NEW- YORK DAILY TRIBUNE, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 31. 1902.

WHOLESALE DRYGOODS TRADE.-SURPLUS STOCKS HAVE DISAPPEARED ENTIRELY.

iOwermJked Product Finds Ready Sale—

Finer Fabrics Are ConstantlyProduced.

<& 9

liIPffISTiEIHS AS9DeOtIMISSSiiII RJEB6HABTB,

iSEf YORK.

Wilham Crefshton. >Urk H. Borch. B»nJ. F Be*.CREIGHTON & BURCH.

ESTABLISHED J*3o.DRY GOODS COMMISSION.10 AND 12 THOMAS ST.. St T.

MILLS & GIBB,

IMPORTERS orLaces. Embroideries-. White Goods, Linen*.

Handkerchiefs. Veilings, Ribbon*.'\u25a0 Notions. Buttons. Trlmmniaa.

Cloaks. Neckwear. Knit Goods,Gloves, Curtains, Etc,

BROADWAY AND GRAND ST. X. T.|

> I

SWEETSER, PEMBROOK & CO.J. HOWARD SWEETSEK. HOWARD P. SWE^TSBH.Pr*"- Tt«»»

™*

GEORGE L. PUTNAM. JOS. H. IKJNSON.I»t V. Pr»«. £ Secty. 54 v. Praa.

ROBERT LOCKHART. HERBERT rOKMTT

WHOLESALE DRY GOODS.374. 376. 378 BROADWAY. X. T.

Good Demand for High Priced Articles.

Mmimmu mmKr HE demand this season in the

Jf^~ && J£ fur trade has been for the>*$. *•

most expensive articles, and

\u25a0 fiN •& business lor the last year has

yßfe* only fallen off to a small ex-Mjg v^_ tent from the- extraordinarily

jEw Inrpe amount of the year be-fore. Most in demand havebeen the skins of the. Russian

sable, and these have been selling, according to

quality and size, at from $30 to $s<v>. The dark furof these little animals of the weasel family, whichis termed imperial Russian sable-, lias always bepn

the rarest, and this season furriers say that thiscountry has received the greater part cl it. Ther»Is no duty on the raw skins, and they are dressedhere. C. C. Shayne has just received sixty of theskins, for which he paid SS,O-X>.

FUR TRADE ACTIVE.

the faith and the foresight that what had beendone once could be done again; that upon thesame soil, amid the same beauties of nature,

where orchard and rose-garden lie in repose,and with the inspirations of the same romanticlife, but with the added advantages of modernmeans for reaching distant market?, the artistweavers of Persia rould be aroused to respondto the call to accomplish what their fathershad accomplished before them. It was believedthey could be Jbrougut again to reflect the subtlecharm of nature in wool and fadeless dyes, and,moreover, to do It in harmony with the mostrefined standards of Western art.

There, in Persia, were the same unrivalledmasters of the loom in possession of the secretsof the matchless vegetable dyes of ancient Per-sia, and there the indefatigable weavers who.beginning from childhood, develop a keen ap-preciation nf the intricate and ever unconven-tionalized designs and color schemes that follownature in the beauty of suggestive forms andcombinations.

The result of this venture is that over fifteenhundred weavers are now at work on the nu-merous looms of one American firm in Tabizand Meshed, Persia, weaving exclusively for thefirm's shipments to the United States, and pro-ducing ruga from the smallest prayer Sedjadesto the largest carpet sizes, forty to fifty feetlong, equal in texture and coloring1, as veil as indesigning, to th<* choicest of the antique? wovenby the earliest masters of the art.

JAMES H. DUNHAM & CO..SUCCESSORS TO DUNHAM. BUCKLEY *CO..

IMPORTERS AND JOBBERS OF DRY GOODS.Departments:

FOREIGN DRESS GOODS.SILKS AND VELVETS.

DOMESTIC DRESS GOODS AND "WASH GOODSFANCY GOODS ANDNOTIONS.

RIBBONS AND TRIMMINGS.HOSIERY AND (StjOVTBf

WHTTE GOODS AND LINENS.LACES AND EMBROIDERIES.

SHAWLS. WRAPS AND CLOAXBLCLOTH3AND LININGS.BLANKETS AND FLANNEL?.

PRINTS AND DOMESTICS.CARPBT3 AND OILCI/rTES.

«0. M2. SU Broadway. Xeir York.

BOESSXECK. BROESEL & CO.,

IMPORTERS AND COMMISSION* MERCHANTS;

462-46S Broome Street.mm Grerne St.. 75 Worth St.

NEW YORK CITY.

MEYER JONASSON & CO..

CLOAKS AND LADIES' WEAK.

BROADWAY AND TWELFTH STREZT.

XfTrr YORK CITT.

BURTON BROTHERS & CO.,FINE COTTON- UXIXGS.

354 AND 3M BROADTVAT. N. T.

OfflcasaJso tnChicago. Boston. Philadelphia. aM SUn Francisco.W. \u25a0 DERBY *

CO.IMPORTERS AND COMMISSION MERCHANTS.

2S. 30 Greene St. N. T.

CURTIS a. (TI,rN.MANUFACTURERS- AOENT HOSIERY. ETC. Htm Ten Life Bu htßaa N. T.

KR.VX.?fA I'FAr*

ri:RI* CO51AMFACTURERS OF COLORED PETTIT>AT3.__^

43 Leonard St.. N. T.

LINENS.

SHAW BROS..~~~~~"~~-~-~—

—-"*-

LINEN IMPORTERS AND MFRS" AGENTS,_.. 4- 46 Whit* St.. N. T.

