New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-30

of the large houses in other cities are sure out
let's. Conditions limit them.
one New-Yorl, house this year has bought In a
bunch $4,000 worth of silk handkerchiefs 81
one kind Another house took S2O0.WU worth
Of glnghams In one day. at auction. The same
house the next day took the entire product OF
another mill THE Drygoods Chronicle" in
commenting on this class of facts, says:
After couple of weeks letter writing to dis
tant firms, the importer manufacturer who
wants to make a quick turn finds ne has sold
little jags Of his best goods to a dozen different
houses. hasn't got his cash. and has about half
his goods still on his hands He wisely con-
cludes that the next time he will make bigger
discount and sell the lot in lump in New
York"
The reason why NewYork jobbers are boder
stronger. quicker buyers at the sources Of sup
ply than those of other cities is not that they
more nerve or more money than their compet-
tors. but because they have far larger outlet.
New-York jobbers can realize quickly. Within
lOO-mile radius are 1OOOOOm of people and,
beyond. the continent. Dependent the New
York market a source of supply, the Western
jobbers know that in a policy requiring constant
large purchases at low prices, for cash. they
cannot compete on even terms with New-York.
New-York jobbers trade on narrow margins,
because such a policy gives immediate outlet to
immense quantities Of goods that would not
oInerwise move.
There no limits but those Of the continent
to NETWORKS drygoods trade. Drawing GUS
toners from a limited territory. the wholesale
merchants of other cities buy only what
the tastes of the people Of those territories APP
prove. New-York houses can buy anything that
any section Of the country can use, because all
sections NETWORKS customers. 1t is for
this reason that New-York jobbers command
the sources of production and market the pro-
duct OF 900 mills in bulk
New-York has its great general houses. and
those in less degree other cities have. too But
NewYork has its specialists by the thousand.
and these specialists other cities have not One
Of these great special houses. the largest in
New-York. dealer in rugs and Oriental novel
ties carries S2.OOOOO0 III stock. many as
10000 cases of full packages at a time. This
house has agents all over the world, and Is
without rival in London. Paris or Vienna
These specialists have to do with the dry
goods manufactures Of New-York. This Is the
most important manufacturing city In America.
a fact that is not often considered in thinking
Of the commerce of the great city. Philadel-
phia is thought of a city OF artzans Pitts
burg the chief worker in iron Chicago as the
manufacturer Of food products. VINO ever
thinks of Ncw-York as a manufacturing city!
New-York has no great iron industry no
great woollen and cotton factories. no immense
packing houses. but its annual manufactures
are valued according to the census at Sii'V"o-
600 This is S1l30OOoOO more than Chicagos
annual manufactures. S2OO.OOO.0D more than
Philadelphia and three times as much as Bos-
ton or st. Louis.
There are probably 1000 firms In the city who
produce or distribute drygoods specialties, nov
elites. fancy goods and articles de Paris.
To compare the importing commission Dry
goods interest with that Of any other city Is not
possible. because no other city has any to speak
Of New-Yorl is the channel through when
foreign goods flow into the United states. IN
none Of the cities of the world can houses SINH
lar to New York's commission importing houses
be found except in Buenos Ayres. RIO ia
Metro Hong Kong and Toxic. where few
houses have limited field of action
In Europe the English and continental manu-
facturers seek their home trade direct. TO DO
so I'm this country would result In an added eX-
pense that would make the goods unsaleabe IN
competition with domestic-made goods or pro-
hibitive 10 the consumer. To reach the mar
ket without direct canvassng. the important
manufacturers haze esta9llshed agencies o aai
in Individual hands has built up the great I'M
porting commission houses.
These houses buy no goods. Iney represent
the manufacturers. and to all intents, SO far
as the buyers are concerned are the manu-
facturers. In dealing with them buyers deal
with first hands These houses though they 40
not buy goods, make large advances on con-
signment. and require large capital They guar
antee the manufacturers against bad debts DO
nestle manufactures have placed business III
the hands of the importing houses to the extent
of SSOOOOODO a year TIL" drygoods importa-
tions of New-York for the year that has just
ended according to the Treasury report. were
$50 oSo III This sum. with the duties. makes
an aggregate of at least Sl2JO~WW for 1870
In the foreign drygoods importing business
Take for example the French textiles Where
can an American get the ribbons OF ~. cha
mond the knit goods of Troycs the c"ttons or
Lille. the fairy-like laces of Caudry and Calais
the gloves of Grenobe. and the wooens OF Sc
dan except in New-York? The same thlng IS
true of switzerland. and particularly of Eng
land Austria and Belgium.
Besides the department houses that carry
stock Of which there are twenty or thirty IN
tho CITY there are several hundred foreign spe-
caltv houses which contne themselves To one
or two lines of goods. The class of goods
handled by these concerns lnciudes the ENTIRE
ranre of drvgoods production from a button
to a finished costume.
The following table, showing the value of I'M
variations of textiles into New-York from lNl3
t. 1896 inclusive. shows how dependent on for