New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-24
IN THE DRYGOODS DISTRICT.
n,poRrAr1oNs OF wooLLENs AND SILKS.
DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING HIGHLY SIlNO'

NJ importations through the operations OF the Mchhe
Tariff law The Administrative act portion, win It's
Board OF General Appraisers. has been prove" INC
v1sest measure enacted to defeat fraud ana uue
valuations. Tho decreased importatiohs ATTEST "o
common such practices had previously been ana also
how domestic manufacturers and operatives ma" ooeh
robbed for so long time of the legitimate returns
of their investments and labors.
In that part Of the dryCoOds district lying between
Duane and Walker sts. both Included ana Ehs'' an"
West Broadway, where domestic MANUFACTURE 'o'
prise the much larger percentage OF the goods 'h'
are sold by commission merchants and mahuldc'ui''s'
bns;nc activity is noticeable every Side whereas
few weeks ago extreme dulneSs prevailed oh inc
Part Of residents in and visitors to TINS locN 'c'o
is not that eetneSs Of gait noticeable on the pt Va
those who do business In the commercial exchanges
Sellers and buyers Of drygOOds deal In merchad> y"
VARYING Qualities quantities and costs Yet the values
OF many goods. because Of the novelty oi ldpilcS'
pattsrns and coors are as variable at times as the
quotations OF the mcrcural OF speculative proper
ties. The dry goods trade Is composed OF many us
t,nct branches the chief of which are domestic anu
Importing commission merchants and manufacturers
who sell their merchandise to drygoods lobDers ana
retailers and also TO manufacturing clother' cutters
manufacturers cOnvcrters and printers Ahother CLASS
is formed Of the auctoncers who sell goods Tor ech
Of the preceding bodies.
I'd 10 the present time politics has been lnduIeed
In OILY Informally. except by few OF the CleVcno
erCoker men, who are hoping 10 deicat 'he
Republican candidates. Happily there are Few mrr
chants in the American trade who entertain such hof-s
or Will work In that direction. The FreeT1aders are
more stint on the question Of the tariff, they realize
aha. Mr. Hll's version that the Chicago ee-t"ado
plant will turn every factory into a Republican head
Quarters" does not aSSinlate with the cleveland Tree
wool message. The large business done in woollen
goods this month Is another and serious impeachment
TO free wool advocates domestic Atwood goods
better
during the last six months than ever before. The
foreign element IN The importing trade is putting on
bold front and is loud In asserting that Mckinleys
tariff is failure. and that with all the safeguards OF
the Administrative act to defeat impoItations, the I'M
porters have been able 10 Ccumvent the nigh dnues
to import many goods and 10 sell them more cheapS
than ever. Some reductions In the prices OF raw ma
terials and also in the wages paid by foreign manu-
fact,rers have not sufficient to support this gen
cIal statement nor do the facts sustain II.
As the most digent inquiries in all directions are
unanimous that the impOr0tonS OF textile manu-
features have been decreased materially, it Is well 70
look at tho customs returns and see what evidence
they afford For the eleven months OF The fiscal year
ended with May the imporatons Of manufacturers II
wool have been go. Cos 600 against an average o,
s46247 900 for the peOd OF the four years ended
With May, $780, previous 70 the enactment OF the
Mckinley tariff. Here IS a decrease OF Sl35'7ooo'
or nearly 80 per cent This appears large, bnt 1t fas
short OF the actual lact, aS inc lHIPUt''i"l''
previous to May. 1890. had been 50 Systematically
undervaued that with the modest Increase Of 10 per
cent the average importatons Of 1921, 600 are
swollen TO SJ0S7l 900, and the decrease OF Si3,''o
900 Is Increased TO SIS 900. These are no aTth
metica problems but are facts based on liberal eSh
mates as 10 per cent differentiation would oc
laughed by honest manufacturers on the DINER
side Of the water On the average cost Of foreign
clothing woods imported Sl8.OOOoO0 would buy 90
A. This additional quantity mas t'lt
been imported IN any conditions there las been
market for 45.OoO.OOo pounds OF domestic w""lS' 10
manufacture which means that fully S2o,ooo,ooo mas
been paid In wages These figures tell whether 'he
importations have been decreased and explain why
importing commission merchants are seeking 80 as
siduouslv 10 secure c0nsicnmNts Of domestic manu-
features of wool. cotton and SILK.