LINENS. HANDKERCHIEFS, ETC.crjATn .<\u25a0 ri.vKts.

IMPORTERS OF LINENS!. HANDKERCHIEFS. ETC.37. **Leonard St.. X. T.

RIBBONS.

COREETT. REINHARDT * CO..HIGH NOVELTY AND PLAIN RIRBONS.wsessa lO> Greene St. Mills. Pat»r«on. N. I.

WILLIAM P. GILL. .* Oa51LK RIBBONS. KOBJE3GN AND DOMESTIC._—___-_^ I> Greene St.. N.I

JOSJSni CIIADWICK A sf»\«.

The NewburK Bleachcry. of Kewburg. N". T.,whose New-York agents are Joseph Cbadwtck &Sons, of No. Sit? Broadway, bleaches wn'l finishesline cotton piece goods, shirtings, sheetings, drillsand canton flannels.

WILLIAM CAlinOl.L A CO.One of th< principal firm* of manufacturers and

merchants making and dealing exclusively In everykind and description of men's and women"! strawhats Is William Carroll & Co., of Nos. :,<;-, a id BWBroadway, New- York City. The tlrm was estab-lished upward of twenty years ago, and at pres-ent is composed of XVl'i m Carroll, C. 71 Watsonand <;. A. Schrader. The hats made by WilliamCarroll <v- Co. bear a national reputation, andnr» in great demand by the trade In all parts ofthe United States The firm's principal factory isat Matawan. N. J. About five hundred hands arcemployed, it :

-the constant aim of the firm to

Introduce new shapes every season. A considerablepart of the bu Inei consists of the wholesale casetrade. The linn carries ;m extensive Une of im-ported hats, and is justly celebrated for its tinePorto Rlcans and French palms. This firm Is un-doubtedly a strong leader In the straw hat trade.

staatinople, and they are easily the leaders of th»»drygoods houses of the world.

iiItKKFF A tO.

Qreeff »v Co., Importers nn.i commission mer-rbants. of No. MK4I2 Sprin^-st.. ne sole agents ofth<- }'lneuix silk Manufacturing Company. Themembers ol the rirm are ICmil. Hornhard andErnest F. Oreeff.

lIOEM.XOHAIS A CIiTISaVHoeninghaud & Cnrtlas, composed of F. Hoening-

hatis and 11. W. Curtis*, of No. 469-J7r> Drnome at-drygoods commission merchants, deal extensively indomestic and foreign dress silks, ribbons, novelties,neckwear, silks, etc.. . to.

COTTON GOODS.

L. PPIEOELBEmi * SON.-.COTTON GOODS

14.'.. HI. 14f> 151 "Greene St.. N. V.

ROBERT FRANKLIN ADAMS.MANUFACTURER OF FINISHED COTTON '\u25a0"• <X>OS».

»iran.l an«l M.'r,-»r jSt., N. T.

COTTON CLOTH AND YARN BROKERS.

PRAY & HOWARD,BROKERS COTTON Cl/VTHS AND YARN?.«a. 72 Leonard St.. N. V :•.'\u25a0•> Market S^i.. Provldfnc*.

DRESS GOODS.

EUGENE H. RLOCK.WOOLLEN AND WORSTED DRESS GOODS. ETC.

Corner Br.-.cm. i... Mercer St*.. N. V.

ufacturers and distributers of dry and fancy goods

in the world. This famous business is so closely

identified with the tremendous advance of Ameri-

can manufactures of dry goods, and especially theunequalled production of cotton wares, that It canbe safely said that the IT. B. Claflin Company hasbecome so renowned that even inthe remotest part*

of the world its reputation has extended and th«

demand for its merchandise has been established.Like all reallygreat business enterprises which are

built upon solid foundations, the H. B. Claflin Com-pany has taken many years to develop into the mar-vellous concern which is carried on to-day with itsheadquarters inNew-York City. The history of thiswonderful business is of the most interestingcharacter, a 3 showing what human enterprise,probity, steady perseverance, limitless

(energy and

hard work can accomplish. Horace B. Claflin, thefounder of the business, was born on December IS,

1811. In 1831. wher twenty years of age. he suc-ceeded his father in a general store business at

Milford. Mass.. and the following year a branchwas opened at Worcester. Mass. Here, it was thathe developed his original ideas of furthering theinterests of the drygoods trade. He inauguratednovel and vital changes in busines methods, par-ticularly in advertising. liealso soon realized theadvantage and importance of buying in the New-Tork market. Boston at this period having beenthe chief purchasing centre for the Massachusettsmerchants. The increase in his Worcester busi-ness had become so great, and the shrewd grasp

he had obtained of the marvellous opportunities

offered for successful trading in New-York, whichhad more than doubled its population since be nrst

started in business, that Mr. Claflin determined tolaunch an enterprise In the Queen City of theworld. In 1&13 he entered into a copartnershipwith William F. Bulkiey and founded the great

house which bears his honored name in all partsof the globe at No. 4»J Cedar-st.. starting with themodest capital of $30,000. Some idea of the growthof the business can be gathered from the tact thatIn 1853 itamounted to $1.000.000 In iB6O the businesstransacted reached about $13,500,000. The greatestpurely drygoods business the world has everknown was transacted by the firm in one year(1864) during the Civil War. the sales amounting tothe stupendous sum of J72.000.000. On June 16. l«?n.th« 11. B. Claflin Company was Incorported, witha capital of $9,000,000. fully paid up. The following

are the company's officers: John Clafltn. presi-dent; Edward E. Barnes, first vice-president: Johnr.ipen Eamps. second vice-president and generalmanager: Dexter N Force, treasurer: Stew-art W.Eames, assistant treasurer, and George E. Arm-strong, secretary. The H. B. Claflin Company havebranches in Manchester, Paris, Hamburg and Con-

duration with many of the most prominent houses

in Europe. Asia and Africa.One who had once, worn the exquisite beaver

skins, fox, ermine. Russian sable. Hudson Ba\*able, marten, chinchilla, minx, otter. Persianlamb. Astrakhan lamb. seal, badger, bear andother rich fura would never be likely to mistakeanything leas fine than the real article afterward.

