PULSATING NEW YORK

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 147, 24 June 1931, Page 10

PULSATING NEW YORK

INTERESTING PEN PICTURE NEW ZEALANDER’S IMPRESSIONS LIFE IN BUSTLE OF TRADE i Mr F. C. Atkinson, of Wanganui, has j received an interesting letter from a • triend of his in business in New York. The writer makes no apologies for a ; general survey of many topics. He presents an account that will be read with interest by a very wide public. i “New York is a strange and wonderI ful city,” he writes. “Most of the | time I long to get away from the annoyance of the crowds, the subways with their sardine packers on the platforms, none too polite in pushing the last person in before closing the door. Despite the tight squeeze at every station there always seems room for one more at the next. •'‘The following is interesting information about New York. It is from a newspaper clipping headed, “That little village Henry Hudson started.’’ It has more than 6,500,000 people, of whom nearly 2,500,000 are foreign born. It has more Italians than Rome, more Irish than Dublin, more Germans than Bremen, and oue-tenth of all the Jews in the world. More telephones than London, Paris, Berlin, Petrograd and Rome combined. Five of the largest bridges in the world, each one more than a mile long. Al ore than 2,000 theatres and photoplay houses. More than 1,500 churches of all denominations. Taxable property valued at about 8,500,000,000 dollars. About 300,000 visitors a day. A passenger train arriving every fifty-two seconds. A wedding every thirteen minutes, and a birth every six minutes. A new business firm starting up every ten minutes. A new building erected every fifty-one minutes. This is New York City. ’ ’ “Further interesting information I kept from the subway report of 192930. It is an account of the traffic in Times Square, the busiest spot in the city rapid transit system. “A total of 183,762,668 persons boarded or left trains at the station, according to the report. This figure was estimated on the assumption that as many persons left trains at Times Square as boarded trains there. Actual figures show that the I.R.T. collected 55,944,891 cash fares at Times Square and the B.M.T. collected 35,936,443. The report also shows that more than 3,317,400,000 passengers were carried during the fiscal year on the rapid transit, surface car and bus lines and on the Hudson and Manhattan tubes. “Of this number 2,972,400,000 were carried on rapid transit and surface car lines, an increase of 35,500,000 over last year. Rapid transit traffic alone accounted for 1,971,800,000 passengers, or 53,300,000 more than in 1928. The I.R.T. Subways carried 932,400,000, an increase of 34.800,000 over last year. The B.M.T. carried 690,800,000 passengers, or 21,300,000 more than in 1928. ‘ The I.R.T. elevated lines carried 348,6000,000, a decrease of 2,700,000.” People of New York “I wish I could take time to describe the people of New York to you. I believe most of them are among the most provincial in the world. Many of them are oblivious to all that is going on around them. They live in two worlds. One, the neighbourhood they like in, usually complete unto itIf. and second, the business they make their livelihood in each day. Most of the people know the subway, elevated railroad, or bus station at which they board their mode of transit and the stop at which they get off rarest work. There arc a few million people in New York who cannot afford . to participate in the real New York life. They visit the local movies for 15 to 35 cents and have their own • social clubs. Coney Island is their ' summer resort. It can be reached for .05 cents from any part of New York ‘‘ Do not misunderstand me. New York has another million folks who take full advantage of their situation. They battle the fiercest competition in the world for social and business progress, but many meet it squarely. The institutions of learning are numerous and of high standard. One can go right through to college graduation without any charge. The best minds of the world are here either permanently located or on their annual visit. The music lovers have Paderewski, Rachmaninoff, Hoffman, Heifitz, Krcisler, Madam Alda (the product of New Zealand), Galli Curci, the English singers, Roland Hayes and Paul Robeson, the two negro singers of fame, and many others too numerous to mention. In one year one may see the theatrical art of many different districts; Greece, Japan, China, Scandinavian, German, Russian, Spanish, etc. “People take full advantage of the public lectures of Ramsay McDonald, Schact of Germany, Tsi and Wu of China, Rabinarath Tagore of India, Professor Einstein, the Crown Prince of Sweden and all the other like celebrities. “The lectures of the. art and sciences, philosophy, world affairs, social problems, religion, exploration are here for the education experience of many who wish them. Genuine Home Life “The city is by no means devoid of home life. The apartment dwellers, like ourselves, miss the joys (and sorrows too) of homes with gardens and the privacy which one would wish. But apartments do not have freezing temperatures when one returns from a visit out of town. The compactness and comfort provided in apartments make up for a good deal that is missed. There arn homes in New York. As I look out of my window now I can sec private homes with beautiful gardens i ihat provide home life as genuine as I can be found anywhere. Brooklyn. ! where we live, is a city of homes where I the religious and social life equals that l of any city. ■ “I wonder if the average person i visualises Brooklyn in proper perspee I tivc. It is a city of 3,000,000 people. ’ mainly residential, with some very | beautiful homes. Apartments, some beautiful and some not so beautiful, are more and more taking the places of homes, but the city is about wholly residential. “The business section of Brooklyn is within four minutes subway ride of down town Manhattan (the main borough of New York) and Wall Street. It is a city of churches, having over 500 of all denominations. Coney Island is in Brooklyn, and that in itself has a permanent population of 250.000, nost remarkable thing -to me