Up1n the manufacture of domestic wool fabrics
these facts and figures have had telling ehef'
Thee have enabled Edward r. Steele q Co. 10 erect an
entirely new and large worsted factory nj Bristol Pa
that gives steady emplOyments to 800 or more opera
tives They have aided Increase larecG the & odial
and Sanford mohar and wOned plants at sanford Nc.
70 double the Nonantum worsted dress goods factory
at Newton, Mass; to increase 10y % per cent Inc
immense wprsted plants Of Charles Fletcher a Irov
denlce II. l.. 10 increase greatly .uch factories ~
the Pacific Arlington, Atlantic and Washington mills
AT Lawrence Mass and Providence, X. l., u ASST,
the Asse ct Manufacturing Company and others 10
make Atwood ClCthng at ~ and less yard. Thc}
have given employment to every set Of cards u Tic
knit goods at The time the Mckinley tar went into
effect and have increased the productive capacity fully
one-thrd hy the extension Of old mills and the con
stucton Of new ones They have enabled the Peace
dale mills free-wool concern, 70 run Their entire
mills throughout the year on a single fabric fT
spring and summer wear, being unable supply the
demand and the sanford Carpet Mills 70 add new
and large structures.
These are few of The more prominent features
he result Of
the Mckinley tariff on the wool manufacturing industry
OF the country Any unbiased merclan' VIII frankly
admit that the Mckinley tariff has been wonderful
benefit to the trade at large, and any manufa,tuer
his hearers that, through being able 10 run MS nllls
steadily for twelve months In the year ln,tcad 81
al haphaZlTd for nine months, as under me i-oJ
tariff, he has been able 10 produce better fabrics
at less cost , 49, -
dence of the beneficial effects Of the Mckinley tarn
The mporaons Of the manufactures Of SIX FOR the
amounted TO 423 against F35OO. 293 lor ths
same time In 1871. and t53.106,O34 III 1870 ana
S 1ars ended with Nav i79i witch shows a decrease
OF IS, 2lO, with the average imports OF inc ioui
vears and decrease Of $685. so compared with
those for 1901 The mpOrations of raw silks for the
eleven months ended win May amounted t. @25,246'-
and $40 7G6 as the Of the five ending
With May, 1901. As compared with last year, the in
orevjous Ave wears il is 80 Ge2.322 II may be
contendcd that values guide 10 the importa'ions
who would hill this growing Industry II they could,
the quantity Of silk imported during the eleven
months ended Nav 81, amounted 10 2,Ol1,ol pDnhds,
at an average cost Of 81 05 pound compared with
l. G!Ol73 pounds, al an average cost OF 80 ~ II
mound for the time In 1901. These figures show
that under the Mckinley tariff. silk manufacturers
have been enabled 70 use protaby % per cent more
nj raw silk at n higher cost than the year previous,
which means that from 100000 70 S1,0OO,OOO more
has been paid to operatives
The silk industry is I'm rOurishing condition so far
Ms steady employment and ready sal" i1r fabrics are
concerned and il is presumabe that as 50 many foreign
tptar oh I'm mil
profitable. ~, ,,,
The manufacture of seals, pushes and pile fabrics
has been stimulated greatly 10y the Mckinley ari and
I'm no previous autumn season have so many looms been
occupied with orders Some Of the largest retailers
make a specially Of domestic black SILK, ana eA
merits pronounce them unequalcd at the price. one
mill makes "A special style Of black silks that are
L. cl.Lan Il