;for the exquisite manner in which the Gunther

1 furs are treated render? them unmistakable in

richness of quality, purity of origin and style Cifinish. It is an education to visit their establish-ment and see the rare furs, learn from whencethey come and for what purpose they are \u25a0**"•At Gunther"a are seen fine robes and coachmen*outfits made of raccoon skins, which resemM*those of the black bear, only they are less ex-pensive. In robes of all sorts the wild beast* ofthe. forest have furnished to C. O. Gunthers Sonspelts unexampled in beauty and treated and maleup in a style which none can surpass.

Of all the industries that of manufacturing thepelts of animals into articles for the use of man-

ikind is the most ancient, and hardly a country;exists in which, to some extent, the skins of dit-1 ferent beasrs are not so us^d at the present tim*.:From the Arctic Circle to the tropics, and again1 southward to the Antarctic regions, the rurs ofiwild animals have contributed to the needs and

the comfort of mankind, and even in the TemperateZone we have learned to thoroughly appreciate theluxury and utilityof furs in view of the suddenchanges of temperature to which the vagaries or

iclimate, subject us.

| THE I.MTED STATES riIIMIWCOMPANY.

The largest finishing, blenching and dyeing plant

Iin the country is that owned by the United StatesiFinishing Company, an organization made up ofIthree immense works for the converting, printing,, dyeing, bleaching and finishing or woollen and cot-

ton goods, situated variously in Fasasic. N. .T.:Fawtucket. R. I. and Norwich. Conn. The com-panies which make up the one bigcorporation had'each before tr.eir consolidation established the

j highest possible reputation for the quality of theirwork. *o that demands upon them through theconverting trade, grew to enormous proportions.Large as these are the company In its present formis able to turn out work to any amount, as itscapacity is practically unlimited. The. three great

1 plants which hold so important a position in theUnited States Finishing Company are by no meansthe only ones which go to make up the works ofthat vast organization. Other splendid, it lessextensive, plants contribute to the resources andthe success of that company, and all alike areequipped with the latest processes of manufactureand the most perfect methods for carrying on theirwork.

Officers from the leading corporations which weremerged into ope were selected to control the af-fairs of the new company, which was incorporatedin im with \u25a0 capital of $.*.<V>>.C<vi. The UnitedStates Finishing Company does printing, dyeing

and finishing upon a varied class of fabrlca, siicbas shirtings, lawns, sleeve linings, cheviots, cam-brics', draperies, pantaloons, rubber cloth. Italianrolled silesias, Hollands, pocketlngs. colored duck.cretonnes and embo;.Fed linings, wigans. clastic,canvas, sheetings, hosiery and umbrellas. It is asort of paradox that the larger the company grows

and the more perfect its equipments become thefewer number of customers they have. Th» ex-planation of this is that the greatest Brass in thecountry are so pleased with the work executed forthem by the company that Instead of parcellingout different classes of their work to differentplants they turn all over to one. with results emi-nently satisfactory all around.

The officers of the United States Finishing Com-pany are men who have had long training in thelines of business in which they are engaged. Since*the incorporation of the United States FinishingCompany the various properties operated underthat name have gone on adding to their facilitiesnnd capacity, putting In th* very latest and mostperfect machinery and turning out goods whichnave no superior in the market. Thte combinationof interests gives employment at good wages tomany thousands of people, improves th" propertywhere the planrs and their factory villages arelocated, and puts upon the market millions ofyards of.fabrics of many klnd«. treated in the bestmanner known to modern arts, chemicals andmachinery.

.1. H. Wright is the president and general man-aKT and J. Hunt Smith the treasurer

The celebrated Norwich Bleaching. Dyeing andPrinting Company, the justly famous Dunneli Man-ufacturing Company, the Sterling Dyeing and Fin-ishing Company and the Reed & Barry Co. havegained and lost none of their prestige by becominga part of a greater corporation. Their rapacity forhandling work is vastly superior under the newmanagement, for the reason thai it has unlimitedcapital back of it and increased facilities forhandling business.

