The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-21
DRY N. Y. NO LURE
TO VISITING BUYER
He Simply Won't Come and So
( Statesmen Must Go on Tour
s - 'sx. Goods.
WHOLESALERS IN DESPAIR
Happy Days Country Folk
Once Had Here Appear
y Things Of Past.

Prohibition in New York, either clos
ing or desolating the places where the
TIGHTS used to shine the brightest. threat
ems TO change the whole system OF New
York's great market. The visiting buyer
threatens no longer to come here but to
demand that the New York salesman
come to him.
The dreary dizziness Of the cabarets and
big restaurants during the last week Ii
regarded as proof positive that the ex-
pedient Of their proprietors In raising the
price of everything else to mako up Tor
the 90 per cent cut In profits charged to
IN. demise OF LIQUOR will not work with
the public The emptiness Of the many
tables is not due to any midsummer dull
ress. New York at the moment is en-
tertaining-or pretending to entertain-a
daily average of at least hundred thou
sand, visiting buyers. These persons
men and women. formerly used the occa-
sion of their annual or semi-annual trip
to New York as their one opportunity
for a fling Free from the restrictions OF
sewing circle gossip In the dry home
town, they dressed in their best and did
a splurge here, frequently as the guests
OF the big wholesalers from whom they
buy.
A Wholesalers Complaint.
This season these wholesalers have by
no means diminished their appropriations
for entertainment. But as one man who
sells hundreds of thousands OF dollars
, worth of winter goods during this sum-
mer buying season said yesterday:
IAN old friend of mine from Spring
field, ILL.,, told me last night that she
could have better time at cider party
back home than at the cabaret 1 took
her to. And my check for the evening
was more than the fifty dollars / spent
In taking her to dinner the year before.
/ guess l agree about the cider party TOO.
You can't shake the shimmy on tea
and somehow or other 1t doesn't seem
half 80 funny to watch 1t with nothing
but French pastry to attune the nerves
on. As for fazz music-well you've got
to put something between the ears
sturdier than couple of Eustachian
tubes to get any pleasure out OF that"
The visiting buyers are still to be OBJ
served in diminishing numbers at the
gay places, but they are not even dress
ing up for the party the way thoy used
to, and one look at them shows that they
are having no such delirious time as
prompts them to forget TO ask for dis
counts. The sellers were perfectly will
ing to take a chance and spend their
money to see whether napkins and food
and soft drinks and jazz and atmosphere
would have the desired effect. Most Of
them confess themselves beaten after a
couple of trials
So the wise ones are already con-
templating taking their whole lines on
tour New York, they say, will still
remain the centre for the creation and
exchange OF ideas and for manufacture
OF certain lines. But they predict that
selling will have to be intensively carried
70 the provinces. Some Of the bigger
buyers, OF course. will come here strictly
on the business Of getting a birdseye
view Of the market. The others. wont to
combine the birdseye with a rose tint
and a bleary eye, will probably stay
home.
Same Conditions Elsewhere.
The same conditions are reported from
a half dozen other great market centre
cities OF the East in dispatches re-
ceived by THE Sun yesterday. Both
there and in New York the places which
catered to entertainment as we'll as to
eating are rapidly closing down.
There is little or no diminution yet
in the business OF these restaurants
which specialize in food. There the
prices have been increased, but the
public, being compelled to eat. has to
stand for 1t. The increase in food
prices is not confined to the resorts of
the rich uptown. Witness the follow
ing letter from ]. McGarisle. who Is a
drug clerk on Park Row and who eats
around the corner in Frankfort street
90 ,I NttI
Frankfort street. in The Swamp" he
writes. ARE going TO be shocked when
they read this sign which the proprietor
displayed when the rum was over:
"'Price Of dinner on and after July 81
56 cents
"There is nothing here about convert
charge or service Lena, the pretty
browse, Is dubious about the new move
feeling that probably the tea cup behind
the counter will be all too large to hold
the tips she'll get In the future.
THE dinner heretofore has been at 81
cents; fine for the money. First clasi
soup. choice of roast beef, wiener
schnitzel, goulash or meatballs; new po
tatoes; sliced tomatoes or lettuce; bis
slab of pie or pudding; tea, coffee Of
chocolate.
"Now, am no press agent for Bill Ooh
modest ]. McGarigle y, but he deliver
the goods. Some of the regular custom
ers are engineers, chauffeurs. drul
clerks, drivers and newspaper men. Per
sons showing signs OF liquor get tn
I gate Most stories OF the II. c. OF L
Ndeal with the Upper Ten, concerning tn
Biltmore and Claridge, &C. This is abou
the Lower Five"
]. McGarigle's perspicacity and skill a
an observer OF social and economic con
ditions seems amply indicated by tn
place in which he ranks "newspape
men" at the lower end OF the Lowe
Five anG next to the dire reference {
persons showing signs" His only omis
sion seems to be his failure to reveal hoy
to get to show thesigns a drug cler
ought to know.
Yesterday n Tough Day.
Yesterday was tough one on tn
gay resorts. With the dull rain pour
ing outside there was nothing TO pou
within but tea. New York has no
learned the tea hour as yet. II is tru
that a number OF tho big hotels made
speciality of the hour. But yesterda
proved that tea" was a metaphor 70