The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-18
Strikes Of the Tradcsmen, and Policy Of the
Employers.
Effects 81 En- 'gration and Comp tition upon
Wages.
IETEREsTl STATISTICS,
&C., &c., &c.
CABINET MAKING IN NEW YORK-EXTENT
OF THE d USINESS.


OF THE D USINESS.
Twenty or thirty years az the quality, as well a.
the style of the furniture, as very different from
that made at present. It was stronger, the material
Of which it was made was be. ter, and much more
costly In this last respect the difference is greater
than in any other for the expsn Sc Of furnishing
house is not much more than hal t what it was for
merly There is, perhaps more sh wv about the fur
niture manufactured now, but VIA It it gains in ap-
learance itloses in durability and strength. 1t is
feared by some manufacturers thhA the superficial
manner in which it is made has had tendency to
injure our trade with the West Inaea to which we
formerly exported large amount Of III rnture anuu
ally. Whether this may be so or Des it is fact
that have not Of late years sent osi much as we
once did The character of New York; urniture in
the Southern market is not very favoyu ble to our
manufacturers, perhaps owing to the fst that they
get the worst description there, as we corAnly ma
nufacture as good furniture as any other city il the
country. The trade with Mexico is not So extensive
now it was ten or twelve yexrs ago; hut the de-
ficency is more than made up by the increased de-
mand in the South, Southwest, California, aud
South America.
The value OF the furniture OF all kinds made in
New York annually, is estimated at fifteen mlians
of dollars and of this, not more than one sixth ia
disposed of here; the remaining fyesixths being
sold in the places we have named. The number Of
shops and factories in the city, according to Rodes
Directory, which we consider good authority il
about four hundred and fifty Besides these, there
are about fifty in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Staten
Island and other places in the immediate vicinity of
New York. Some of the stores make their own fur
niture while others buy from establishments which
are employed exclusively in manufacturing. There
are a considerable number Of these in New York,
some of which employ thirty and forty men, while
Others of limited business, do not employ more than
three or four In few establishments, as many as
hundred kept constantly at work land business of
between two and three hundred thousand dollars il
transacted annually in each. These manufac .orieS
export large quantities of furniture yearly to the
West Indies, California and South America con-
siderable proportion of this is wood which las
been more extensively used in cabinet making during
the latten or fifteen years than at any form period
In our own city rosewood furniture is the principal
Kind used in the houses Of the wealthy; chairs, So
fas, tables bureaus and even bedsteads, made Of
rosewood while the more common articles are made
Of mahogany. In relation to the style in which our
millionaircs furnish their houses, we are told that
they far surpass persons in the circumstances
in Europe, although in respect to taste the Euro
peans are said to hive the advantage. Beds
worth thousand dollars, and chairs worth
one hundred and fifty, are sometimes made in
New York, but in the manufacture of the fog
mer we cannot equal the viennese, who sent bed
to the Worlds Fair in London, which was sold after
wards to some English Duke for ten thousand dollars.
As we have beaten the Europeans in many things al
ready, tie time may come when ne will be their
periors in the art OF cabinet making. Whether wa
do not, however, is matter of very little conse-
quence long the great majority Of our people
the working casses-are able to furnish their houses
neatly and live comfortably If we can only possess
such luxuries by the sacrifice Of the well being hap
piness, and prosperity of our working people, wa
hope the United States may be always far behind
Europe i'll this respect she surpasses them in others
that are more conducive to the true interests of a
nation.
new description Of furniture has been introduced
within the last seven eight years and is at presen
extensively used in bedrooms, to which its ightness
renders it peculiarly adapted. 1t is called cottage
furniture, and is made chiefly of whitewood and
pine set consisting Of bedstead, dressing bu-
reau, basin-stand, chairs, &C., varies in price
from twenty five dollars to five hundred. They are
Of different colors and embellisbed with paintings oi
fowervases, and other orn&ments Some sets are
exceedingly beautiful but they too costly ever 70
come into general use. By many they are preferred
to rosewood and mahogany, to which they are supe-
rior in some respects Stains and dirt be easily
removed by the application Of little soap and wa
ter, and they not liable to be Clipped or de-
faced. The manufacture of this furniture gives per-
manent employment to few painters, but the num-
Der is so very limited that we do not consider them
deserving OF particular notice in this connection.
RATES, OF WAGES CLASSIFICATION OF
WORK.
First rate workmen can command nearly as high
prices now they ever did during the past ten or
fifteen years. They arc all employed on piece work.
and can earn at least twelve dollars week, working
ten hours day, while some make fifteen. But first
rate workmen are very scarce, and there is not per-
haps, more than one ont Of every twenty whose
weekly wages amount to SO much. Ten hours day
is the uniform time Of working in the lest shops but
common tradesmen work twelve hours and sometimes
longer and Of the three thousand cabinet makers in
New York, one-sixth, it is estimated aie employed
Sunday, the same as any other day Of the week.
This will doubtless shock our religious people, but
many Of these have families to support and we think
the respect which some entertain for the Sabbath
would not induce them to pay the workmen for the
loss they would incur by keeping that day holy.
cabinet furniture shops are divided into three
classes, those belonging to. the third being known
among the trade as slaughter shops, on account Of
the poor quality and workmanship Of the articles
manufactured for them. The men intheir employ
ment are called botches and not capable of earn
ine more than from FIVE to six dollars week. Soma
Of Them work for two dollars week aud are boarded.
The wages which second class wor men receive, ave-
rage about eight dollars per week but they also work
by the piece and of course the r weekly receipts de-
pend upon their ability and sSill A good tradesmau
in this, as well as in other occupations is always sura
of employment and good prices. The reduction in
wages has been mainly on the prices Of inferior
workmen, who haze suffered most from competition
and cWigrNtiQu, The folouinp faile nraoanta thc,