New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-24
DRESS GOODS.
NETWORK is THE OBJECTIVE POINT TOW
ARD WHICH FLOW THE PRODUCTS
OF THE WORLD.

Importance Of the NewYork market as centre
| of supplies Of silks and dress goods. 1t is the
objective point toward which flow the products
of all parts of the world. and from which they
are distributed over an area of more than three
and half million square miles for the use OF
a population of seventy million people, whose
average wealth and annual expenditure are
greater than those of any other country In the
world In order to meet this demand the New
York market must at all times be ready to sup
ply the goods. and II is therefore essential that
In this market large supply always be kept on
hand.
With the unequalled facilities for transporta-
ton enjoyed by this city, and with the many
improvements in the mechanical adjuncts OF all
Industries permitting rapid production the prob
lem Of supplying 05 per cent of all the require
ments In dresses and clothing OF the people OF
the United States through this one centrai
point IL solved. Twenty-Five years ago the
problem was a difficult one. on account OF the
slower means OF production and communication.
CHANGES WROUGHT.
The market has. however. shaped itself to the
newer condition OF things. and work that for
merly occupied months of preparation is now
carried out in a few weeks. An illustration or
this fact Is to be found in the trade devoted to
eign goods still compete with those Of domestic
manufacture, the conditions are now such as to
MAKE the former more easily Obtanabe to the
buyer than once the case. While the Ia
cilities for production are such that it IL not
necessary to order goods from nine to twelve
months in advance. and while a relative amount
OF stock that had to be kept ready formerly on
account OF the difficulties Of transportation can
now be dispensed with, these facts In no way
detract from the Importance OF New-York as
distributor and warehouse OF supplies. ,
NIL nf
tenfold, but the business can be done at present
with only five times the stock that was former
ly required The relation Of increase between
what may be termed the work to be dOne-dis-
tributng the goods and being ready to meet
all requirements-and the means Of doing so
the stock always ready-has not been in the
direct ratio, but still the volume OF business
done through this central market has increased
enormously.
In dress goods the looms of New-England.
w-Jersey and other manufacturing States
work for the New-YOrk market. Mills In the
West sell their production through this city,
and even the Pacific Coast manufacturers sell
their goods through New-York commission
agents In competition with the domestic man
ufacturers the looms of Sedan. Roubaix. Tour
Going, Bradford, Leeds, Manchester. Glauchau
Greiz. etc. find their only means of entrance
into the United States through the NewYork
DOMESTIC SILKS
In silks il is the same. and the outputs of the
looms Of Paterson. Union Hill. New-YOrk City
New England, Pennsylvania and other pro-
ducing States are sold here, and meet in the
open market the product from Lyons. Zurich,
Crcfeld. Como and various other foreign points
In fact 1t may be said with no attempt at exag-
geration that no distributing centre Of the
world can compare with our own in the volume
variety and extent Of rs business
In other country IL there any one city
which acts in anything like an equal degree as
the banker, warehouser and salesman for so ex-
tensive and wide-embracing line Of mer-
chandise. 90 -
To make Up a British drygoods district
similar to that ct New York would require
lions OF London. Manchester Bradford. Mac
clesfeld, Nottingham, Leicester. Glasgow and
Belfast. In France certain districts of Rou-
baix, Calais, Lyons Lille and Grenoble would
have to be combined. and in Germany Il would
be necessary to join Leipzig. Crefeld Geru.
Chemnitz and Pauen to offer such a market as
New-York affords. In all these countries the
buyer of drygoods Is compelled to go to each
Of the cities named and to various others to y
In his stock. whereas in New-York within the
radius of n few blocks q merchant would Lave
no difficulty in buying stock sufficiently d.
versified TO meet all the requirements of even
the largest business.
BENEFITS OF CAPITALIZATION
In other words, the buyer Of large quantities
in Europe is compelled to travel hundreds OF
miles from market to another while the
American buyer who comes to New-York need
do more than walk few blocks
II foreign goods are wanted the buyer finds
here full representation of all important lines
and side by side with American made goods
may be the products of Great Britain
France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland India end
Japan. These facts which make New-York
the Mecca for buyers from all parts Of the coun-
try, who come here year after year and season
after season to buy their stock. In addition,
that none Of the trade may be neglected the
manufacturers, merchants md agents In this