Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-11-22
Condition of the Dry Goous Trade.

VtNS ago, lflr dry goods trdie gave
promlSc"f Il season OF prosperity without
parallel in It's history. The bouH;couS
crops of the west and south afforded
an ample guarantee to the merchants of
those sections for the purchase and dis
'rlbution of IN unusually liberal amount
OF merchandise, while the industrial III
tercstS of the eastern and middle states
We're then in the fall tide of success,
aifprding ample employment to thou
sands of wcll-paid operatives AMI artl-
zans. 50 the trade opened ansp'ciouS'
", and during the month of August an
immense amount OF goods was for
warded from This city to all parts OF the
interior. But fatality seems to have
ovcrtaken the fall trade of late years.
Following each other came ut intervals
the Chicago and Boston fires, ami the
cpizootic. which scycrally had most
depressing effect upon business; and
now another season of extreme d"prcs-
sion, acgravted hv panic, is upon MS.
The former calami!ieS, III Il measure,
taught a lesson of prudence to our
merchants. checking speculation entire
lv, and the manner in which business
has been pursued for the last twelve
months has enabled the trade to stand
mp nobly as a body during the present
crisis. Such suspensions as have Oc-
cured have been exclusively confined to
houses whose business was widely ex-
panded, and apt TO become unmanagea-
bic in times of financial distress. In
every case it has been demonstrated
that the assets of the various suspended
firms have been largely in excess of
their liabilities, and what is now needed
is simply the restoration OF confidence,
in order to set the wheels Of commerce
again in motion.
The trade has been exceedingly dull
for the past month in this city, hut
throughout the west and in tine larger
interior cities, fair distribution oi
goods has been effected, reducing mate
rally even the large supplies laid il
by iubbers in those sections before the
occurrence of the panic. The local aud
nearby trade, which depend; upon this
market for goods, has shown great
falling off. owing to the depression OF
the retail branches. caused 10y the non
employment or only partial employment
who will be obliged to Cconomize fol
some time to come.
Values of domestic cotton goods have
exhibited Il material Slrinkage within
the last ten days, and both cotton and
WOODEN fabrics are now chcaper than
they have been for wears conditions
which are favorable to an increased con
sumption when trade rcvivcs. Traffic
in imported fabrics is almost at a stand
still, and current transactions are mai;r
" effected through the medium 81 t1e
auction rooms, mt prices which ar,' any
thing but profitable to the ""'''io,
many of whom are manulsf|"''i' 'i' VI
consignors abroad. ..,;o
There are some poini' ~ ool.,. .C''on
with the present mcth'" ~ .'ii 'I6 ol -,
business which a. tiaieS IKE i'itSe' n,Iin
the c,nsideration OF merchants, WIN
view To remedying defects. Through
ont tbo iobDing trade, rents, salaries,
travelling expenses, etc, are altogether
ton o.travagant, compared with the al
most nominal profits-amounting to a
nero commissiOn-deriv6d from the
bulk of goods sold. These extraordina-
ry expenses render the city bber una
bic to cope with his competitors i'll the
countrv. whose expenses ave less, and
Who can sell Their goods equally low ut
a better profit, besides having the adj
vantage of exercising n constant super
vision of the local trade which they sup
nly. and making their collections more
easily. The system Of paying commls-
sions to statesmen in lien of salaries, Is
faulty and bad for obvious reasons, and
inimical to the prosecution of safe
business. The impolicy Of "cutting
prices upon certain grades of goods is
unwise, aud tends to weaken confidence
in the minds of buyers, most of whom
are we'll aware of the object with which
uuotations below market rates are made.
Credits are too loosely given in many
instances, and for too long a time in
Others. Why should lobber imperil
capital by giving four months time up
on goods which he himself buys on {
credit OF 80 or 60 days? The habit %
delivering goods "On memorandum " 10y
the commission merchants should h'
discouraged bv manufacturers, other
wise production cannot he gagged by
the consumptive demand. Other abns
cs have ctcpt into the trade, but glance
mt the above will suffice for the pres
ent.
The prospective outlook. although 80
divested Cf anXiety-perhaps OF dangc
lis not discouraSing. The hnancta
condition Of the trade has been sub
iected to strain which shows It's inEe
rent strength; the material wealth o
| A. ,,>,,tr,- i, ,,ndiniuiebp1 and n
people must he clothed, even II NOR
economically than usual, an early rov'
val of the dry goods trade may reasona
blv be anticipated, on moderate scale
and in the mean time let merchants hav
confidence in each other, and the bank
in the merchants, and all will come on
right again in the end.-N y. B"lcti'
San Francisco and the Easterly
Current.
The recent experiment in tie cas-
erly-curreut business ut San Francls'
l is vividly described by Il reporter of Il
, Chronicle, who, with T.. ii. Clougl
, made the ascent. After the air-ship W;
: cut loose, it required about two minute
e to reduce San Francisco to the size OF
: potato patch, and the people to pigmie
a the mountains shrank to mole-hills, al
K the bay was like FURNISHED silver. III
balloon soon shot in westerly dire
:. ton, and plunged into mass OF mi
i that over hung the Pacific. The ia
loonists seized the valve-rope, hut. Ju
g then, the navigators struck strol
" easterly current, and thought they we