in this city is the unusual growth and change in buildings. To those from out of town who have marvelled at the height of the Woolworth Building will have their eyes opened at. the sight of the new Empire State Building standing about 90 storeys high, nearly 600 feet higher than the Woolworth Building. “The Lincoln Building, one of the new massive structures in the midtown section, lias a floor area of 927,000 square feet, built at a cost of 30,000, 000 dollars. Its elevators can handle 12,000 people per hour. It contains 435 miles of wire for its elaborate electric systems. The Chrysler tower and Manhattan Trust Building are both higher than the Woolworth Building. I “Another marvel of the age not yet well known to travellers is the Holland Tunnel, going for 2 miles under the Hudson River. It is beautifully constructed and is a boon to New Jersey and New York traffic. During 1930, 12,067,000 vehicles passed through it. Traffic is directed by signs at each end of the tunnel, to travel at 30 miles per hour. There are two tunnels, one for each way travelling. “New York is a great city. It is home and me now and I miss it when 1 am away. I recently returned from a, trip to Detroit,. 1 travelled by Niagara Falls, stood for 10 minutes each way watching the water rushing relentlessly down into the rapids below. 1 travelled through Canada with all its inviting townships, and I enjoyed seeing Gio sights of the progressive city of Ford and his automobiles; the Fischer Building, General Motors plant ever racing for supremacy over Henry Ford. But, I think after all, the most welcome sight, outside perhaps of my good friend Don Whitney in Albany, where I spent some time, was the elevated railroad that greeted me as we neared the Harlem River that separates the Bronx and Manhattan Boroughs. Next I saw' Baker Field, the scene of Columbia University’s battles for football honours, then down through upper Park Avenue with its terribly crowded and noise filled tenements. (What a contrast to the Park Avenue further down with millionaires as occupants). Once in Grand Central I felt, as I always do, that I was returning to the city I must conquer. A sandwich at the soda fountain made me feel good and I was set for anything. “I wish I could take you for a tour of the Grand Central station. It has dozens of underground tracks; there is a whole city of shops, restaurants, shoe shine parlours, and display rooms nearly all under the level Of the ground. Its tunnels seem endless and my guess would be that at least 25 separate buildings can be reached from it without going outside. The Roosevelt Hotel is 5 blocks from the station proper, but has a direct tunnel leading to it. “Have you seen photoc recently of train travelling in U.S.A.? No longer is it necessary for express trains to make Jong stops to fill up with water. They now have water in troughs in between the rails, and as the train travels along at 60 miles an hour, a large chute is lowered from the engine and picks up the water from between the rails. “I am listening to a special programme coming over the radio from Roxy Theatre. An augmented orchestra of 20 is giving special 1.00 dollar concerts in aid of unemployed musicians. The music is superb. Great artists such as Rachmaninoff, Spaulding, Anna Case and Madam. Shuman Heink have been on the programme. Levitski is on to-dky. You may remember him when he toured your city. 6000 people are in the theatre. It is wonderful cathedral of music. Rothafel (Roxy) is still the king of stage showmen. The lighting effects, staging, and acting are all beyond description. “I had an unusual experience yesterday. It is a simple matter, but illustrates the detail of engineering of modern times. I was visiting an office in Brown Brothers’ thirty-four storey building on Wall Street. There were about 20 elevators with a floor starter in charge. I asked him the room number of my friend. He was not sure and while he hesitated an elevator operator said to me, “Here, hop in and I’ll find out.’’ I entered an elevator (lift), and found to my amazement that the operator could talk to the starter by phone while the elevator was in motion. Every elevator has a phone connection with the ground floor. Before reaching the floor I wanted the operator had the room number, and I was saved a few minutes’ wait. I happened to be late, so the speedy service was appreciated.

Quick Service “The telegraph service is one of the speediest type of service rendered in this country of speed and hustle. A New Zealander the other day wanted to reach me. He asked the girl in the Western Union office of his hotel. She said, “I will get him to call you.” My friend went back to his room and when he arrived the phone was ringing. He was rather astounded to hear my voice. He did not expect me to get the message for thirty minutes anyway. The operator in the hotel had merely signalled the main office and typed on the simplex machine a message for mo to call. The message went over the wire instantaneously. In a second the main, office operator had the message tape properly gummed to a blank and in the tube that runs through this building to my officer From the time of enquiry at the hotel to my receipt of the message 5 or G miles away, only two minutes had elapsed. “The list of items 1 planned to write about is not yet exhausted. I see no reason why this letter should be delayed until everything is covered. I shall cut this part short and make, it the first epistle. The main item of news will be the census of the unemployed on the Bowery when I was privileged to lead a team of 25 mon into the dives and speakeasies of the cast side slums to get information on the type men frequenting the places and how they were maintaining themselves. It was a thrilling experience. “Till next time, be good and keep cheerful. Good times are coming. Kia Ora. ’ ’