The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1896-11-26

SRum0s@Ehss NeW MOKks
New York is an over-rich, over-lazy.
luxury loving big town. Poor folk and
rich folk alike work hard, but goodness
knows they play hard, too. In New
York money 10 made faster than in any
other metropolis on earth, but when the
purse.string is loosed. how the dollars
fly.
II the aggregate wealth Of the Greater
New York were divided pro rata among
its $500, 900 inhabitants, the share of
each would be about $500. This is the
largest per capita Of wealth shown in any
city in the world. Richest OF all cities
1t is the most luxurious as we'll. In the
items of wine, beer and spirits, cigars
and tobacco 10 varions forms, theatre pa
tronage, pleasure vehicles and fine
horses, cut flowers and ornamental
plants, European travel, diamonds, Jew
elry and bicycles, there 10 annually en-
pended in New York the colossal sum of
$l85, o0o, 900, or about $50 per capita.
The unit of comparison is the figure
representing the total population, or the
embodiment Of $500, 900. Accepting
the argument Of the prohibitionists that
all manner Of malt, vinous and spiritu-
Gus beverages are Iuxuries pure and sim.
pie, it would appear that total of $10O,-
100000 is spent on the beverages that
cheer and.aIso inebriate. OF this total
$50. 00O, 900 is paid for lager beer. 1t
represents 1890, 600 barrels OF thirty two
gallons each, or one barrel and fraction
for every man, woman and child on Man
haitian and Long islands.
The $40 ,000, 900 that pays for the wine
and spirits consumed In the metropolis
towers over the contrasted luxuries. New
York is essentially the home OF the wine
opener, and statistician connected with
the leading Wholesale liquor dealers
newspaper says that one-fourth Of all the
wine imported from Europe and made In
California is swallowed on Father Knick-
erbocker's Island.
. Next In the scale Of luxu-ies 10 tobac-
co, though some very wise and honest
men maintain that it is one Of the neces-
sities OF life. The average smoker will
take that view Of it. The figure OF $780,
600. 900 is agreed upon as approximately
correct by manufacturers and experts In
the trade. 1t may be subdivided In this
wise: Cigars. sl7.Oo0.OO0: cigarettes,
IS, 000, 600; smoking tobacco, "a, 900, 900,
and chewing tobacco, 81 ,000. 900.
There is but scant Involvement to the
purchase OF trotters in New York. There
is no place to trot them. Some day there
will be q speedway on the banks
OF the Harlem; some day We will
see 1t, but Notwithstanding the
fact that most fourth and fifth class
towns have more true boulevard" than
can be found within the limits Of the
Greater New York. the annual sales Of
high-bred roadesters, trotters and pacers
and thoroughbred saddle horses, averages
according to the testimony OF the veteran
William Easton. $4,000, 900 annually.
The traffic in carriage horses and pleas
ure vehicles of all sorts will aggregate
tSice this amount, and the harnessnnak.
ers, feed deaiers, grooms, trainers, coach
men, tootmen and stable boys swell the
total OF expenditure to SIS, 000, 900.
The annual sales OF diamonds and lew
elry have been known to reach $50, 0OO,-
600 in single year, but that was In the
good old times OF which we bear 30 much
now. but did not appreciate at the time.
A conservative estimate by Maiden Lane
and upper Broadway dealers place the
local sales at $50, 900 900.
The complaint Of the socialistic aeilator
that the American makes his money at
home and spends 1t in Europe is partially
borre ont by the figures. The sales Of
stt amship tickets at this port alone
amount to s4,000,000 annually. The
agent OF one of the oldest trans Atlantic
lines states that at least rs per cent. of
this amount 10 sold to citizens OF New
York who go abroad for pleasure. The
amount of money taken out OF New York
for this one luxury alone is conservative
ly estimated at $40, 100000.
There will be sold in the Greater New
York during the next year not less than
$4,000 bicycles, which may be averaged
at $50 each. and there Is cool 81, 500, 900
more.
New Workers are theatre-going lot, rs
ID shown BY the fact that foil 5000, 900