, 1873-10-20
THE "TlMEs :" AND THE HaRpWARE-1RApE.

1b the Editor Of Tile Chicago Tribune:
Sin: An adolescent representative Of tho
Combination Sett.Feed Ne,osmoage, and Sport
lug Life, in preparing for the coming season OF
hia "sat," has baeu shopping In aearch OF
cheap claw-llanlmor cont md q portable gas
generator, and imagines ho haH solved tho
financial question so fnr rs 1t relates to tho
hardware trade. Tho young man professos to
have strayod into somo OF our reliablo hardware-
houses. II this il true, ho must either liayo
beon dupcd by como Of tho employees, or il
attempting to "put up job " OIL Tint branch Of
trade.
Tho Times Of this morning, under tho head Of
"IIoufa Business 7 =" Hays:
THO panic uas probably affected hardware moro than
any other clnsH Of business.
Tho facts aro, tliat hardware, aa welt us dry
goods and grocory) salos wore momentarlly
checked by tho nomontary panic, md will prob
ably not reach tho magnitude Of lust month
again this fall; but the trade is, noyertheloss,
fairly active, and will aggregate for October
noarly or quito as much as for the corresponding
month last yoar.
Hardware manufacturers, moro tun any other class,
1,ayo united for ni1itual advantage, aDd kept ho prices
up but tho financial strlngcucy las produced kind oil
anxiety 10 get rid Of lrcacnt aocks aud there Is lis
position 10 sacrlilce combinations to personal inter-
ostH, rupture as slrsauy taken Place .nmong lock-
lower tlian mouth ago.
This statement las no foundation III fact.
Locks laYo not declined 20 per cent in two
yoars thero has boen no combination of lock-
mnnufactnrora since Bpring aud iockB havo not
declined in price in throe months. Thoro aro
no unusual oyerstocls in tho hands Of 1nanu
facturora mud no combinations which haye lore-
toforo been honestly maintained now ahow
any Yigns Of weakness.
An agent for . large pittsburgh n,anufactory was in
ing liberal discounts Tor cash liz was only partaIiy
successful, for, though collections sufficient to
us e wv Wi si o o. ane
The "agent" supposed to ho referred to rop-
resente d firm whose bank-balance, to-day, would
un1uebtionably appear to onr young reporter IN
unlimited fortune. lilo was not in Chicago
! /" shining" but to obtain currency with which
| the efroct Of making remittances somewhat
| smaller aud loss frequent tlan they would have
| boon had grim hold it's soptember figures; but,
neyortholosg, collections have boen quite satis-
factory, a1Ad AEsns wAo arc In tho hRbit Of antic
! pating payments are doing 30 now.
While aonlo lot our nprshanta] arc anxious to ruah
or goos at any price, there are ethera who keep Tue
promp and caro- to al only 70 solaSa Sfaa partios
For tho boneht Of country. .doalers, tho Times
| should give the nanea Of those firms who arc
! "rushing OF their goods ut my price," The OK
istcnco OF this state Of Affairs was doubtless
| A0No W Lst SA1 A1AA4AhAlC-44G4E4Itutd AZ tOHAs
Tho young man giyos his viows upon tho siato
Of tile tin-pate 1narkot. but ia evidently un-
aware TINT tho fluctuations ia prlces during 1878
are no greater than for other years sinco tho
War and That tho present gold-ya1uo is tho
| Bnme "a Inst spring.
| With regard to tho probable future prIcos Of
hardware, 1t ia only necessary to Btato that tho
uniyorsal opinion expressed by our NOR
chants, in discussing tho outlook, is,
| that the sudden Imitation Of prices
after tho fro carried aome hguros higher than
circumstances would warrant; and tAat. during
! tho dull season Of winter, they will sock their
proper level, as they did last wirtor and during
i the summer. No one prosumos there iA my
| speculation su hardware at prosont, aud I'LL our
morol1uAtA are advising tholr customers, through
letters and circulars. 80 buy for immediate wants
only but that there il probability Of genor-
al GraB.l, no ono beloveB.
IhiB would 10 wholly uncal1ot1 for II oil the
roadors Of tho Times woro M we'll aware ~ aro
tho oltlzonB Of Chicago OF TINT papors readiness
to 8ncriAco tho welfare nud intoresta Of bnull-
ora or merchants to itn pagHion for {. now sotaa'
ton. ...- HARDWARE.