New-York tribune., 1894-01-07
SKATES ARE CHEAP NOW.
PRICES HAVE DECLINED IN RECENT YEARS
SLEIGHs ARE THINGS OF THE PAST FROM A
MANI,EAcrI-nEn.s porNr OLE ,.,r.,,.

! SLEfGHs ARE THINGS OF THE PAST FROM A
M,NUFACTUREIS POINT OF VIEW.
One day last week the writer looked over the
big stock Of skates In a well-known house and In
the course of conversation learned some interest
| ing things from the man in charge
The skate now" said he most in vogue Is the
American Club. Formerly what known as the
| Halifax pattern all the rage. and you could
| not get the people TO any other for the simple
reason that there really no other style of any
! consequence To use. IT IS different now. This
| Halifax pattern made I'm the town OF that
! name in Canada ana about ten years ego the pat
| ent fell out and we took ii up and improved upon
| 1t to the extent you to-day. WHAT you can
get for s. now you had to pay so and 81 for them
and as proves always to be the there were
not half nor quarter as many sold at the dear
price the cheap price"
Are skates mported2"
"A few from Germany: but so few really that
that branch Of ;he subject IS worth considering
There has always been in recent years a good de-
mand for rapid-racng skates and for speel-racing,
but very little for skates that made for people
who Ike to indulge in what is called fancy skat-
ing
How long would pair Of what you call your
best skates last?'
For about seven years
"Why not longer?'
"It Is reasonable for you to al, that question.
and will answer It. II Is not that the skates are
fit he used any more but the truth Of the
matter Is people outsrow them ana have have new
ones. In the other cases where skates are
needed the old ones would have done Just as we'll
perhaps If care had been taken OF them. But You
know when the winter is over people will throw
them In Clubhouse In some damp place in the
cellar where they became corroded and are thus
rendered useless. Then again. the perpetual sharp
ening or skates weafS away the blade or the run
her. call IT. and it is dangerous as well as
uncomfortable 20 continue the exercise on them
c,,,l- OBJ.
ana where they go or what becomes of them would
furnish as interesting a theme in It's way what
becomes OF all the pins that lost.
1T can scarcely be that somebody else them,
for the demand for skates as well pins Is in
creasng each year. We sold out entire stock
last year Of slels arl slelghs as well as skates.
and during certain periods OF the found It
impossible to keep pace with the demand. But OF
course. ready TO admit that the winter Of
1922 exceptional winter. learner ought to
have ankle support They put the strap on the
American club skates that comes up over the ankle
and Strengthens it, You talk of styles for the year.
There are not any The fact is that the manu-
facture OF skates is We'll understood that
It might almost b. called exact science Ii is
next to impossible to suggest any further improve
ment. Here are some specimens Of what we regard
as the best skate made for racing purposes" and
~ he spoke he handed the writer steel skates
with runners from % to p inches in length and
finer at the top than the back Of a knife. We send
many pairs of our skates he went on, TO Eng
land ana Germany each year. and We have re-
Gently begun an export trade in the same material
to Australia
How about the rollers?'
"The roller trade Is almost dead. There few
rinks left In the South and few as far West as
Chicago. but that is all. Around about here there
is no longer any sale for roller skates except to
the little children whom you using them on the
sidewalks anl in the parks. We send these KIND or
skates 10 Australia too II was an old New orker
Ia BKy no "A 4 BK
state who created the demand for that class OF
a roller Skate Of the ohlen time and he showed
the writer 4 wooden contrlvance with six wheels
placed on The sole in a single row These were in
use more than MY years ago" he went on. My
mother t2ld me that was the sort she usei. You
skate as the American Club is superior TO the old
Are there any new styles in seighs?"
I'VE have some sleds and sleghs FOR children,
st"ering Ti appaTatus but We do not do anything
in large seighs In which YOU want to drive to the
tune of jingng bells. CO along Fifth-ave. and
The writer did go into a well-known house in that
business the manager looked at bin in astonish-
ment and said LIS that all you kn0wI ,, We have
and rent no more. The business IS not at all
what it was some years ago. There is no longer
''iow 10 YOU account for the changer"
1T Is not difficult 10 DO that he answered.
''It is owing partly TO the mild winters. but In a
S hn mSrn IT. e twelve r eoysy o or wbas ss
the gorgeous Russian turnout was introduced we
sleghs to wealthy people whose delight IL was
hear the Jingle and the tnkle Of the bells and to
appear in those snowy, and costly comforters OF
fur and of seal in which fashionable people parade
In the capital OF the great frozen Empire OF the
'Zar. Before the Introduction OF these II was the
round a bout Albany sleign. II was called that
was entirely In vogue Ten years ago IL was a
81 800 Russian sleigh that In demand by wealthy
people. and many a built that price and
even at as high price $1,000 but now where
,ne is ordered at all-and that IL sedom-a common
Dne costing from about $50 to $3.50 is deemed good
enough even by people who best able to
sratiiy their luxurious tastes
When the demand was for these costly seighs
.lther hire TO buy there money in The
business. There used TO be large seighng parties
very night. 1t the proper capcr, as the say.
ng IL. You would groups of people for *.
lmplc along the Avenue waiting anxiously TO get
good look at the magnificent four-in- hand turn
,u of Aucst Belmont of the Vanderbts and of
,ther wealthy citizens OF the metropolis You DO
lot that any more. \ man with sleigh de-
ivering Ice milk groceries now is A nearer
approach the man in the gorgeous 81 1000 sleigh
nd Russian sables than Is the man In the grocery
wagon to the gentleman of leisure riding i'm his
arr'age through the Park The business Is PLAYED
ut or course rich people will still ride In sleighs
ghen there is plenty of snow and anything like
roracted winter. but that they will do so any
more the extent or In the quality degree
ecessary to Justify the question, Are there any
ew styles In sleghs this year appears to me ex.
remely doubtful to say the least