During 1934 New York ranked first among the States in the Union in the production of gypsum, talc, sand and gravel, emery and abrasive garnet; second in salt; third in cement; and sixth in clay products.
Manufactures.—The establishment of a great highway of commerce through the State from New York city to Buffalo by the construction of the Erie canal, opened in 1825, and later by the building of railways along the line of the water route, made the State's manufactures quite independent of its own natural resources. Thus it happens that from Buffalo to New York city there is a chain of busy manufacturing centres; but away from the great natural route of commerce New York is not especially noteworthy either for its density of population or for extensive manufacturing and commerce.
New York State has ranked first in the Union in the value of its manufactures since 1830, and this value rose to $6,094,393,038 in 1935. The value ($3,659,495,000) of the products of the manu factures of New York city alone represented approximately 6o% of the total. The manufacture of clothing, begun in New York city about 1835, was not only the city's chief product but was also the principal product of the State. The value of the clothing pro duced within New York city was $802,334,842 in 1933. New York city, also, ranked first among the American cities in print ing and publishing ($338,216,363) ; fur goods ($66,321,087) ; millinery and lace goods ($62,271,489) ; bakery products ($140, 139,613) ; sugar refining ($75,728,867) ; jewellery ($11,063, 268) ; and manufactured gas ($88,066,368). Buffalo, the city sec ond in manufactures, shares largely with New York city the business of slaughtering and meat-packing, the refining and smelt ing of copper, and the manufacture of foundry and machine-shop products. It is a principal centre for the manufacture of flour and grain mill products and for the motor vehicle industry. Roch ester, the city third in manufactures, was first among the cities of the United States in the manufacture of photographic materials and apparatus and optical instruments. Niagara Falls and New York city manufactured a large part of the chemicals. Other
cities with products valued at more than $25,000,000 in 1933 were: Albany, Binghamton, Schenectady, Syracuse, Troy and Utica.
The number of industrial establishments, with products over $5,000 in 1925, was 33,393. The 1,066,202 wage-earners in 1925 received $1,533,893,390 wages. The industries with products val ued at more than $100,000,000 in 1925 were: clothing, $1,495,741, 841; printing, publishing, $548,304,377; foundry and machine shop, $257,655,999; bread and bakery products, furniture, $155,826,177; motor vehicles, $155,647,161; flour and grain mill products, $151,599,561; paper and wood pulp, $141, 396,762; electrical machinery, $239,262,117; slaughtering and meat-packing, $233,901,277; fur goods, $197,437,970; millinery and lace goods, $197,324,664; boots and shoes, $191,375,288; knit goods, $183,233,931; sugar refining, $164,515,037 ; chemicals, $132,658,955; cigars and cigarettes, $122,613,390; silk, $112,156, 313 ; food preparations, $111,134,193 ; steel works and rolling mills, $107,059,150; motor vehicle bodies and parts, $105,798,733 ; gas, manufactured, $102,859,050. In 1935 there were 33,638 estab lishments employing 895,991 and paying $1,018,243,211 in wages. The value of their products was $6,094,393,038. Among these were men's clothing, $262,096,076; women's clothing, $883,375,777; printing and publishing, $496,339,171; motor vehicles and parts, $214,791,230; bread, bakery products, $222,601,954; furniture, flour, $100,183,242; paper, $81,375,530; wood pulp, ; electrical machinery, $111,405,935 ; meat-packing, fur goods, $125,466,641; boots, shoes, $112,639, 895; leather, leather products, $36,370,026; knit goods, $102,580, 120 ; chemicals, $123,496,822; cigars, $9,752,027; silk, rayon, $25,659,489 ; food preparations, $46,074,085; rolling-mill prod ucts, $66,602,112 ; manufactured gas, $97,219,351; carpets, rugs, $49,847,259; malt liquors, $77,523,981 ; paints, varnishes, Transport and Commerce.—From the very beginning of the occupation of New York by Europeans, commerce was much en couraged by the natural water-courses. The Erie canal was opened to boats of about 75 tons burden in 1825. The Champlain canal, connecting the Erie with Lake Champlain, was completed in 1823. The Oswego canal, connecting the Erie with Lake Ontario, was begun in 1825 and completed in 1828. Several other tributary canals were constructed during this period, and between 1836 and 1862 the Erie was sufficiently enlarged to accommodate boats of 24o tons burden.