The sun., 1909-02-28
TRANSIT IN NEW YoBE
n.-An Unforeseen Consequence OF ~,
DEVELOPMENT,

development.
The building statistics for the lasl iev
years throw some light on the recent in.
crease In the tendency Of local travel %
outstrip population in growth. The nS.
ures indicate, as one would expect. a
marked decentralization Of population
since the introduction OF subway and
tunnel construction. The influence NJ
the new high speed underground irap..
portation is seen In a rapid diffusion Of
residence housing after the opening Of
the subway. Thus In 1905 about q
per cent. OF the dwelling supply provided
during the year in the greater city Wa,
furnished in Manhattan. In 1907 IN.
share Of new residences OF all sorts cred.
tied to Manhattan was lees than % ne,
cent. In that year housing was erected
in the central borough for only ii.m
people, as against 10000 in 1905
Contrary to expectation. however. the
congestion OF business has not been di.
minished. II was bf course foreseen tina,
better transportation would favor concen.
tration OF commerce. both retail and
Wholesale, in Manhattan. but II was he.
lieved that manufacturing would follow
the residence population into the sub.
urbs. No one doubted that the chean
rents and the cheap labor in the foreign
colonies growing up in the outlying Dor.
oughs would attract manufactures. par
ticularly as the Federal Census Of ian
had disclosed a migration Of factory
industries from urban TO suburban loca.
tions under the influence OF modern facih.
ties OF communication.
However the building figures reveal m
such migration in the case Of Manhattan
or the capital invested annually in nav
business construction in this town IN,
proportion invested in Manhattan wa,
81 per cent. in 1904. So per cent in ls;
and 1905. 50 per cent in 1907. and ~ per
cent. in 1893 II is impossible TO tell from
the building statistics just how large a
part OF the new business construction
was intended for manufacturing bu' the
latest printed report Of the State Bureau
Of Factory Inspection affords indirect eyi.
denoe that the proportion was larger in
Manhattan than in the othcr borou1hs
After pointing out an increase Of 9,C cstab.
lishments in Greater New York in 1901. az
compared with the yelr before, The re-
port adds that the number Of factory
operatives employed increased by ?eyoo0in
Manhattan and The Bronx. 5000 in Brook.
lyn, 5000 in Queens and I 800 in Richmond
or course the bulk OF the increase IN
Manhattan and The Bronx. or New York
county. was in the former borough
Hence subway and tunnel transports-
ton is increasing tratfio not only by de.
centrali1ing population but by intensi.
flying the congestion OK both manufaotur.
ing and commerce As regards conges-
tion OF business the process appears to
be that the reduction in the time Of
travel from say ten miles an hour 10
twenty miles is inducing people TO shop
n Sixth avenue who formerly did their
shopping in Fulton street, Brooklyn. or
in Broad street. Newark consequently
there is a rapid expansion of retail trade.
which in turn reacts on wholesale CON-
merce and on manufacturing. However.
the conjunction Of manufacturing and
commerce in the same neighborhood ss
feature peculiar TO New York,
Evidently this intrusion Of manufac-
turing will not be remedied b. the mere
provision OF additional passenger sub.
ways