The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-04
TRADE IN PHILADELPHIA.


Dealers-The Spring at Hand, but Little
N Business-The Panic Made Worse
by the Inhationiss.
aM M PHILADELPHIA. April !, 1874.
II is not happy thing TO awaken from dreams
or bursting blossoms, chlrping birds and all the
merry attractions OF an opening season to eaden
skies, clustering weather and sloppy, slippery
sidewalks Nor Is 1T at all agreeable to set out to
investigate the condition Of the spring trade, as
your correspondent did this morning In the midst Of
snow storm as driving and severe as Old Winter
himself has ordinarily been able to trot out OF
course, all things, not even excepting the ele
ments, seem to hang fire, until that perplex-
ing money question is satisfactorily settled at
our national capital. Spring weather seems re-
luctant to advance upon us until spring buyers
and spring sellers, by means OF honest and sensi-
bic legislation, viii be made to know the founda-
ton upon which the business or the season must
be transacted. Hotels, perhaps, at this time Of
the year are about as fair criterions Of the bus
mess Of wholesale houses as any that can be
found.
"My business said one OF the managers Of q
well known hotel In this city, this morning, us
simply damnable;" and this remark to some de-
gree indicates the condition Of local spring trade,
tuOu&u many VI Tie UOIclb are Comfortably UIeO,
One does not hnd in the corridors OF public
houses that great crowd OF impetuous drummers
and impatient customers who from every section
OF the country come here usually at this time to
buy their goods. Different years, however, produce
different conditions OF commerce, and lest from the
above circumstances your correspondent might
have drawn wrong conclusions, ne has spent the
greater part OF the day among well known firms
OF Philadelphia with the view OF ascertainlng the
exact circumstances under which the spring re-
vival was coming on.
DRY GOODS.
''The business in dry goods is dull, said a gen.
tieman prominent In the trade, ''and our pay
ments are correspondingy slow. We hoped at first
that as April approached the more disagreed
features Of the panic would have passed away.
Then, again, as we read OF the manner in which
money and commercial affairs were being dis
cussed ut Washington, we squared ourselves for q
duller season than that which is actually
upon us; consequently when we measure our
business with our Tears, we find that 1t averages
very WELL but when we compare it with actual
trade OF former years 1t Is far inferior to what it
should be. Our buyers find II impossible this year
to secure the usual discounts which hitherto the
bankers have seldom refused to give The actual
tendency OF the panic has been to draw money TO
the banks located in our large cities; cOuntrymen
find 1t almost impossible to secure sufficient funds
while we, upon our part, are unable by our own
obligations to afford them more than the ordinary
run OF credit 90 not hesitate to state that our
trade Is almost unanimously opposed to imitation.
When look at 1t I am reminded OF little boy
blowing soap bubbles The bubble, increases as
the air passes within its tender shell, and the ball
with all Its pretty c0ors looks glorious in the sun
shine. The y0ungster Is happy; but, when he bids
others to regard It, 1t suddenly breaks, and IN an
instant the days pleasure Is turned to grief In
nation Ii precisely the same, and the wrecks which
must lol3w VIII DC more terIioie IMAM
not have imitation ensue preferring an easy bust
ness to feverish and unhealthy activity OF trade,
MRlcb viii eventually ian Ike man renzied with
Among most OF the dry goods houses business
seemed very slack, though one large house, Hood,
Banhight 4 Co., informs me that Its business IS
actually liveher than It was last year; but TINS Is
the exception and not the rule. These gentlemen
when suburban aud provincial districts are busy
engaged IN settling Sg tnsiT Lsarly analrs AZ nome
81 wish YOU had called upon me at some other
time y said leading wholesale grocer; ''at any
other time, in tact, than this Tor my business was
never SO dull. During the past few months nave
done really nothing. and have no lattermg opin-
ions to express concerning the wholesale grocery
business for the month just opening. l under.
stand that there are men in my trade who say
they are doing very good business, but assure
you none OF these gentlemen are among my own
personal acquaintance"
This business Is not as dull az some others, but
the general state OF the market is Tar from Deng
lively The spring trade, when compared with
last year, Is dull. dealer SAID, ave anticipated
an absolute stagnation, and because this aid not
is not so bad as we expected that 1t would be-
The buyers are very lew, however, and the mer-
chants waiting Tor better times to come.
LIQUORS.
''We generally transact o much larger business
than we dong now," said . large dealer To me !;
..our customers are lew and buy but little. IL Is
this conrounded inhatlon business which is rem
derlng everybody timld. Why don't our govern
ment recall It's Revolutionary period ana the erect
thousands upon thousands OF our cOuntrymen, by
the issue OF an irredeemable currency, were ru-
posed at this moment Will suffer in precisely the
same way. The present state OF business IS bad
enough, but IN case OF this imitation the future
must be drearier STILL"
WHOLESALE NOTIONS.
Wnie MANY OF the stores III this line business
present the same aspect as stated above, there
are Individual exceptions, and have found one or
two houses which appear TO be transacting very
lively trade or course this business consists or
many things which all persons are obliged to pur
chase, necessities as they are, no matter what
may be the condition oi trade or the circumstances
OF the money market.
HARDWARE.
There Is however, business in the city so du III
which furnish hardware Tor buildings. me firms
inform me that there has never been time IN their
history when business was so dun.
at the houses which are Tor sale. You buy
them for just what they cost How can we expect
to get along well when the builders refuse TO go
ahead with their work. We as | have just said,
are doing nothing, nor can we hope to 10 much Tor
a long time to Gomez
THE MILLINERY.
Wholesale millinery, am informed, Is very back
ward, while
BOOTS AND SHOES,
the trade in which is partly over, while showing no
increase IN receipts, shows an actual decrease
from last year.
sour business for the balance OF this season de-
ponds very much upon tine action OF our govern
ment in relation to our money matters" SAID one.
THE POPULAR SENTIMENT.
The above shows clearly just what the business
men think OF imitation, and just what they believe
Will be the result II imitation ensucs Your cor
respondent pumped none OF them Tor their opinion
in relation to this matter because IL was so
closely connected with their business that in speak
ing OF the latter IL naturally came up.