Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-11

The war in Europe is having its eff
feet in New Jersey. Several thou
sand men have been thrown out OF
work and more are being laid on
daily. The burden of the conflict is
being felt here in innumerable ways.
Many big plants which depend upon
transatlantic commerce have sudden
ly found themselves without market
abroad and consequently have cut
down their working forces. This is
particularly true of the big smelling
plants in Central New Jersey, whose
gold and silver bullion go to Ger
MANY. England and other countries
to be manufactured. Oil works, too,
of which there are several in New
Jersey, have been crippled because oil
is contraband and subject to seizure
on the high seas. That Is why score
or more of tank steamers, laden with
oil, are staying in the harbor OF
Perth Amboy.
Many Idle in Bayonne.
The city of Bayonne is hard hit in
this way. Its big oil industry has
been crippled and several hundred
men laid off. They were employed
by the Tidewater Oil Company. The
canning department has been shut
down entirely because shipments can
not be made to foreign countries and
the mechanical force has been put on
half time. About 200 men of the
Standard Oil Company's plant there
were also laid off. Fifty more men
are idle in Bayonne because the Lee
high and Wilkesbarre Coal Company,
which operates to Boston and other
points, has tied its boats to the docks
there, coal being contraband. stu
more are idle around Port Reading,
another big coal-shipping point.
Railroad improvements in New Jer-
sey have been interrupted in pecul-
lar way, and incidentally, the men
engaged in this line of endeavor have
been laid off. With the money mar
kets tied up, the railroads cannot sell
their bonds and hence can get no
money to pay for the work. This Is
particularly true of the Morris Coun-
ty Traction Company, which called
off thirty-eight men employed In lay
ing switches at Chatham and an
nounced that the work would be post
poned until the bond market cleared.
The Central Railroad of New Jersey
has laid off 700 men working in the
vicinity of Elizabeth for the same
reason.
Hoboken the Hardest Hit City.
Hoboken is probably the hardest
hit city. Within it's mile-square
boundary are some 5000 men who
depend on transatlantic shipping for
their livelihood. They are steve
dores, riggers, porters and longshore-
men who make their living on the
docks of the big liners there. Many
of the men now depend on the lunch
counters in saloons for their susie
nance, but how their families sur
vive is a matter to wonder at. With
the income of these men cut off, the
storekeepers naturally suffer, too. AL
together. all is woe along the water
front. 1t is to be supposed that the
city will soon take steps to provide
a municipal breadline and afford 9TH
er means of relief
1t is rumored today that the Ham
burg-American line intends to close
down on August Is and stay closed
until the end of the war or until
transatlantic shipping can be re-
sumed This rumor was denied at
the Hoboken offices of the company,
but IL 1t does shut down, several
hundred men will be looking for jobs
to tide them over.
Rubber Supply Is Low.
Out in Rutherford, Passaic, Gar
field and Lodi are some 5000 men
who are scanning the war bulletins
with a great deal of interest. Their
interest chiefly concerns their jobs,
because If the conflict continues very
long they will lose them.
The price of rubber has gone up
from so cents to s1.50 and the sup
ply in this section of the country is
extremely limited. The general sup
ply of raw material has always been
low, Most concerns have been living
from nd-to-mouth, so to speak.
The principal supply comes from Eu-
rope South America sends COM
paratively very little
The supply of silk in the Paterson
mills Is almost at ebb. There is not
| enough to last the big manufacture
ers more than three weeks. Unless
shipping becomes normal before then,
there will be many workers idle be-
fore the month ends. Many of them
have not recovered from the effects
| of last years big strike
There is nothing alarming in the
situation in Newark. Now and then
| come reports OF some small factory
| closing. but on the whole business
Ia good and there does not seem any
likelihood OF any big lay-offs
The Optimistic View of II.
Then there is another side to the
wars effect in Jersey This is a little
more cheerful, and affects the plants
whose competition mainly comes
from import goods. With this COM