The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-15
FACTS FOR NEW WORKERS.
Lines Of Trade and Manufacture in Which
New York is RetrOgrading.
How Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and
st. Louis Are Gaining on
the Metropolis.

1t not always pleasant to tell the truth but it
is generally better to hear an unpleasant truth
from ones family or friends or newspaper,
ones own as 1t were. than from strangers.
enemies or rivals, especially II the truth, though
unpalatabe in ITSELF is one which, II thoroughly
learned, Will have beneficial tendency.
Now New York has SO long, so often and so justly
been called the metropolis that 1t may almost seem
like heresy, as well as bad faith or bad policy. for
New York ne wspaper to doubt metropolitan su-
premacy in all points. Yet truth is truth, and the
fact is that of late years. Independently OF the
recent panic and present depression enough. OF
course, modified by these elementsl, the city
OF New York has in various important branches
OF trade and manufacture lost, or rather
is gradually losing her supremacy. while in these
very points other cities have been gaming the
metropolis. This being the case. and believing
that as soon as these facts are known the
energy and amour propre OF New Workers will
cause them to be rectihed, representative OF the
HERALD has investigated this subject in its various
branches with the following results:-
In the line OF dry goods New York has OF late
wofully deprecated, and has fallen lin comparison)
behind some other cities One house in this city
the largest in the wholesale dry goods trade
which has been doing q business OF $780, 900 per
annum. Is now doing, and is only calculating on
doing, business OF $20,000000. Another large
wholesale house, which averaged yearly business
! OF $S,O00,0O0 or $9,00O000, is now transactng
business at the rate OF $3,00O,000 per AMMAN, and
does not expect to exceed that figure.
prominent dry goods merchant assured the
HERALD representative during his INQUIRIES on
this point that the ten leading dry goods houses OF
this city Counting the firm which the gentleman
| himself repr esented) have among them lost at
least $55,oOoo 600 in the falling or OF their annual
trade. These figures, he said, were rather under
| than over the truth.
| At the same time, the merchant stated that Chi
cago had not lost her dry goods trade to any great
| degree-certainly not TO anything like the degree
prevailing IN New York; while in st. Louis the dry
goods trade remained comparatively firm In fact,
the depression IN dry goods is vastly greater and
infinitely more marked in New York than any.
| where else.
Our informant expressed the positive conviction
that ultimately the dry goods trade of New York
would revive, but at the same time he ex-
pressed serious doubts whether it would ever
again recover its former immense volume.
In the boot and shoe line, also, New York has OF
late refrigerated. Boston, OF course, has always
led New York in this item. Probably the boot and
shoe trade OF Boston has always been three times
the volume OF the corresponding industry in New
| York. Labor is so much cheaper in Massachu-
setts-there are 80 many more facilities for manu-
labor, is so abundant-that Boston has always
kept the vantage ground in this important in
dustry, but during the last two years even the
little that has been done in the boot and shoe line
has become less. representative OF q leading
boot and shoe house in this city stated that the
business Ia his line has deprecated about thirty
thought this rate of depreciation was likely to be
the rule Tor some time to come.
In the line OF cloth and tailoring goods New
al n n "A
invested In this line as formerly, business Is care
fully conducted, and there have been compare.
lively few failures. But either from lack OF energy
or for want OF advertising or other causes, there
has been lethargy in this line In New York
While, on the contrary, the city OF Philadelphia
seems to have experienced sort OF revival OF the
not only advertising largely. but are doing large
ana profitable trade. Our metropolitan cloth
guine tnat this state Of empire city depression sion
and Quaker city exaltation Is only temporary in
1t must be remarked, in Justice to Philadelphia
that, however strange 1t may sound, 1t is never
theess an undoubted ana readily proved act-a
TACT which can be rendered visible by O visit to the
rival cities-that while New York has been Of late
unusually depressed beyond the recollection of
the Oldest inhabltant, Philadelphia has been, de-
spite the panic. full OF energy and of comparative
prosperity. There has heen good deal OF health
deal OF building and what with the new ship
yards IN its vicinity, the establishment from the
lean bottoms the revival OF the clothing trade
ana otner industries and the preparations for the
Centennial celebration, Philadelphia. at least can
| no longer with justice DE styled provincial
Perhaps nothing has contributed more to the
depression In New York than 1.-The strikes" OF its
various bodies OF labOrers, ana the comparative
stagnation in building operations. Although q
few great enterprises In this line have been car
falling of in the erection OF average buildings and
residences and stores, and IN the total volume of
thus gone behindhand in its building, other cities
have done more building than usual. The thriving
city Of st. Louis has been full Of energy IN TINS
been built; grand depot is in the progress OF
erection; magnificent new hotels are springing up,
and new and superb structures are being erected
for occupancy by the leading dry goods houses
of the city. Even Boston, despite the pressure
brought upon her by the immediate necessity OF
rebuilding the burned district, has increased the
volume OF her buildings outside OF the burned dis
trct In TACT 1t may be stated that, take the cities
of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, st. Louis and
Chicago, for the last two years. there has been less
building by tlsy per cent In proportion to its de-
city,
As Tor ship-buldlng. in which New York city for.
merly was pre-eminent, It IS now unfortunately a
matter OF public notorlety that this pre-emnence
is lost Our own shipyards silent and deserted,
Roach has converted the vicinity OF Philadelphia
into a scene Of activity and prosperity. This TACT
has been by some accounted for the ground
that Pennsylvania, being the great natural centre
OF coal and iron IN the northern section OF the
se here e espes since the
tendency OF the age has been developed IN the con-
struction OF iron ships In preference to wooden
SHIPS In the making OF which the metropolis once
distanced all rivalry. However 1t may be ex-
planned. the unfortunate fact itself admits OF no
dispute, and there those who strenuously insist
that the SUPREMACY OF New YORK in this line Is
gone for ever; that, however important as a
harbOr for ships from all parts or the world, New
YORK as a centre OF shipbuilding has ceased to
exist. Certainly the recent record OF the metrop.
oils on this point is one which Is the reverse OF
creditable to our people, and If instant measures
are not taken the worst representations OF our
croakers will be realized. AS distributing point,
| tnO of
ties. This fact has been often insisted upon, and
is constantly forcing itself upon the attention Of
Interested parties. In this respect Chicago Is
much the more enterprsing city. True, Wander
bit promises an elevator which, when completed,
will meet all the requirements OF New York; but
the public are by this time pretty familiar with tue
promises OF railroad corporations. and there Is a
homey adaRe which says, while the grass grows
reason why New York should be the