New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-05
THE WHOLESALE DISTRICTS
Relative Merits Of Upper and Lower
Manhattan,

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In your article of Sunday last on
"The City's Need Of Business Zone Sys-
tenn | notice that you quote H. r.. rra''
TO the effect that the move uptown Vi
some industries (among other reasons
which he gives) has been brought apout
because the labor supply of these INDUS
tries has largely moved to the northwarn
and that "the lofts and buildings IN lower
Manhattan are poorly constructed ana
lighted and are not suitable for once
purposes or warehousing.
| am not i'm accord with Mr. Pratt on
the above points. The large majority oi
labor comes from the East side, lower
Brooklyn, Staten Island and from Ne"
Jersey, and has lately been augmented ny
the new labor settlement in BROWNSVILLE
Lower New York is far more accessible
to these points than the uptown zone
great many of the workers walk to theif
work from the Brooklyn Bridge terminal
the Battery. Liberty street ferry, and the
McAdoo tunnel. Nearly all of these nave
to pay an extra fare II their place VI
business is located In the middle or up
town zones. Only the Bronx labor Is
somewhat nearer
Now. as to the lofts and buildings IN
lower Manhattan being poorly construct
ed and lighted" the very fact That AFTER
so many years of hard usage they pear
up as we'll as they do shows they have
been well constructed. Most OF these old
time buildings are granite marble or iron
fronts), and have very heavy WOODEN
beams Wherever these buildings nave
been kept up with new passenger ana
freight elevators. electric light. flooring
and paint, they answer splendldiy the
needs OF wholesale merchandising taklhs
into account the cheapness of the rent.
Some of I,ondon's most important COM
mercial houses are still thriving In quar-
ters a hundred years old. The ceilings.
for one thing, are higher than in the
new construction. and as they were most
~ built for merchants or by merchants
knowing the best needs OF their parucu-
lar line. and not by real estate promoters
arrangements TO have the proper light for
their goods were made.
There can be no denying that in other
respects the modern steel building has
many advantages. one Of which Is the
cheaper insurance rate | am by no
means sure. though. that the factory
worker I'm even sO-called freproof sky
scraper is safer than in a five-story down
town factory building. say. twenty years
old Witness the Triangle fire.
Had arrangements been made when
the new uptown zone buildings were con-
structing TO admit OF new freight ar
rangements. the handling Of cases and
motor trucks inside the building, say.
like in the renovated Tefft-Weler build
ing. or. by having alleyways admitting
trucks in the rear OF the buildings, would
concede the uptown zone big advantage.
The reason Of the uptown move is not
altogether because OF the modern build
ings. as is evidenced by the emptying
already on lower Firth avenue Of many
OF the barely completed buildings there.
With all other points in Mr.. Pratt ;
interesting discussion | am in full acco D..
V. SYDNEY ROTHSCHILD.
secretary Wholesale Drygoods Centre
Association.
New York. Feb. 4. 1918.