Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-17
BOOM In MILLINERY.
Trade Never Before as Active at
This Season of the Year.
ASCARCITYOF OSTRICH FEATHERS.
Plumbers Supplies Advancing by Reason
of the Tariff
AND EXPENSE OF BUILDING HIGHER

OFFICE OF THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH
TUESDAY. September l6, 1890
The fall trade in jobbing millinery lines
is now at its height, and has been since the
beginning of September. Volume OF bust
ness, so far, is in excess of the corresponding
period last year, or any previous year. In
ported goods, such as fancy trimmings,
ostrich tips, beaver hats and birds, are in ex-
traordinary demand. A leading dealer re-
ports that his sales for this month nave been
double in quantity those of any previous
September. Other jobbers report similar
success.
Said one jobber: "We have received over
60 cases of imported goods in the past few
weeks and demand has been such that the
stock is now nearly cleaned up. There has
been an extra demand for feathers, so much
that we are unable TO I'LL orders In this line,
and as a result there has been sharp advance
in prices the past week or two. In former
seasons fashions have varied, and different
varieties of trimmings were considered style.
This fall ostrich feathers are all the rage, and
there are not enough to go round"
Orders From Other Cities.
As an illustration or the fact that Pittsburg
Is reaching out in other lines than the heavy
weight industries it was developed in an inter
view with a member of one of the wholesale
millinery firms that orders, of late, have been
coming in freely from such points as Buffalo,
Cincinnati and Ft Wayne. Said he: We have
regular agent in Cincinnati, and have been
receiving very satisfactory orders from that
city of la e." II is well established in the bust
ness world that Pittsburg has passed Cincinnati
as a trade emporium. but it was a surprise to
the trade editor to learn that in the line of la
dies trimmings we were furnishing retail
stores of the Queen City. The retail depart.
ment of the millinery trade has fairly opened
this week. One leading house had It's 1all
opening on Monday. All will be in full blast
before the week is out. The fall retail trade
was never as promising in its outlook as now.
Plumbers Supplies Advancing.
What is termed the sanitary work in building
lines namely plumbers materials, are SS per
cent higher this year than last Copper has
advanced 10 per cent, and lead nearly the same
amount There is prospect of still further
advances, as the new tariff puts a tax of l1c
per pound lead imported whereas, under
the old tariff this came IN free. One of our
main sources of supply of late years has been
Mexico. According to Mr.. Blaines views of
reciprocity, our Southwestern nelghboI's goods
should come in free of duty. The new tariff
imposes tax amounting to 25 to 80 per cent on
the plumbers materials imported from Mexico.
The section of the tariff bill in which dealers in
plumbers supplies are interested thus reads:
Lead ore and lead dross l19c per pound;
provided, that silver ore and all other ores con-
tanning lead shall pay duty of &c per pound
on the lead contained therein, according to
sample and assay at the port of en-
try" said one of our leading DEAL
ers in plumbers supplies: Our
trade will no doubt suffer from the new tariff.
Volume of business is already lessened as COM
pared with last year, though business is larger
in dollars and cents. The old method was bet
ter. In the end the consumer will have to pay
the bills The sanitary work in building is an
important factor, and when you add IS to 40
ne n he n m "a ac
a serious impression on the aggregate in con-
struction expenses" The opinion is widespread
that plumbers bills are rather steep. If to the
uld-time bills 40 per cent is to be added, there
Will be strong confirmation of the popular
faiJh. At the head of the tariff bill referred
% above is tins sentence: "a bill to reduce
revenue, and eQuallze duties on imports and
for other purposes" Said a leading dealer:
The section which takes imported lead from
the free list is evidently for other purposes
than reducing revenue"