouse-" '
The forest industries account for
1 -7 -per -cent of- allrthe~ manufactur-,
g oda _ .
negotiations were entered into for in output of Can
1%e consider it a pi>rivih-ge to hate been
entrusted with the contract for the
ement: Floor Sidewalks,
For the New Plant :of•
Etc.
iAAIT-E
FOR
one::,
11 Tyges i (onstruetlort -
�4Q° : Seaforth
(C1'NADA) .LT
SHERBROOKE
A :SMALL• PORTION of the 20,000 -foot production-
area of the new Seaforth-Shoes factory is seen in the .;
upper picture. New 'm,m
achines and new.,ethods have:
resulted in a potential, output of rnkre than 4,000 pairs
of shoesa: day. The cornpany expects; to reachthis figure
ONE ..OF'THE PROCESSES which has been 'speed, -
ed up by:.the introduction; of" new, equipment is that .of.:
drying. newly dyed„ shoes. : Banks - of-.infra=.red =lights,'
`shown above, do in minutes 'what used to .take.hours,
General contractor for the new and attractive one -storey
brick,: 'st'eel ;.and' concrete ,'building -was E. R.• -Taylor
ConstructionLtd., of London: •
:UEBEC;.
J. ; DUn' an - usiness . Establi-she'd
(Continued from Page 9),
ness grew, until at the time of its
sale in 1951, there were nearly 50
employees. -
In 1911 baby moccasins were
added, and twoye rs Tater- the
business had expanded to sueh an
extent that the Grip" Motel pro-
perty was pui`ehased and'-cbnvert-
ed into a factory. This , building,
to which. were built seijeral addi-
tions, continued to accommodate
the business.
Manufacturing policy' changed in
1915' when . the legging line was.
E ARE .PROUD`TO HAVE BEEN;, ASSOCIAT D
WITH
dropped , and Mr. Duncan develop-
ed a linew of soft -soled shoes for
children. This was followed in
IJ30 and 1938, respectively -by.the
introduction' by Mr. Duncan of his
"Tiny Tot" and "Skipalong" lines,;,
both of which introduced, new de-
signs and methods of manufacture.
In .each case, +special - equipment
was designed .by Mr. Duncan to
permitmanufacture of the lines.
Mr. Duncan,who , pioneerd the
business; ;:retired in 1951' but con-
tinued to take part in any . Sea -
forth activities until his sudden
death a year ago.
AND CONGRt TUL TE :,THIS NCOST :
PROGRESIU'E AND . HIGHLY.: RESPONSIBLE'
ANIZATION ON ::THE CO PLETI
-..OF 4ND MODERN FACTORY
}
5
Itywas our pri ilege'to be entrusted with',
w
the- contract for supplying the
gavel,, Fill and' -Crushed. Stone'
For the New Factory of
SEAEORTH
SHOES LIMITED
-.5-1
CO. 11111
EDO' and 'LEDCOLITE' CUTTING DIES
161 Ottawa. Street South
ONTARIO'
Gravel Topsoil - Fill
Crushed, Stone and. Bulldozing
'tlealer's in Hogs, Cattle and Ponies:
Seaforth'
Phone .112
e Are P1eased¢TolIave Sbld the Site For
.SIAFORPII SHOES *LI1vllTJ»