CUREXCE WHITMAN A CO.Holding on« of the very foremo.«t position* hi the

drygoods trade of the country, the firm of ClarenceWhitman £- Co.. of No.-. ro and 41 Ivonard-st..New-York City, withbranches In Chicago. St. .Louisar.d Philadelphia, is celebrated throughout th«»world's commercial community. No house in thetrade has done raor» to develop domestic manu-factures of drysoods, which it has forced to thefront In th* face nt imported poods of similarcharacter. no that the cr.i-oi:ras<"m«>r.r to Americanmanufacturers has been ar—tly strengthened byth» action of Clarence Whitman * Co. Domesticfabrics are fast overhauling and in many in-stances have caught up to and passed th» <iu<tiujof Imported materials, and manufacturers arenaturally stralniu every nerve, employing every< *nt of capital at their command and devoting theirlives and energies to produce j:oods that no othercountry can surpass, and thus keep th« consump-tion of every variety of drygoods ln the UnitedStates practically confined to those of domesticmanufacture. Owing to the increasing excellenceof domestic manufactures and the. support givento manufacturers by soca firms •>-> Clarence Whit-man &. Co., their pushing the sates of domesticgoods to the Jobbers and the retail trade, and th*latter, in their turn. Impressing the American pub-lic with the excellence of th< native productions ,the importing trade la rapidly rlndire keener com-petition. It was in ISIS, nearly a quarter of acentury ag». that the brothers K. C. and Clar neeWhitman established themselves in business InNew-York City as dr> goods commission merchant*,principally dealing in fancy drygoods, silks, cur-tains, etc. Such was the energy and abilityof these*two young merchant princes that their businessgrew- rapidly and quit.- kept pace with the increas-ing prosperity of the country. Expanding underthe system of fair trading, which was placed, con-ducted and still remains at the highest possiblestandard by the brothers Whitman, the fame oftheir business was quickly spread through th»length and breadth of the land. Th" name ofWhitman speedily became a household word amongthe jobbers and th«" retail trade in every State. Atno bouse could they secure £•"\u25a0>. is of better qualityat more reasonable i.•••.--. longer credit or fairerdealing than with the firm of K. C. & C. Whit-nan. Th« result of the prosperity and satisfactionderived by the customers of the tirm had Its natu-ral effect upon the development of it.- trade. Afterthe lamented death of Sir K. C. Whitman hisbrother. Mr. Clarence Whitman, succeeded to thebusiness, which finally adopted the firm name ofClarence Whitman A. Co. The, partners now are-Clarence Whitman. James S. Whitman. E. S.Twining.C. Morton Whitman and L.B. Frieze.

SHIRTS.

V HENRY ROTHSCHILD CO..MANUFACTURERS AND PEALERS IN SHIRTS.

43 Leonard St.. N. T.NEW COLUMBIA SHIRT CO..MAKERS OF TUB POPULAR NEW COLUMBIASHIRT.

\u25a0s«y.iroom>. "U. 7">l Bro*4way. N. T.

SILKS. SUITS AND COSTUMES.

J. & M. COHN.SILK its .wo COSTUME?.NO\ ELTIES in WOOL AND COTTON waists, SVUC

WAISTS. KTC.13». 101. JO3. IWV. 107. I'MOREBNE ST.. N. T.

Branch Factory. Newark. X. J.

SHIRTS. WAISTS, ETC.

HrTtrrcHixsox, pierce & coT•SHIRTS. WAISTS AND UNDERWEAR.

MADE UNDER THE FAMOUS "STAR" TRADEMAX*-R#eognliea tor y«ar» as th» standard mat*.

*42~54* BROADWAY. N. Y.

SILK GOODS.

ALFRED K. WRIGHT & CO..SILK SPECIALTIES FOR JtFG. TRADE.

83 Gf«n* 6t-._S:_Jj

SILKS AND SATINS.

RUE. HALLETT & HODONE.DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN SILKS AND SATINS.

402, 494 Broom* St.. v ':

UNDERWEAR, ETC.

A. W. PORTER A CO.. _„KNITI'NTHRWBAR. COMMISSION. EXPORT. ETC.

43. 43 White St.. X »•

BAMUEL P. BTTRRFIIu"

DISTRIBUTOR OF iIFRS.' KNITINDSR^E-tR-. ;_ ;»«. 2M ci»'"*h st- **•

|

-

WOOLLENS.

JEAN F. SCHIEB. \u25a0•

FOREIGN" TTOOLLEN3, \u0084 <••' 57 Gretas Wt

* T>

Th<» American silk manufacturer has pursued

a path similar to that of liif confrere in the

cotton industry. Two years .'•go the silk trade

-was in an extremely unsatisfactory condition.

It seemed at that time as if every mill man-acer had determined to make one class of goods.

and Hist ihe simplest and easiest to weave.Cheapness was the only Inducement offered to

the buyer. The result was seen in overproduc-tion, adulteration, assignments and general de-moralization. Bat when matters reach theirvorst they begin to mend. The manufacturers«jnakc up i" the situation. Diversifying theirjiroduct. they avoided th" piling up of merchan-dise, and instead of selling goods on the ab-surd basis of -"a new dollar for *nold one" were*ocn in a position to make a ii\ingprofit. The."beginning of 11V12 found scarcity and high prices

.-•where a year before had been heavy bocks andA>ottornless prices.

The manufacturers of silk ribbor have also.pood reason to congratulate themselves on theyear's operations. '\u25a0\u25a0 demand for this classfafmerchandise has been irdinary. for rib-t>ons have achieved unwonted popularity with(the fair sex. being now pal to a larger number

\u25a0C ii-.- than at any foimer period.Importations of manufactures of silk in 1902

samouii:. t to $32,640,212. This was In excess, of•the importations cf liii: ($3L,172.594) and of1597 (525.19f-l.o<J7>. due largely to the increasedITavor shown to velvets ::n<l ribbons. The steadyjprowth of the American silk industry is provedfey the constant inereas<- of importations of rawsilk, which in the riscai year 1902 were valuedSt 141.714 \u25a0

\u25a0 agaln«a \u25a0 .- '.'l^._iv: in IS.!? andi25,063.87!< in 181*2.

Producers of men's wear woollens have scoredc> very satisfactory year. The demand has kept.close to the supply, and with an exceptionally*trong market for raiv materials there baa been«-verything to encourage clothiers and other con-sumers to provide not only for Immediate but£or future wants. Th" same holds true of Cab-rics suitable for the manufacture of women'stuner garments.

