July 24, 1886





The   Record  and Guide.





941





THE   RECORD   AND   GUIDE,

Published every Saturday.

191 BroadTArav, IST. "ST.

Onr Telephone Call Is.....JOSN 370.





TERMS:

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J. T. LIKDSEY, Business Manager.





Vol. XXXVIII.





JULY 24, 1886.





No. 958,





A volume which should be in the hands of every builder, con¬
tractor, architect, and owner and dealer in real estate, is now
ready and can be procured at the office of The Record and
Guide. It is a new edition of the law relating to buildings in
the City of New York, with added matter, marginil n^tes and
colored engravings to illustrate the subject. It contains the laio
limiting the height of divelling-houses, also the existing Mechanics^
Lien Law. This work is edited by William J. Fryer, Jr., whose
original and well-thought-out comments give it a special value.
The volume will also contain a complete directory of architects
in New York, Brooklyn, Jersey City, Newark and Yonkers. The
book is handsomely bound in cloth, and is sold at the low price of
seventy-five cents, by mail eighty five cents.





On the v5rhole we have had a moist, cool summer here. East, and
consequently tbe hay crop over a large section of the Eastern and
Middle States is the largest we have had for seven years. But in
other parts of the country the weather has been m^xed. It has
been too hot in large areas west of the Mississippi to the injury of
all the growing cereals, especially spring wheat and oats. There is
complaints that corn is suffering from want of rain, but that plant
will stand a good deal of dry weather. Our winter wheat is the
best grown for many years, both in quality and quantity. In any
event we will have an abundance of food for man and beast, and
our railway companies are sure of a good fall business. The cotton
crop will not be as large as for the last two years, but even if that
and corn is short prices will be better and they will be worth as
much to the producers. Very hot weather is reported across the
water.





The past has been a dull week in business circles, but a confident
feeling in the future is manifested everywhere. Stocks have been
strong—Erie and the Vanderbilts leading wiih good buyingon the
London Stock Exchange and the Continental Bourses. "When our
securities were under a cloud last spring the foreigners sold theirs,
but the higher prices now prevailing does not deter these same
speculators from buying Amei-ican stocks eagerly. The coal trade
does not look very well, and the surplus on hand is so large that
the production for August is to be cut down from 3,250,000 to
2,500,000 tons ; but it is hoped that this will get rid of the surplus
of 600,000 and warrant an advance of 25 cents a ton. It is claimed
by those who have studied the subject that more coal will be
mined and consumed during the last half of this year than ever
before in the history of the country for a similar period, and this
because of the prosperity of our manufacturing industries.





Trade seems to be looking up, temporarily at least, in Great
Britain. The woolen industries have all revived, and there is a
better feeling in cotton goods. There has been some more life in
steamship building, and the exports for the last two quarters show
an increase over previous returns. But iron, the key to the indus¬
trial situation, is still slow of pale, and does not advance in price as
on this side of the ocean. We question, however, whether there
can be any permanent improvement in the trade of any of the
nations of the Old World unless silver is remonetized. Prices will
tend downward as gold enhances in purchasing power, but of
course at times there will be reactions and spurts of activity which
will always be followed by dullness and still lower quptations for
all articles which enter into the trade of the world.





wholly due to the marvelous industrial development of the South.
Memphis has got to be the great cotton centre of tbe world, and
then the second, third and fourth-rate cities are having as marvelous
a growth as the first-class places. Unfortunately the statistics of
building are not kept, except in a few instances, by the dif¬
ferent municipalities, the States or the nation. Just now there is an
enormous consumption of bricks, stone, lumber, lime and the metals
and other materials used in building, but the statistics are almost
wholly wanting. We tried to have the government collect them, for it
would serve a useful purpose if it could be known how much money
was invested yearly in business operations. We doubt whether
this exces-ive activity is quite wholesome. We fear it will be fol¬
lowed by several years of dullness, if not actual collapse.





