, 1878-04-06
SPRING PROSPECTS.
The Outlook in Sew ysrs.

The season Of fashion having closed,
that of business opens; the latter BRING
ING many long -p-otracted mercantile EN-
hoTr,ssments 10 the crises and coltapSeS
which have been foreseen us inevitable
through several months past. February S
failures were only hall So numerous as
those of JANUARY had been; but March
and April are likely u show an increase
ae:,in. because with The beginning OF the
snring trade comes eliminating STRAIN
upon readv-money resources and short
credits under which the many crippled
fms that have barely weathered the III
activities Of winter must finally gave way.
This. however, has been anticipated rs
sure to be the case, and involves no pa;n-
icl,y disturbance \ slowly get surely
growing general convection that the hn2n-
cial tempest is over Is supplemented by
due mindfulness that u great number oi
once Staunch concerns, avoiding actual
pros;ration III the storm, have Yet been
SO irremediably weakened III structure
that they must come down, and the soonei'
the better. The next two months, there
fore, are likely 10 witness much denoll-
ton Of such lons-tottering fabrics, the
While brisk process OF rebuilding goes
on under stimulation # 4 very hopefully
improving spring business. Outside of
the steadily diminishing circle Of hope
lessly involved people, the feeling among
our mercantile men is one Of deepening
confidence III the beginning of an lmproV-
cd era, not fraught with any speculative
sudden recoVerieS Of lost cams, hut lead
inc by gradual, well founded, wholesome
growth to an early future OF assured IN
dustrial stability. 4 lesson has been
learned which shorter period of disclp-
lining adversely might have failed to
teach, and auGaclous speculation and III
fatcd credits are likely 10 be out OF fash
ion in New York fcr some Years to come.
The late miid winter having left SO lew
eiabargoes of ice, Snow or mud upon the
treat lines of travel and freight, the ar
rivals of sprln. buyers IN the city are
early and numerous, the comfortable
rather than snowy hotels most popular
with that thrifty class being already III
the full hustle of well filed registers 1;
is noted that some OF the ngwcomcrs &c
not purchase their New England fabrics
here. as of old, prcfcrring to deal mime-
diate!y with the manufacturers themselves
in Boston and other eastern towns There
are also new siIns, again, of the effects oi
exalbitant cartage and wharfage charges
upon our general business interests. IN
proportion rs the leading business men oi
New York feel the ground firm undeI
their feet cnce more they VIII become
more cxigently peremptory for al ahate-
rcnt Of these long standing detrimentS
to every local mercantile interest. But
Notwithstanding such and all drawbacks
the prospects for spring trade here are III
the highest degree encouraging
Real estate shows a characteristic effect
OF the Improvement Of the times IN d
movement toward the utilization Of hith-
elto unimproved properties for purposes
! of immediate practical use- On Fifth
avenue and Eighty-thIrd street, Mr. Am
old, of the gr,s:t dry goods house Of Arm
I old d Constable, is completing new
! mansion 10 be second IN splendor only 10
! the now impIact!cabie marble pa.ace oi
| the late \ T. Stewart, and far down
Broadway, Hear Trinity church, the Astor
heirs ar about to invest three-quarters
Of million IN a grand pile Of Office
apartments III place OF the dreary struc-
tures now there; but, with these cNcep-
tons, the numerous new building schemes
of the season al lean 10 economical prIn-
ciples. Instead Of monster hotels. super
fiuous theatres and palatial stores, mon
! eyed land owners are ayaliing themselves
OF the continued cheapness Of building
materials and labor 10 erect PLAIN, sub,
stantial apartment houses, OF separate
dwellings which can be rented at rates
compatible with modest incomes. Ihl
LoriiIard estate is putting up apartment
houses some distance dogn town where
costly stores only would have been thought
of few years ago, and one of the result:
of the business contraction OF the perloC
NAV be the return To lower broadway ano
It's croSs-streets Of soiae of the forlhei
residential element Of their population
!