The herald., 1896-08-25
LOSSES BY THE BICYCLE
The Economic and Social Influ.
enceS of the Wheel
SOME INTERESTING DATA
Scarcely Line of Trade but Feels the
Effect of the Craze
An Enormous Amount Of Money Invested In
This New Branch Of Manufacturing.
Facts and Figures

In tne current VI tIle OTuI1
some interesting data have been COL
lected by J. B. Bishop to show the
economic and social influence of the
bicycle. He estimates that since the
passion for wheeling got under full
headway, less than five years ago, at
least $100,0O0,000 have been spent in the
purchase of bicycles in the United
States alone. The output for the pres
ent year is computed at from 100000 to
1000, 900 machines, at an average retail
price of $50 each. Obviously, a million
people cannot buy bicycles at the aver
age price named and continue to supply
themselves with as many other things
as they would otherwise have bought.
What are the other kinds of business
which have been most seriously affect
ed by the remarkable development Of
the new branch of manufacturing?
The makers of watches and jewelry
are said to have been the first to feel the
effects of the diversion of money to bi-
cycles. 1t seems that formerly on Christ
mas day or a birthday, the favorite pres
ent to the male members of the family
was a watch: now it is bicycle. The
young girls on their part were accus-
purpose of buying earrings or breast
pin; now they hoard it for bicycle.
The grown-up daughter, who used to
look forward to the purchase of a piano,
now concludes that she Will wait no lon
ger and gets bicycle instead. 1t Is re-
ported that the piano trade for the cur
rent year has fallen off so per cent. Ac-
cording to the furniture dealers, young
women, when allowed by their parents
to choose between a set of parlor furni-
ture and a bicycle, always choose the
latter. Undoubtedly, however, the worst
sufferers are the horse and carriage
trades and the ancillary lines of bUsi-
ness. Saddle horses are drug on the
market; the livery stable business has
been cut down form a half to two-thirds;
for new carriages the demand has been
so much reduced that several leading
manufacturers have gone to the wall.
The saddle and harness makers have
been forced to turn their attention to the
making of bicycle saddles. Riding aca-
denies have been turned into bicycle
schools.
So far only the direct economical con-
sequences of the bicycle craze have been
considered. Mr.. Bishop proceeds to
discuss some of the indirect effects. The
journals of che tobacco trade assert that
the consumption of cigars has fallen off
during the present year at the rate of
100000 cigars a day. This they ascribe
to the fact that as a rule wheelmen do
not smoke while riding. Saloon keepers
say that they also suffer, because their
rooms are deserted on pleasant even
ings. Even the wheelmen who visit
them avoid drink, because riding re-
quires steady head. A large restau-
rant in this town which makes spec
ialty of table d'hote dinners has incur
red this summer a loss of half it's busi-
ness through the desertion of wheelmen.
railway and steamboat men report that
fn fr, to f1,A ,tx-xr
or the seashore on the bicycle rather
than by rail or water. Trolley and other
street car lines from cities to their sub
urbs have had their receipts sensibly di-
minished. In cities the theaters are said
to be injured by the bicycle even in VIM
ter, and to be ruined in summer. On the
other hand. in country villages the
churches are fast losing the attendance
of young people on Sunday, and are try
Ing to lure them back by providing stor-
age room for their wheels. Shoemakers
complain that they suffer materially be-
cause persons who formerly got their
exercise by walking have taken to the
Wheel upon which they ride in low
priced shoes, which are subject to little
wear and tear. The hatters say they are
injured because bicyclists wear cheap
caps. The tailors aver that their busi-
ness has been damaged at least 25 per
cent, because their customers do not
wear out clothes as rapidly as former
ly, spending much of their time in
cheap ready-made bicycles suits. Deal
ers In dry goods say that the predilec-
tion OF young women for the wheel has
reduced their sales of dress goods and
expensive costumes from 25 to so per
cent, because so many girls prefer an
evening ride in bicycle garb to sitting
at home In more elaborate apparel
Finally the book sellers declare that
much riding prevents much reading.
and that their trades suffers. One great
news agency in New York city which
deals in novels and periodicals, asserts
that It's loss in trade this year from
bicycle competition does not fall short
of $1.00O,0O0.
Some of tthe economical effects of the
widely extended use of the bicycle will,
no doubt. be lasting, but others are cer-
tain to be transitory AS Mr.. Bishop
remarks. people are not going to get on
permanently without pianos or watches
because they ride upon bicycles. AS
soon as a given community becomes
stocked with bicycles, and the changes
and improvements become so unimpor-
tant as to no longer require the purchase
of new machines every year, money will
begin to flow back into some of its for
mer channels.