Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-01-12
THE CONDITION oFsUslNEss

years now prophcsying and anticipat
ing the improvement Of business, ye
trade still continues Unsatisfactory. =
The situation is not alarming, nor i
tho prospect very gloomy. But ther
are many failures, and merchant
find that they must content themselves
with smaller percentage Of gain thai
that to which they have grown &c
customod, and with reference to whicl
they had fixed their scale of expenses
at home and IN hewarchouse.
This condition of things is likely L
be permanent. Even though the vol
umc of business increase, as II surely
will, the merchant must be prepared
to accept much reduced rate Of profit
as compared with that of the ten years
previous to 1872. 1t therefore will re.
quire greater skill, more prudence
wiser execution, TO successfully con.
duct a large business, than in tbose
golden years when even the careless
extlavagant, reckless, aud rash could
not escape making money so long as
thcy had anything 10 SELL 1t is the
keeping Of money, the wise disposition
of it, that indicates business capacity,
rather than the mere faculty of max
ing it when the opportunities are
abundant. If onc-tenth part of the
men who made fortunes between 1861
and 1871 had had real business pru-
dence, sound, practical heads, GOODNESS,
and self'control, the number of our
prosperous citizens would be many
times what it now is They lacked
those necessary qualities, so far as the
keeping of money is concerned, and
the result is that they now must pay
tribute TO those who had them and
used them in preserving rather than
in hazarding.
A correspondent Of tho Nation pre-.
scnts facts and figures to show that
business is not improving, The iron
business, one of the greatest industries
Of the country, has not been profitable
during the year. furnaces and foun-
dries are closed in large numbers, and
only those run which are iavorably
situated for cheap production. In
lumber the manuiact has actually
lost in 1875. In wooden and cotton
manufactures prices have declined seri.
ously, amounting in the case of cotton
goods TO from ten to twenty per cent.
Mills are closed in many places The
circulars of the large dry goods manu-
iacturers show that very nearly all their
stock is for sale now at lower prices than
year ago. OF the 1894 failures with
liabilities of sl3l, l72,5O3, l,77l with
liabilities of s5l,323, ,227 occurred in
the third three months of the year
an excess of about 200 failures and
s20,000,000 liabilities over the second
three months. The number of failures
has steadily increased 1850 in 1872,
1857 in 1873, 4,37l in 1874, and 1894
in 1875, taking nine months OF the
year
These facts are certainly significant,
but they indicate rather the economy
OF the people than an actually un.
healthy condition of trade The mum
Der of failures shows only how far the
shrinkage invalues has affected houses
which were doing more business than
their capital justified. Though the
private calamity is great in such cases,
yet the public really gains by the dis
aster which attends such Weakness
Tho honsos ,ho, s,and a.o a,.a,,.,,,
ened, and prenium is put on conscrv-
weedi,o on, nrocoss will do mood and
decrease the hazards which always &C.
,or,, o,r,o, u;, oon,;n,o nn,;I hn.;...a.
o,,o,n ,,o,s ,,,,o sna1.,,a,;,.a ,,,a,.,o,n'
,shon ~ e,;Inros ,r;iI a,,o;n ;ao,.aa.a
o,d ,.o.o ,,,ood;,,. ~, III, - - =,
done
Th0 ,nos, sor;on. o.,,o,,. ..,...,,.
e,a,,,.;. au.a .aa...l,.,..,-
e,o,nuo, D. ,,..o,o;..,o,,'.o ,'.oa.,..-,.''.
a,,hon,h H.. - .'1'.',.' 1.e, 20
non ,hon H.. horo ~ g.. -
~, pa" '""' '",' nav v''" ,o' y'"'s
Ihey cannot long remain IN their pres
economy which now coverns ,bo man.
= ~. :,