Connecticut western news., 1876-09-22
THE HARD TIMES.
How They Affect tue Poor in the LarE
 Cities.

the pawnbrokers for loans, the money lenders have not only been compelled to reduce the amount of the loans on arti- cles taken, but have placed limit to the accommodation. Inside of every pawn shop ill town now hangs sign "Not more than $25 loaned on any article"
 "What is that for ?" said New York Sun reporter to Uncle Simpson, point ing to the sign.
 "That means just what it says. We couldn't let people have all the money they want. Why, we would need more than there is in the United States treas ury."
 "How much money have you loaned outG"
 '" suppose the firm has out $250, ,0OO md sometimes more than that; money comes in and goes out all the time. We are not making 8 great deal. In fact, things have been so dull lately that the sales of goods unredeemed have; in many instances, not realized the amount of the original loans. There is such a | lot of old truck comes in that really ain't worth anything"
 The clerks said that they had not known such a demand for money in years. The poor were parting with everything they had, and they were compelled to stop loaning on many arti- cles which in ordinary times they would receive.
 On tho extreme east and west sides the pawnbrokers have done tremendous business. At oneestablishment in Eighth avenue five clerks are engaged from seven o'clock A. M. to eight P. M., taking in goods. The building, of five stories, is packed from cellar to garret. Rooms are devoted to special articles. All the dresses-each days collection by itself are kept in separate apartment, and the silks, merinos, etc, classified so that they can be readily found. They had on hand over thousand dresses, vary ing in value from fifty cents to $15O each. In one room on the third floor the racks around the walls were filled with large, square packages, covered with canvass.
 "What are those ?" asked the re- porter.
 "Them's family Bibles, and very fine editions, too, most of them," said the clerk, uncovering one, and showing the "We loan from $3 to $8 apiece on
 
 of them have been there for very long time. People will do without Bible easily when they are hungry, but don't like to lose the books altogether, so they pay the interest and keep them here. There are great many of them cons taining family pedigrees, marriages and deaths. They ain't worth so much, but the people who pawn them generally take them out before the end of the year."
 The room adjoining was filed with carpenters tools; saws hung around the walls, and piles of mortise Shisels, planes, stocks and center bits lay piled up on the floor, each article bearing a ticket upon it.
 "You see," said the clerk, "the work ingmen ain't had anything to do, and then they live as long as they can upon their tools We ain't takin' any more of these (kicking against quantity of trowels used by bricklayers), we shut down on them. They ain't worth any thing much, and we are getting such @ lot of tools. If we had taken all the old buck saws and planes and trowels that have been offered we would have had the building filed"
 "You have a great many fiat irons. !"
 "Yes but we have shut down on flat irons. We used to give three cents a pound for them, but we had to stop it. They are such bother to handle, and they ain't worth anything. We have had enough flat irons come here to sink frigate. They really ain't worth the storage"
 The walls in most of the rooms were covered with mirrors, good and bad, of all sizes and shapes. Being asked whether mirrors had been shut down ' on yet, the clerk said: "No glasses always sell we'll. These second hand dealers buy them at the sales, and we can always get back what we lend on them"
 "How much do you lend on them 9'
 "Well, one like this (touching a glass which looked like 0 sheet of block tin, and which made the clerks eyes ap- parently rise upward after his forehead) we give about fifty cents on. We get a lot like this. When people get hard up they don't care about admiring them selves, and they get rid of glasses along with the other luxuries.
 A passage was blocked by pianoforte makers tools, small anvils, and clock makers kits, surgical instruments, coopers' tools, and in fact every emblem of trade one could think of. In the win ter season they generally had large quantity of implements offered, but never before had they come in such quantities.
 Chatham, Nassau and Bleecker streets are studded with what are termed "dia- mond brokes." They are simply pawn brokers who do business without any license, and without any responsibility. While pawnbrokers, however, give a loan of perhaps one-third the value of a piece of jewelry, these brokers give nearer the worth, and require payment within month or two. If the pay ment is not made they sell the iewelry. Thousands have been forced to pawn their diamonds.