Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-21
A NOTE OF WARNING
Sounded by a Conservative Investor
in Local Real Estate.
TIE MARKET ALL RIGHT AS IT is,
But Sudden and Radical Enhancement of
Values Would Kill Business.
WORKING MEN MUST HAVE A CHANCE

10 the rlnanclal EQltor OF Inc DlspaIch'
L am glad to see that you appreciate the
importance of sound real estate market,
based on actual demand, and discourage all
attempts to get up boom. The market is
all right as it is, and should be let alone
that is, artificial means should not be resort
ed to to stimulate prices. As land becomes
scarcer and the demand increases with the
growth of population, values will naturally
harden, and to this no reasonable person can
have objection. Fixity of values on real estate
is impossible, and especially so in growing
city like PIttsburg. As wealth and population
increase land becomes more and more valuable.
Enhancement of this kind is legitimate.
Ny object in writing this is to caution owners
Of realty against forcing an advance. Such
course would inhict great injury upon the
city. 1t would repel capital and population,
and drive many away, who, finding it impossi-
BILE to acquire homes here, owing to their lin
tied means. would 60 elsewhere with more as
surance Of success 1t would react upon own
ers, who would soon find their property left on
their hands. There would be no demand for it.
There would be no market This it seems to
me. would be the inevitable result of much
higher prices than now prevail.
So, all things considered, l think realty had
better be left to take its own course 1t is now
one of the greatest interests of the city, and to
cripple it by artificial means originating in
avarice, or growing out of any other mercenary
motive, would be to inhict calamity upon the
city. As you stated few days ago, Pittsburg
has entered upon her second stage or period of
growth. How fast this will be depends almost
entirely upon the values set upon real estate.
If they be reasonable; such as working people
can afford TO pay, the growth will be rapid
if exorbitant it will be slow.
It should ne remembered that from the very
nature of things Pittsburg cannot prosper with
out the cooperation of the labor element, to
which every inducement should he held out
and among these none is more powerful than
the assurance of cheap homes.
CONSERVATIVE.
PITTsBURG, November 20.
There are railroad kings, iron kings, oil kings,
sugar kings and now an ivory king is proclaimed.
His name is Meyer, and he lives in Hamburg.
He is the greatest individual dealer in ivory in
the world. He is the sole owner of CONNER
cial settlements and caravans in Africa and is
the only European dealer in elephant tusks
who is independent of the great ivory auctions
which take place four times year in London
and Liverpool. He possesses large factories
where different articles in ivory are manufact-
ured and he supplies these with the raw ma
terial which his own hunters in the jungles of
the Dark Continent secure.
About 65, 900 elephants are Killed yearly in
Africa to supply the worlds market with
ivory and 900 pounds is procured valued
at 100000 This does not include what the
African Princes, who are great lovers of ivory,
reserve for themselves.
A thousand different articles are made out
of ivory to supply the demands of the markets
of the world, such as combs brushes prayer
book covers, wedding cards, paper cutters,
fans, billiard balls, kuife handles whist MARKERS
piano keys, cane handles boxes, etc, not to
speak of the many carved objects of art. While
India produces only 10000 pounds of ivory
yearly she is one of the greatest consumers
owing to the vast amount Of holy ivory that is
annually consecrated to Buddha.
King Ivory Meyer sold every year 10000
billiard balls at from IS to IS apiece, but since
the new composition balls were invented his
sales have greatly decreased. Nearly 100000
pianos are built every year on both sides of the
Atlantic, and they are supplied to a great ex-
tent from the enormous factory owned by the
ivory king. 1t may not be undressing to
know what ivory articles are most in demand
by the different nations. France uses the
most billiard balls. England the most knife
handles Germany the most combs. and Amer
lea the most piano keys. This does not prove
that we are the most musical people in the
world, but simply that we manufacture the
largest number of pianos and organs.
The matter of washing clothes is the most
Vexatious and troublesome job in all the range
of domestic affairs. Steam laundries have
been established in all principal cities, hun
dreds Of patents have been issued for washing
machines, and the heather Chinee comes in as
kind of connecting link, but the fact re-
mains that 95 per cent of all the washing is done
by human hands with the assistance of an old |
and simple device known as a washboard-a de- |
vice which superseded the destructive "battIing
stick" and bench of the pioneer days. The ia |
vorite washboard is one covered with CORFU |
gated metal, preferably zinc. The metal COW |
ering is used because of its durability over the
naked wood. and because it is supposed not to |
be so destructive to clothing. These retail for |
from 20 to 40 cents each. The consumption of |
washboards is so enormous that there is a con- |
slant effort to simplify and cheaper them, and |
with such success Oflate that firm in Tennes- |
see is manufacturing board made of grooved |
white poplar, without any metal covering which |
is said to give perfect satisfaction. They are |
made to retail at Is to % cents EACH and allow |
the manufacturers and jobbers living profit. |
Their cLeapness and merit are making them |
North and East.
DRAGGING ALONG.