The year 1886 will be memorable for the great expansion it will
witness of the cities of this country. All accounts agree that build¬
ing was never so active in the great ce? tres of population. Our
readers are well aware of what New York and Brooklyn have been
doing in the way of building, for we have given the figures repeatedly
since January last; but our people generally are not cognizant of
the magnitude of building operations in other cities. The same story
comes from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Chicago, St.
Louis, Kansas City, Denver, St. Paul, Duluth and San Francisco.
Oincinnati hasbeien making giant strides lately in population, almost





The proposed amendments to the extradition treaty now existing
between this country and England ought to be indorsed by the
St^nate without much opposiaon. Should both governments agree
to it Canada would no longer be a land of refuge for bank default¬
ers, betrayers of financial trusts and the agents of boodle aldermen.
This treaty ako provides that refuge shall be denied the dyna¬
miter. This provision will have the hearty acquiescence of the
people of both countries.





It is discreditable to the civilized nations of the world that some
general treaty has not long been in force for tbe extradition of and
punishment of avowed criminals. What with steam, the telegraph
and the telephone, the violator of laws desigijed to protect society
should not feel himself safe in any civilized or even semi-civilized
country. Bill Tweed, it will be remembered, fled to Spain.with which
country we have no extradition treaty ; but the Spanif«h govern¬
ment surrendered him, though not under any obligation to do so.
But it would be a great deterrent of crime if the murderer, robber
or dynamiter fully realized that he was safe nowhere on earth,
unless near the poles or far into the interior of Africa. It would
greatly redound to the credit of the administration of President
Cleveland if a grand convention of all the nations was held to come
to an understanding that would outlaw the criminal classes from

the habitable portions of the earth.

--------•--------

The Washington Commissioner of Agriculture calls attention to
the remarkable annual increase in the acreage of corn. It has
become the favorite crop of our farmers for many weighty
reasons. It is a surer crop than wheat. If the price is not satis¬
factory it can be fed to hogs and other cattle. New uFes for it
are constantly being discovered, and th n we have an even more
perfect monopoly of it than we have of cotton. It is growing in
favor abroad also, and is the best stand-by of our farming popu¬
lation. A good corn crop fills the land with animal products for
several years after it is gathered. There is, however, a limit to
the amount of land available for corn growing, while there is no
limit practically to the soil upon which wheat may be grown;
hence the certainty that corn will be a safer crop to grow year
after year. With any kind of luck this year, we ought to harvest
2,2.0,000,000 bushels of corn.

--------•--------

Of course it is all right to bury the telegraphic and telephone
wires—indeed this ought to have been done long 8i|pce; but why
bring into existence a new corporate monopoly to profit by per¬
forming this very necessary work ? Every new company which
is given exclusive privileges is certain to be worked in the interests
of its stockholders, and is a constant menace to the purity o? muni¬
cipal oflficials. Surely our experience of ferry corporations and
horpe-car companies thoald warn us not to bring into existence
another organization likely to make immense profits from facili¬
ties granted by city and State enactments. Let the city itself
build the subway and charge reasonable rates for its use, but let no
more monopolies be brought into being.





At a convention- of the master painters, held in Philadelphia
recently, there was some discussion as to the necessity of devising
some means for reviving the apprenticeship system in the painting
trade. The ranks of the house painters have been for years past
recruited almost wholly from among foreigners, as the tradei
unions had practically put a stop to American boys learning this
trade. There is a great deal of building taking place all over the
country, and house painters as well as workmen in other of the
building trades are very scarce. The master mechanics and con¬
tractors interested in building should see to it that technical
schools are established and maintained to keep up the supply of
workmen needed in the building interest. There is always a super¬
abundance of unskilled workmen, but never too many trained
craftsmen. The movement now under way to teach the boys and
girls in our public schools various handicrafts should be encouraged.

•----------

The following has been introduced into the Board of Aldermen:

Resolved, That a committee of three members of this Board be appointed

by the Chair to consider the advisability of uniting the cities of New York

trnd Brooklyn, Yonkers, Long Islaud City, and such adjacent territory em