HALF A .MILLION BOOTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1938, Page 10

HALF A .MILLION BOOTS

BRAINWAVE LEADS TO FORTUNE LONDON, July 2. Not every Englishman who goes to Australia returns to tiie home country with a fortune. Here is one who starved in Sydney, worked his passage back- to England, sold toys from a stall in Loudon’s East End before he had a brainwave which led to riches. Fifteen years ago Kenneth Leigh was a. penniless down-and-out, his trousers held together with a safetypin. To-day he possesses property worth 11300,000 and an income of over £25,000 a year. It was boots that put him on his feet. "The only difference between the hungry man I was in Sydney and the rich man I am to-day was an original idea,’’ said Mr. Leigh this week. "Some time alter I returned from Australia I board the Wav Office wanted to dispose of 250,000 pairs ol Army boots. “The other dealers scoffed wffieu tiny saw the motley display of boots on view-. Boots, boots, all of them sized from 10 to 16. All of them lilting only the left foot. “But J had a htincli. I planked do-'-u my entire savings as ;i deposit, found myself owninu' half a. million useless boots. “I sol f<) work, had some of flic lioolo ,'.|n.>rf oiii'd. h;i<l the soles of half (lie, hi>i>ts (orn off, utrnc<l ever and -.ev. n on again. Thai made llx-iii ro-jl pairs. “ I’lionsanils of li'ishnien go nronitd bare-lnoted till their early teens. ’l'his gives them a strangely broad | tool not entered for in the ordinarvi market. So t shipped half my stock- of i iioots to Dublin. They sold like hot sakes. My luck still field. Bor after I he Thames floods 1 was able to buy - mother 40,000 pairs of Army boots, .'imaged by water. J made a fortune -ul of that deal.’’