The importations of men's wear woollens de-creased from 12.513.27H pounds in 1802' and 27.-K"i:4.:;Jl pounds In LfciSi to 1,730.999 pounds in3302.

Woollen materials for women's dresses and•\u25a0ostumes have been in remarkably large de-mand throughout the year. One of the chiefoutlets for such products is furnished by thePhir.,ent manufacturing industry, which of lateyears has assumed enormous proportions. Thereare now very few women who disdain to wear aready made coat or suit, while, costumes of anexceptionally elaborate character are success-fully and profitably made in a limited numberof factories.

All this has lessened the pale ot dress fabricsby the yard. In fact, two years ago retailers\u25a0were sorely exercised as to the loss of profit, In«=uch lines, yet during 1:« r the great majority ofdress goods departments have reported in-creased sales to the extent of 40 per cent; this,too, in the face of an expansion equally greatin the distribution of garments.

Importation of dress poods decreased from78,573.033 square yard? in 1592 to 52.555.042.Here comparison with ISft" is not possible, astinder the Wilson tariff duty was assessed atrates per pound instead of by measurement.

Throughout the year the textile industry hasbeen unusually free from strikes, the only im-portant struggle being that of the dyers' help-ers in the Xew-Jersey «ilk mills. After a. ces-sation cf twelve weeks, which deprived hun-dreds of other operatives of work by shuttingoff the supply of raw material, the strike wasdeclared off. the employers declining to accedeto the operatives' demands.

The knlr goods industry is a branch of textilemanufacture in which a most gratifying degreeof success has been achieved by American mills.Our imports of knit underwear and particu-larly of hosiery steadily decline, in the face ofour rapidly Increasing population, while the out-put of American mills as continuously grows.This branch of Industry has shared very fullyin the prosperity which has marked the year.

Th«! dlfßculty right along has been to keep pace•»\u25a0 i«h the demand, and this more especially inthe underwear section of the trade.

Our imports of cotton krit goods, which in thefiscal year ISS2 were valued at $5,833,652, andIn 1897 at 55.596.703. amounted in the fiscaly«*r of 1902 to 5"

"'"'"15. Imports of wool

knit •Toode. which in IMC were valued at $1,-362.853. and in 1897 at $2..V'1.«(08. have declined•until this year they reached" the small figureof 5571rfi6s.

The importation of cotton knit goods is con-fined to r»rrain kinds, mote especially fineribbed u^:*- ar for women and the lace andembroidered kesiery now so popular. But forthe favor shown to the last named article im-T-iruLtion? would show a far greater decline,in fact.' German manut'ncturers- describe the

\u25a0\u25a0^rfwnt jar' on as ;'-.-:r "salvation." recognlz-

While, however, the new mills art; compara-

tivelyfew. the extensions of old plants and the

increase of production by the introduction of

Improved machinery must not be owrlooked.

In the South mills of onus* large capacity

have r*-»n begun, and in one or two cases com-

An Important feature of th° year 5n tex-

tiles ras been the improvement and greater dl-versification of the product. Many cotton millsIn New-England which formerly produced fab-

rics of a simple and distinctly staple character

f-.avr undergone-

complete change in equip-

snent. They have been "rigged up" to spin yarns

«fmuch finer count, BAd to weave them into the

novelty materials which, by their originality

»nd attractiveness, command a much hicher

price. This commendable step has been taken

•by the management as a result of the steady

JnVrcase of Southern mills md the continuous

progress made in the production of goods higher

Ivqua.lHv and more carefully woven. The print-

ing of cotton fabrics has been elevated to a fine

'iui In the rnited States, as elsewhere, and the

combined energy and enterprise of weaver an<l

printer have placed upon the market fabricspearly as diaphanous in texture and beautiful Indesign --,: any that can be imported.

Despite th» progress made by American manu-

facturers, we still continue to import <-onsid<-ra-

"We quantities of printed goods, the quantity

"being 32.*0TJ23S square yards In 1892. 35,H37^_f»

Fduare yards in-

•:. and 15.440.314 square

•\-ards hi IW£. This anomaly is explained by

Ihe desire' for individuality of design, since In jpoint, of both quality and beauty the American

pooris are a close second. to those of France and

Switzerland. On the other band, our importa-

tions of "gray" or unfinished cotton fabrics have

decreased from 1.572.224 square yards in I*o2and 3.177.211 square yards in iv»T to <42,011

In \u25a0\u25a0>:

AKTKO the drygoods trade

as a whole, the last twelve-month has been .i profita-ble one. in place of.the«ccunrulation which twoyears ago was a somewhatmarked feature of

"more

than one branch of dry-goods production, difficulty

has been experienced in fill-ing orders. Higher prices

*iiv*»naturally followed.

The strength thus ensuing has been increasedriy steadily advancing quotations for raw ma-

terials. Silk, wool and cotton have been in lib-

eral demand, and with a. supply below rather

Than above requirements the market has beencontinuously sustained. This is especially trueof spool, which, owing to the prolonged drouth

in Australia, v.ill Isssely reach still higher fig-

ure*.

It Is somewhat remarkable that, despite thegratifying, demand for textile, fabrics through-

out the year, there has been no reckless increasejn the number of plants. Probably this con-servatism is attributable, in part, to the num-

ber of other opportunities for the investmentof capital which have been provided, and, inpart again, 'n the high rates which money hasgenerally commanded.

