Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1894-03-02
TtiE Jew YORK sfiYL CcKS GLAIMTO
BE STARVING.


doing as well as last year. These two
cases may be accounted for by reason Of
their long standing and popularity with
the people that patronize such establish
ments. One is situated on upper Sixth
avenue, In the Tend rloin, and the other
in Chatham square, for generations the
Mecca for those In want of ready cash.
Neither of the two places advances
money except on jewelry. They do not,
therefore, come in contact with the poor.
est class Of people, who are compelled to
part with even their clothes when ne
cessity compels them to raise money to
buy food.
The pawnbrokers, when asked for an
explanation of the falling off in their
business, with one accord said, 1.-THE
poorer classes, with whom we deal,
pawned all they had during the money
panic last summer and now have nothing
left to pawn and no money to redeem
their pledges" ..tss
One man in Oliver street said: Il
have been in the paWnbroking business
for 45 years, and I have never seen bust
ness SO dull. During the summer months
we took in all we could handle, but
money was so tight then that we adj
vanced only one-haf the loan usually
given. Even this did not stop the bust
ness. Naturally we expected big boom
this fall, and that the goods would be re-
deemed, but we were mistaken. have
never had such a quantity Of goods on
my shelves. If the people could only
pay the interest. I would not complain,
but most of them are Industrious people
out Of work, and the chances of getting
my money back are very slim"
At pawnshop on the Bowery the
manager said: :'f business in our line
continues the same for another month,
shall be compelled to go to work. The
outside public look upon the pawn
brokers as having money to burn. They
think we are on velvet all our lives, but
if they could look at our books for the
past year they would not think ou1
game was such good thing. It may
look very odd for me to make this state
ment, but it is fact nevertheless that
when times are good with the people
they are good with US. I can explain
that this way: When, for instance, the
head of the family is working steadily
the wife or daughter needs some little
things in the middle of the week., They
have not the wherewith and won't have
it until Saturday night. They can't wal
until then, but rush off to the pawnshol
| with some trinket, and on Saturday nigh
come in and redeem it. Now things ar,
different. Even if they have the trinke
(Which, by the way, is very doubtful
they do not dare to pawn it, for the ia
Their being out of work they are not s.
sure of getting it out again. The result
is that, instead of our turning our none.
over and over, we simply have to 81
down and grin and bear it," 1850 r.
| 'Pawnbrokers are starving" said ;
Grand street proprietor. '"The peopl
have all our money and we their goods
| We would rather reverse the order o
affairs, but I can see no prospect of sucl
change. During the past year we hat
more goods left with us after the ticket
expire than ever before. With the hare
times and competition we got no price
at all when we auctioned our unre
deemed pledges" 70 prove this asser
ton the pawnbroker brought out hi
books, which showed that at the las
auction sale Of unredeemed goods in De
cember the pawnbroker lost $500.
s'We would prefer to have the peopl
redeem their pledges" he added, 80
then we get the interest, and that's wha
we are in the business for.''
| A tour of the pawnshops along Secon,
avenue found the proprietors all bemoan
ing their fate and complaining of tn
hard times. Little.or no business wa
being transacted at these shops, poor pee
pie having long since parted with thei
clothing, the principal article in trade o.
the east side.
Up in Harlem the same condition Q
affairs prevails. One pawnbroker o.
One Hundred and Twenty-fifth stree
said that he had no more money to loal
on clothing, adding that it did not pa,
for the room it occupied, and that tn
chance Of its ever being redeemed wa
very remote. Along Eighth, Ninth an,
Tenth avenues tho pawnbrokers sail
business was going to the dogs. A pawn
broker on Eighth avenue, near Twentieth
j street, who does fourishing business
said: There's no chance Of improvement
in our business until the people get work
i At present it looks as If we were in bust
j ness for our health.
1 In lower Sixth avenue and Hudso
street, which are populated by the poore
class, the wall Of the pawnbroker is lou
and sad. No reason is given except the
the men are outof work and the wive
have nothing left to pawn except scrap
of clothing, aud that is refused at tn
majority Of pawnsho New York Con
] mercial Advertiser.