The Washington herald., 1913-08-31
new YORK CITY Manufacturing
CENTER Of THE UNITED STATES

York there are 54.cO3 wage earners pass
iEg through the city streets every morn
i:ig to take their places at bench or table
or machine, while accompanying them
are 9I.il5 salaTied officials and clerks.
Hardly a small ARM. but one of not in
considerable size. They draw more than
500. .0oC.OGO n year I'm salaries and wages.
In all New EngJand-the States of
Massachusetts. Connecticut, Rhode Is
land. Maine, New Hampshire, and Yer
mout-thcre are only 25,3Sl manufacturing
establishments. In them are employed
l.lCl.29O wage eaTnCrs, who turn out
s.. go, Di5OGO in manufactured products,
the value added TO the raw material by
manufacture being $l.!s5, 76S,O0G New York
is catching UP with Now England, since
the number Of her wage earners is grow
ing at the rate Of 19.2 Fer cent, against
New EnEldnd's Ill: IN value of products
at the rate Cf 20 per cent. against BIS
and in valre to goods added by manufac-
ture 323 per cent, against 31-2 for New
Epgland.
Brooklyn Not Asleep.
Just a small word for the despised
Borough OF Brooklyn in the matter of
manufacturing. The dweIler in Manhat-
tan thinks. or affects to think, that
Brooklyn is only the dormitory OF New
York; a place to rest after a hard days
work or an evening in Manhattan.
II Manhattan workers only sleep there,
some others are pretty lively during the
day, for that borough has 123,SS3 wage
earners and 1854 salaried officials and
clerks engaged in its factories, drawing
in pay $50. 900 a year. They produce
in 5.1s establishments a total OF $4I7.-
223,oO0 of manufactured goods, Of which
sum SIS, 2,0s1 900 is the result of their
labor. Outside of New York State there
are only four States in the Union whose
manufacturing interests are as large as
those OF Brooklyn.
By far the largest industry in New
York is the manufacture OF clothing as
one might guess by noticing the crowds
that throng lower Fifth Avenue and other
centers of this trade at the noon hour
They crowd not only that once conserva-
tive thoroughfare but fill also the side
streets down to Sixth Avenue in such
masses that they have become a problem
to the city authorities. The sidewalks
are almost impossible for the ordinary
pedestrian at that time.
Clothing Greatest Output.
Women's clothing is manufactured. so
far as values go, to a greater extent In
this city than mems, the turnout being
s266, 1900 a year. Mems clothing is
made to the value of Sis, Loo a year;
a total of siSI. SsSOO0 of wearing apparel.
For this there are ssh manufacturing
establishments and l61, 400 wage-earners.
There are only eleven States outside Of
New York whose combined manufactur-
ing industries have so large a volume,
and only eight in which there are so
many wage-earners as are engaged in
the manufacture OF clothing alone in
New York City.
Within the last decade quite a number
OF manufacturers have brought their fac
tories to New York solely to avoid labor
troubles. In many factory towns there
Is one big establishment which gives en-
ployment to proportionately large part
of the population. Their wages maintain
the stores, the smaller factories and the
places of amusement.
As a consequence, when a strike occurs
everything in that town is dead. The
manufacturers might not trouble about
this, but what does trouble them Is the
absence Of any reserve supply Of labor
to take the Ilaces Of the strikers; and
the workers themselves know that no
labor Is obtainable except by importa-
tion-a difficult matter when the entire
town Is opposed to bringing in new
hands. Besides, II strikebreakers are
brought in, there is the question Of hous-
ing them and segregating them during
their hours of leisure. While strikers are
difficult enough to handle in New York,
they argue, there is always plenty of
labor to be obtained. This makes the
workers less inclined to try conclusions,
and defers action, even though II does
not entirely obviate the necessity of it.