Revival of Rug Making—

It Is a RegularBusiness Now Carried on Under

Modern Methods.of tbe most remarkable aspects in the

development of American commerce has beent!.. growth ani progress of the trad'- in theflnoi coverings of the Orient, particularly Inthose coming from the rup provinces of Persia,wiij.-hhave been famous since th<-- most *n<-iomday? I>.r thr- products of their looms, only :i

few years ago, well in the memory of lovers ofOriental art. American trade In Oriental rup;s

\va? confined to a few liou:-^ In the larger c -itl'-s".It was dependent, moreover, upon thi- periodicarrival of invoices of old ruKs collected in Tur-kej and Persia, together with some modernrugs m brightcolors.

Coming from regions far distant from oneai other and totally different in condition? andsurroundings, these products of the Kasternweaver's art presented a medley of weave andoolortac from the crude and shaggy s lrir,s thathad covered the tent-floor of the Kurdish chtefin his mountain retreat, to the exquisite gems Ofmost delicate color and perfect workmanshipthai the master weavers of Ispahan had wovenfor the paze of royal princes.

The standard? of true art being universal,It was natural for lovers of art in Americato be attracted by the quaint yet marvellousbeauty of color and design in the choicest ofOriental nips, which before long found their\u25a0way to the homes of the educated and refinedpeople throughout the country. The Kuropeanmarkets, however, had also their demand forthese collections from the mansions and shrinesof the Orient, and soon the stream* bogan to

run dry. first here and then there. Within a

decade the Oriental rug trade has undergone aremarkable revolution, in consequence of its pe-culiar character.

From accidental beginnings, with haphazardshipments and a course of trade without anyapparent foundation for development, the im-portation of Oriental rugs has come to have afixed and prominent plac as an established andimportant branch of American commerce withthe Orient. At the outset a new collection ofantique rugs reaching the American marketwould create a new demand, and forthwith col-lectors wouM ransack all the unfrequentei cor-ners of the Oriental provinces to secure thechoicest pieces of the kind, and for a time therewould come shipments of rugs that delightedthe lovers of Oriental art with their beauti'ul*heen. gorgeous color schemes and the soft tintsof sunset skies. And then, when the collectorhad done his work, it was the end. Thus it isthat what ten years ago were articles of com-merce are to-day to be sought as curiosities,and antiques of Bokharas. Kazaks, Karabaghsand Iranf. of all graies are passing into thesame category.

To bring out of this situation a stable con-dition of trade that would be susceptible of de-velopment in proportion to the demand was theproblem that had to be solved.

The foundation of this modern enterprise was

FROM LOOMS OF PERSIA

trip the enormous strides made by Americanmanufacturers in the production of other lines.

With importers of drygoods 1902 has been anequally prosperous year. Perhaps the lace andembroiders' field has led in the race, for fashionhas, favored the use of these materials in anexceptional degree. Here, too, American enter-prise has made itself felt, and not only havenew factories been installed in this country, hutolder establishments have increased their out-put very materially.

Kid gloves have met with an unusually grati-fying consumption, and here likewise importinghouses have scored, while our domestic manu-facturers have largely increased their alreadyextensive business. <

A drygoods business which has sprung" upwithin recent years in this country is the manu-facture of neckwear for women. All sorts ofnovel conceits In neck dressing have been in-troduced, many of these being of most elaborateand costly character. At a time of such un-exampled prosperity as the present these articlesof luxury rind ready sale, and their productionhas proved >xtrentely remunerative.

Among distributers of drygoods evidences ofprosperity are very apparent. Failures havebeen unusually few. and such as have occurredhave been due to special conditions, which Insome eases dated back a number of years. Onthe other hand, the year has witnessed a mar-vellous development of the facilities for doingbusiness. A Chicago wholesale house, has justmoved into newly erected premises covering al-most the entire area of two city blocks, andhaving a floor space equivalent to sixteen acres.A great retail bouse In the same city has en-larged its quarters until the area employed forthe selling and handling of merchandise is closeto four acres In Philadelphia largo, exten-; sione have been effected by drygoods firms, oneof these contesting the palm for extent of storewith the Chicago retail house just referred to.In our own city we have seen an old estab-

fished retail firm remove to a newly built storewhich, it is believed, holds the record for size inthis country. Another retailer is to build amodern department store on the site of the storevacated. And. meanwhile, an entirely new re-tail establishment of considerable proportions

j ha* been added to New-York's already long listof drygoods establishments. All over the coun-

!try the story is Hi. same. Scarcely a city, from! the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the northern:border to he Gulf, but can boast its new store!buildings and enlargements of existing plants.

Th" outlook for the coming year Is very fa-vorable for manufacturers and distributers <>ftextiles. The advance sales of cotton fabricsfor spring consumption have exceeded all previ-ous records. Manufacturers of wool andworsted dress materials have disposed of thebulk of their production of spring merchandise.an<3 are now preparing samples of autumn fab-vies for the inspection of the buyers for whole-Rale houses and the larger retail stores, whowill,early in February, visit the market with aview to placing orders.

