The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-14
Country Merchants and New York
Hotels.

Country Merchants and New York
Hotels.
An association OF merchants connected
with the jobbing trade of this city, has
been recently organized for the purpose of
protecting their business and fostering
the general mercantile interests of New
York. II would seem that the energy, sa-
gacity and enterprise of our New York
merchants had for want OF unity Of ac-
ton been outrivalled. The superior skill
displayed by the traders in some Of our
large interior towns has enabled them to
secure railroad facilities which permit
them to receive and transmit goods for "A
much less cost than il was possible for mer-
chants i'll those towns to ship them from
New York. In word, certain large in
| land cities have become distributing CEN
| tres TO which the neighboriug small towns,
| villages, hamlets and the country side
| generally look for their supply of manu-
| featured and other goods, both foreign
| and domestic, drawn from the East, and
| shipped principally from this city over the
great trunk lines. In order to cause these
goods to be bought in this city and not at
secondhand from the merchant of the
large interior towns, ii is proposed among
other things: First, to induce the railroad
| companies to equallzo their rates of freight
| to all interior points. both large and small,
| reducing their local rates of freight
against the special rates which were given
10 such points rs Syracuse, Rochester, aud
Buffalo. Second, to persuade hotel men
in New York to reduce their charges to
| interior merchants
| 1t would thus seem that the gentlemen
| Of this new association propose to so shape
their labors that the greater portion OF
| the sacrinces which in their opinion are
necessary TO increase the jobbing trade OF
| New York and directly benefit them,
| should be borne by others. They have
| demonstrated entirely 10 their own salts
faction, that if our trunk lines will only
conduct their passenger and freighting
business in accordance with the views ex-
| pressed 10y the gentlemen representing the
| New York Mercantile Bureau. and if the
hotels will only reduce their charges to
interior merchants, the jobbing trade in
| New York viii flourish like green bay
tree. This, in the language Of II speaker at
| "a recent meeting OF the bureau, is to be
| ubuc tnllItiN III tHt lllNtl''AS VI 'h' wy VI
| New York. BY pulling together, he says,
1--WE may inform the people that they can
come here and live here, and buy goods
here at much less cost than they have been
| told As far Us we understand this simple
plan for the regeneration of the trade IN
terests OF New York, very little pulling
Is TO be done by those who will chiefly reap
the profits.
The hotels OF New York cannot, in their
own interests, nor in the interests OF this
community, make reductions or distlnc-
tons Of price in favor of any class,
whether they be country merchants stop
ping for purposes of trade, or country
| clergymen attending 10 religious duties.
Their motto should invariably be, one
price to all corners. Any other course
would create dissatisfaction, and very soon
render the hotel which practised it I'M
popular with the general public.
II the Mercantile Bureau are DESTROYS Of
furnishing the country merchants with
more reasonable hotel accommodation
than can at present be obtained let them
buy or build hotel, and run It in the COM
bned interests of the New York jobbng
trade and the country merchants. II well
managed, ii would no doubt lie great
success. In fact, the suggestion was made
AT the recent meeting by one of their own
members.
| As TO stimulating our trade we trust the
time is not remote when ways and means
viii be found for largely extending it,
both with the interior and with foreign
countries. As an indispensable step TO
that end, we include sweeping reform in
our present system OF municipal govern
nent, a cessation of the extravagant
expenditures which are daily increasing
our permanent city debt, and II cor
dial cooperation between our municipal
authorities, our merchants, and the
representatives of the great trunk roads
which centre in this city with view
TO giving us what Is so much needed
and 50 much talked of, Il perfect system
OF terminal facilities. This will never be
accomplished Till those most to be bene-
tlted "pull together" in the sense OF
putting their hands in their own pockets
instead OF handing the plate around. The
large cities and towns IN the interior are
| entitled to certain share OF the business
| of distributing domestic manufactures aud
foreign products sent from this centre.
II IL in the very nature of things that they
should develop their advantages in that
respect, nor should we regret it while We
retain the peculiar facilities for foreign
commerce, which have placed us ut the
] head Of the sesboprd ports Of the country