The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-08-06
Majority OF Negroes
In New York City
Continued from Page u

the BROOKLYN Navy Yard, where a
third of the 5000 employees are col
.ored mechanics and laborers. 4 large
number also work for the various
plants of the Todd Shipbuilding Co.
as drillers. caulkers, riYeters, etc.
Railroad transportation also takes
in another large group. 1t IS esti-
mated that half of the Pullman por-
ters running on the four bic eastern
trunk lines entering New York live
in the citv or suburbs Then there are
several thousand Negroes employed F
in various CAPACITIES around the rail +
road terminals of New York. mostly T
as red-caps and outside porters.
The increase of automobile trans-
nortation during the last ten years
has served to give employment TO
thousands of Negr oes. In fact. the
largest single business onerated by
colored persons in New York City Is
the Hamilton & Peters TaXicab Com
panv. which employs more than 1000
ehauffeurs and mechanics and which
is A member Of the nationally known
Parmelee System.
Trucking. the handling of FREIGHT
by auto also is bio business for the
Negro. On Staten Island, one Of the
five horoughs that make up Greater
New York. the Target trucking and
moving van business is conducted by
Negro. William Morris. Mr.. Morris
owns a dozen trucks of various sizes
and has several warehouses.
There are several other LARGE
trucking firms owned by NEGROES in
| the citv. Horace Garner Is the head
of the largest one in Harlem.
Building Trades
The building trades of New York
employ another large group of col
ored persons. During the building
boom that New York experienced in
1929 and 1928. there were hundreds
of Negro brieklayers. plasterers. car
penters and electricians, plumbers,
etc. who received minimum OF Slo
day ard some as high as SIC day.
virtually all of them union men; and
MANY saved money for the rainy
davs" of the last two years.
Since the slump in building. MANY
of these men have gone into business
or into other lines of work
The Laundry Business
I For many years the Negro bust
aess man looked down on the laundry
business. but with the invention of
labor saving machinery it was diseoV-
= cred that this could be made into q
!. big business. The whites We're the
Y first to make this discovery and much
t of the laundry work formerly done
e hy NEGROES passed into their hands
t Recently, however, several Ne@rc
laundries have developed into biz
/. businesses and the Belstrat Laundry
y located on West l40th Street. nea
4 Lenox Avenue. now is one of Har
lem's leading businesses. This laun
II dry annually paws to ats staff of col
:. ored workers SGT 600.
d The Hailstalk Towel Service, whic
/ supplies clean towels. coats ant
aprons to barber shops and beaut
: parlors Of Harlem. is another angl
- of the laundry business developed il
4. tho last two wears.
: Many of the white laundry com
:. panies of New York employ larg
:. numbers of colored workers. Th
10 Morgan Laundry Service. the nation;
laundry chain, subsidiary of tn
60 Pullman Company, employs mostl
H. coiored people in the laundering G
the Pullman linens and towels. Al
es other large laundry employing M
OF proes in Harlem is the Natoni
ge Laundry at | West l40th Stree
which has several hundred Negr
he workers. There are other similar e
he Establishments throughout the city.
ng Feeding the Millions
elk Many colored workers help to fec
- New Yorl's millions. Hundreds al
working around the Washingtc
" Market and other large markets
ISIS The city, handling fruits, vegetable
he and other produce, while other hu
to dreds are employed as cooks and a
sistants around restaurants. Sever
ce of the large chain restaurants OF Il
I'd city employ Negroes. Horn ~ liar
ardt, Lofts, the Thompson resta
rants and Alice Foote McDougal a
among these chains.
In Harlem, most of the restauran
re are conducted by Negroes, althoui
majority are owned by whites. II
lr Little Gray Shops" were the fir
10 of the Negro restaurants to ado
ifa the chain idea, and they are dong
oil prosperous business, with three sho
and two-score employees.
"a Several others expect to follow
ha their wake. s}Srange as it may seer
~ none of the Harlem restaurants, e
m cept the t37th Street branch Y. \
'''' c. A., have taken to the cafeteria
:. eerve-vourself plan. The Y. w. G.
ne has done a prosperous business over
long period of years, and 1t is
source of speculation as to why sor
u other Harlem restaurant hasn't TAX
/. to the idea.
3 Another form of business for fe
n Haremites is the restaurant supp
= business. Jerry Gray, who has a ma
e ket in 135th Street near 9Th AYent
o is the pioneer in this business. n
l. Gray goes TO the large wholesale ma
kets down town daily and buvs frul
- vegetables and other supplies
cn several Of the Harlem restaurants.
, Recently the C. NJ. A. stores ha
come to Harlem and, under direct
" Of ALBION L. Holsey, chain of e
* ored grocery stores has been orga
q lied TO serve the Negro communlti'
M Although this business is yet in I
rs experimental stage, they have a me-
81" bership Of more than a dozen stor
- and should become real factor
- the community in the next few yea
Janitors, Custodian5, Etc.
Janitors and custodians for I
Vo- thousands Of buildings in New Yo
ter employ many other colored MI
air Some Of the high class apartmei
an, and office buildings also have color
IVY elevator operators and starters. 81
=. n Hs.t.a