In view of the higher prices on wool, moreespecially the high grade Australian variety,which is essential to the production of fineworsted fabrics, it Is a foregone conclusion -thatthese collections of new st\ !• s will be openedat an advance over the spring lines. Indeed, tosuch an extent r:re manufacturers in the dark astc how far the increase In values will go thaithe opening of these collections willbe deferredlo the latest possible date.

j Manufacturers of silk will continue for some| time to tarn out spring lines. The prospect for

this branch of the Industry is such as shouldencourage every American mill manager, as wellas every importer. A large demand for silksduring V.*<: Is assured, for many v 111 be theuses of such fabrics, in addition to the call forsilk« for making up garments, large quantities"f taffetas will he required for linings. The.tendency in wool dress materials for spring petsstrongly toward the upe of diaphanous weaves,which must be made over a drop skirt of Bilk.In addition cotton fabrics of a sheer, gauzycharacter, which will be liberal] employed dur-ing the heated term, must of necessity be madeover a filk foundation, affording another ex-tensive outlet for the queen of fabrics.

This Rtati of affairs Is far from conducive toth<> interests of the mills producing cotton lin-ing?. There is always a certain demand for theheavier grades of surii fabric*, for this is hcountry of vast extent, numbering many na-tionalities among its people. Very !ine qualitiesof percalines are also in perennial demand.Nevertheless, Bilk has largely replaced cottonfor lining purposes, and willcontinue to do so.

In the commission nun jobbing houses of New-York's wholesale drygoods district expansion Isthe watchword for ]'\u25a0*>'\u25a0'-. A very few old estab-lished firms will withdraw from business, butthe active members of thoir personnel will joinother concerns, contributing thereto addedstrength and vitality.

All over the country preparations are beingmade tor a year ofincreased and profitable busi-ness. Vow employes of drygoods houses, whole-sal» and retail, but can find places— a sun- proofof satisfactory conditions within the tr:«d<\

With a continuance of the remarkable pros-perity of the la*V"few years, the textile indus-try cannot but duplicate in the coming twelve-month the satisfactory record of 1902

SAMUEL H. DITCHManapin? Editor of "The Dry Goods Econo-

mist."

LOOKING WEST IN WALIrST.Trinity ch,ir.ii on the fur'ii'r sM<^ of Broadway, blocks I)..- %!<•.\u25a0. The United States Bub-Treas-

ury, with ' • of \Vashlngton. on ifi<- ri«ht. On the left, almost behind the lamppovt, 1« theentrance I \u25a0 and banking bouse of J. \u25a0'. Morgan, ;>t th. soul \u25a0 M •-:•\u25a0\u25a0 •\u25a0C Broad andWall

"The den and has* been almost too great to fill."Bald Mr. Shayne. "Garments have been made offrom Fix to eighteen skins, and those of th* popular

color and size sHi for about ??.:/">. Muffs, with stole*to match, have* been in demand. The-v; have nold at

from U.SOO to 12,900 Among the large sales Ihaverecorded are one for $3,000, for a cloak and muff;onefor $7,150, for a cape, muff and neck piece; one of18.000, for a cloak and muff, and one of $0,500, for arobe. Comparing my business this year with thatof 1901J In October this year It «m 50 per centlarger; In November. 15 per cent larger, and in De-cember. a per cent larger."

The stone marten, which in farmer yean wasBold as a. substitute lor Russian sable. has not beenpopular. These Bkins were often dyed to make \u25a0<

better imitation. Now, the whole demand seemsto be for natural skins.

Other fur* th I h:ive been used extensively thisseason are th" sea otter which sold at from P.OOOtr» $2,000; silver fox. which sold at from $200 to Ji.-

100, and natural black fox, which sold at from $1-500 to $.i.'>>.'. Chinchilla; mink awl ermine have alsobeen sold in large quantities. Chinchilla, the mostdelicate an<i silken of .-ill fur, has been shown thisseason In a very fln< quality. The fur Is lone andwonderfully line In texture, hi,o has been muchBought after In mak.fni; muffs, boas, trimmings andlinings for coat*. Mink, which is susceptible ofbeing made into almost an: article of apparel, thepelt being very soft and pliable, has been chieflyused in capes and jackets. The fur of the ermine,

which Is only from eight to twelve incnes lot K. isbeing used for robes, linings and trimmings.

Siberian squirrel Is being used more mis yearthan ever before for muffs, stoles .md trimmings.

The work of placing the nklns of all these smallanimals together Is a very important factor In themanufacture of a garment, and matching theMrii><\s and shades of the furs necessitates .iselec-tion of great care. This, with the workmanship,greatly increases the cost of a garment. Now thatthese skins have become popular for capes andcloaks the fur dealers arc making nn extra profiton the work on garments.

Sealskins on account of their great beauty andsuitableness for articles such as jackets, mantlesand cloaks, as they are readily formed to lit thebody, and are not cumbersome In appearance, havt:

'been shown in exceptionally fine, grade? TheAlaska. whins have been the most highly valued,with the so-called Northwest Coast skins nearly asfin*. Those from Copper Island (one of th. Aleu-tian group) have been next in point of excellence.while the Lobes Island (Cape Hope), Tiobhln islandand Japanese have been of fair quality. All theseskins are difficult to judge, as there are twenty-onedifferent qualities in colored sealskins.

AMERICAN WOOLEN COMPANY.Some idea of the Immense business done in the

manufacture of woolen and worsted fabrics In thiscountry la gained from the fact that the AmericanWoolen Company owns and operates no less thantwenty-seven groups of thirty-three plants. Theseplants occupy 610 acres of land. The mills run426.627 spindles and C.437 looms, and give employ-ment to 22.000 person.' The company is capitalizedat 00,000.000. The m. who have so ably finan-ciered and managed th. valuable properties areFrederick Ayer. president; William W. Wood,treasurer; Edward W. Chapin, assistant treasurer-Joseph T. Shaw, secretary, and an efficient boardof directors, composed of Frederick Aver Will-iam W. Wood. Charles It. Flint. James PhillipsJr., Edwin C. Seift. John Hogg, Francis W. Klt-tredge. Samuel P. Colt. Edward i*. Chapin and J.Clifford Woodhull. Great care is shown in theselection of the wool used in these mills.

