The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-09
NEW WORKERS SLOW.
One Reason the Metropolis Is NOT
Going Ahead Faster.

New York Press.
The Chamber of Commerce. the Board or
Trade and Transportation, the Merchants
Association and a few other civil bodies
which appear to be interested in the COM
mercial prosperity of New York are Won
dering why this city is not gaining ground
more rapidly and cannot understand why
other cities are striding ahead. They do
not perceive that New York is become
dead slow" to use a street saying In
stances of this multiply daily. Merchants
themselves are the greatest hindrance TO
their own advancement. Next come the
railroads. the freight departments OF which
are conducted in a manner at once pitiable
and grotesQue.
BY a certain road entering the city L
was informed of box of goods that had
been received at its freight station and was
being held subject to my order. AS the
box had been expected and was long over
due / hurried TO comply with the regula-
tions of the road and take possession of it.
Ten days passed No delivery. No notice
of any kind. l complained and the company
informed me that the bill of ladlng had
arrived, but that'the goods were lost And
the goods never came. Weeks later L
learned that notices were customarlly sent
to consignees of the arrival OF freight
which probably had not left its shipping
point.
A manufacturer sent me a statement an
nouncing shipment of goods from a city
from New York. After four days the
freight agent sent an insolent printed no
tice to the effect that the freight had ar
rived, and in effect that If l didn't get II
out of the way 1 would have to pay stor-
age on it after such and such date. II
/ would sign an order the goods would be
delivered. L lost time in signing. When
anything is coming to me I want it badly.
Four days passed, No delivery. i called
up the agents office by telephone. oh, yes;
everything all right; just passed my order
along TO the man on the pier; might send
goods up in couple of days. Why not be
fore? Why not Immediately? l demanded
No wagon going past my house. l offered
to pay extra express charges if he would
send the goods along. In two days more
would be called on to pay storage rates.
While waiting for an answer web sb heard h,r
off" And off l was shut. l had to wait
the pleasure of Mr.. Agent and Mr.. Man
on the Pier and Mr.. Wagon.
1t is of course unfortunate that we should
have to suffer and be at the mercy of cheap
clerks at SIS and $50 a week. Cheap help
do not really work. They loaf. l am up at
every morning and have done a hard days
work before these alleged working fellows
have washed the sleep out of their eyes.
From the last moment they have stolen
for another wink in bed till the hour when
they leave their places of business in the
afternoon they fondly imagine they are
working hard. They exhaust all their nat
ural ana acquired energy III dreaming OF
their haste, their rush and their urgent
necessity for getting somewhere in q sec
ond or two Then they can always find
time TO stop on a street corner to see
dog fight. One Chicago man does as much
work in day three ordinary New York
'hustlers."
More out of charity than anything else
gave order to some old acquaintance
in the stationery and printing line. Now,
| could have built the press. cast the type,
made the paper, manufactured the ink, de-
livered the goods and got my pay in less
time than ii has taken that live New
York firm to send me a proof of the work.
Why should this be so? They told me:
You can't expect printing TO be done right
away. No printing office could work on
about two weeks work ahead, then do it
all together" Call you that enterprise? I
know there are hundreds of firms in Phila-
delphia, Boston, Buffalo and Chicago that
would have done the work gladly in excel
lent style and the briefest possible time.
What New York needs more than any,
thing else is a commercial shake-up En-
terprise here. is become only a veneer Rfp
il off and see plainly where lie the real
causes of decay in the volume of trade
The idea that good enough should be let
alone is out of date everywhere exceDt
here. In finance-yes, we lead. In Wall
street, indeed, things are not only up to
date; they are dscounting the future In
commerce we appear TO be reclining in the
lap of the past, sleeping supinely, needless
of danger