The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-03-18
The Revival OF Business,

The increased pressure of advertisements upon
the reading columns of the HERALD is reliable
indication Of some endeavor being made toward
q revival of business. The first sign Of an active
trade is the spreading Of the HERALD advertising
columns; for when man has anything to SELL
or wants to buy anything, the first step he takes
| is to let the public know what he wants. judy
| ing therefore from the state Of our columns DUR
ing the past day or two, the spring trade is not
going to he so utterly Insignificant as was sup
posed.
Other indications may likewise be noticed.
The sbipyards increased their standing force
last week to the old complement. AT the iron
works there have basn for some time manifest
symptoms Of active trade; some of the found
ries arc doing as good business as they ever
did. From all that We can learn, the dry goods
interest. which was accused of having suffered
the most Of all the trades during the rcvulsion,
will after all, escape with comparatively slight
injury, the actual average losses being less than
FIVE per cent Of the sales; they anticipate
trade this spring about equal to one half what
hey did last year The grocery trade has been
very dull for several weeks past, most of the
stocks on hand being held for higher prices;
so that especially considering the late i'm
provement in tea, coffee, and one or two
other staple articles, there is some reason to an
ticipsie q pretty active movement a. soon as
navigation opens. The same cause will gire an
impetus TO the trade in breadstuffs; there must
be an immense quantity of wheat and corn to
come forward as soon as vessels can ply. Al
together, the signs of the times are that we
| shall not be altogether idle this spring.
| At the same time, it must not be imagined
| that we are going to have, right away, the
| trade which we had before the revulsion. The
| most important effect of the panic of last fall
| has been the silent but universal retrenchment
| to which IL led. Throughout the country and
| throughout every grade Of society, imperative
and thorough economy has been the rule this
winter. The poor have worn one coat, where,
I lat year, they had two; the rich have for
! -Fom hen Iar.ics 'ie'r ballf heir CO .c-.
4 th,'. eirt- 1ad te,s other cvtrava~sn.
! ETe0cuu-u. a.l ,c9uomy--cconony and 90.
/ tre ehrut-tts been thc silent prisll.
.ll,rstan-lss '1nay American family c,.-
! .ace October 'ot
s9 vo,ring Chung, cannot De devoid %
; 'reroL-e ljrn Ga. j.. would l- hard 10 .sti.
: u.- positively 900 isIr.s Low much ha. been
av,l y tt' I've noatl- re.rcoc5men! Ne have
/ Aaj. ,lt, coLsderl1 ogI syes.ge expenditure
/ u, lo not tA,nk .orstc wtea we sup
! poso that the dcL.ald for luxWies, aud even
certain nece+saries of life, has been dimin-
ished since September last by over two hun.
drcd millions Of dollars. That is 10 say, we
have spent this much less than VIC did
during the like period of the previous year
We can trace the effect Of the saving in the re
duced prices of almost all commodities Teas
have fallen at least thirty three per cents sugars
as much; -four as much; other groceries in
| proportion; rents twenty-five per cents dry
| goods hirty to fifty per cent; raw labor twenty
five TO forty per cent; paper five TO ten per cent.
In some Of these cases, the depreciation has
been Influenced by other causes; but the diminu-
| ton in the demand here was the prime cause
In making estimates for orI future trade his
falIrc off in the d. and aud consumption must
~ carefully considered if the people Of TIE
United States are prepared TO save between Oc-
tober 1851, and October, 1855, three TO four hun
dred millions Of dollars, n one wsy aud another