C. L. IIAI'MIKIt& CO.One of the oldest and most important houses en-

gaged in the cotton goods trade is C. 1,. Bausher& Co.. of New-York, Boston and Chicago. TheNew-York establishment Is located at Nos. 32 34and .*• Thomas-.- 1.. The business was originallyestablished in Boston by Gardiner Brewer & CoThey are the selling agents for the products of theM?utTvln™Slu"ri^?r pany and the AnK.ry

BOETTCER A HIXZE.Boettger ft Hinze. of No. 500 Broome-nU andworks at Nos 734-744 East One-hundred-and-forty-fourth-st.. have made a reputation for care-ful and delicate, work in finishing broad silk goods.

BATTELLE, HIRD A CO.One of the leading firms in the drygoods commis-

sion business Is that of Battelle. Hurd & Co. Thefirm has offices at Nos. 53 and 65 Worth New-York, and No. 100 Arch-st, Boston.H. B. CLAFLI* COMPAXY.

With the marvellous growth of New-York Cityand its almost Incredible advance as the QueenCity of the world's commerce must be associatedthe firm and gradual development of the H. B.Claf-llnCompany, the largest importers, exporter?, man- j

C. G. GtXTHER'S SOX?.A fur importing and manufacturing company

\u25a0that is so ancient and so representative as to forman important detail In the growth and grandeurof modern New- York 1p that of C. G. Gunther'pSons, of No. 184 Flfth-av*., established in 1820.Thiß house brings to the fur trade nearly a centuryof knowledge and experience in the purchasing andhandling of furs, and it has exceptional facili-ties for securing raxe. furs, skhis and pelts, nwiajto its connections of nearly one hundred years"

.J. W. GODDARD »v so.\«.Established in 1847 by the late J. W. Goddard.

one. of the leading houses In the dryßoodp trade oithis country is J. W. Goddard & Sons. The firmis celebrated throughout the trade in the UnitedStates, England and Europe, as being th*> onlylarge house In the world that covers the wholefield of linings and trimmings for the clothing,tailoring and drygooda trades it carries also allkinds of buttons, braids and buckles for the cloth-ing and trimming trades. Like many of the hugemercantile bouses of New-York City, this businesswas started in \u25a0 modest way. and gradually ex-panded with the trade of the metropolis. The lateJ. W. Goddard began business in .i small storeat No. 57 Willlam-st.. and his integrity and strictbusiness methods caused the business to growrapidly. From time to time the firm removed tomore commodious premises, until finally it settleddown In a home of its own in 1881, at n>j.-. PS. 100and 102 Bleeeker-st. The firm was reorganized onJanuary 1. 1301. by the admission as partners ofVvnmer A. Baldwin and Joseph Mathers both orwhom had been with the house twenty-five year?

A pleasing feature in connection with the firmis the spirit of harmony which exists among it.«employes. Treated with generosity, considerationand justice, every employe feels an enthusiasticpleasure in working for the firm, as he would forhimself, and this is without doubt a factor in thecommercial prosperity of the firm. Captain *.Norton Goddard is the present head of the houseCaptain Goddard. aside from commercial circles. isalso a. conspicuous figure in the public life of New-York City, his efforts as leader of the XXth Assem-bly District, to secure good municipal governmentfor the metropolis, have been gratefully appre-ciated by all.

nt\K EXPORT AMI COMMISSION COMPANY.The Cone Export and Commission Company, of

Nos. 74-7fi Worth-.st.. New -York, and Greensboro.X. C. has been extremely suec esful In Introducingthe cotton Roods produced by the new Southernmills.THE DOIIERTY A WADSWORTH COMPACT.

The Doherty &- Wadswortn Company^ >r Nos.138-110 Spring \u25a0• New-York, with mills at Paterson-N. .1.. hiv extensive manufacturers of dress andneckwear -Ilk.'-, and have built up .\u25a0 large trade.

GAKIUSOX. WRKiHT A CO.Garrison. Wright .v .•,,.. importers of ladles'

dress trimmings, laces and buttons at No* 636 ami538 Broadway and No. 35 Spring-st., do" on ex-tensive business In their lino.

DYERS AND BLEACHERS.

RERNIIEIMKR & WALTER.~

PRINTERS. BLEACHERS. DYERS OF COTTON" GOODS12l> Franklin St.. N. v'

FANCY GOODS AND NOTIONS.

S. E. HOWARD'S SON" A CO..FANCY GOODS AND NOTIONS.

IS Mercer St.. x. V

GLOVE MANUFACTURERS.A. H. FISCHER & CO..

"*" "MFRS. AND IJirTRP. KIP AND SUEDE CLOVES

j «>4 Br.v>m< St.. N.V.PAUL FLOQUEfT,

~~~GLOVES MADE OF LEATHER

[ 58. FlO Greene •) . x. <r.REYNIER FRERES CELEBRATED GLOVESH. A. CAESAR & CO. m. BERTHAUD. MGR >-

Annex. 47. \u25a0\u25a0*& White St v y.SCHWARTZ. 6CHIFFER * CO.

GLOVE MANUFACTURERS.. Broadway. N. T.T. T. REYNOLDS •

~ -MAGGSOKU FRANCESCO KID GLOVES -,:>""*>to 9* Grand St.'. X. T.

6DRYGOODS.

4Ppfv