Morning journal and courier., 1885-07-20
Monday, July 20, 1885.
THE OUTLOOK FOR BUSINESS.

Business has had long rest, and many people of pessimistic turn of mind think that it is going to stay very quiet much long CT. But there are on the other hand, many signs that business will soon awake to con- dition of activity, which, though not of booming" character, will yet be pleasing and fairly profitable.
 Among the encouraging reports is one from New York, which says that large number of buyers from various parts of the country are in the city in preparation for the fall trade and that they are buying more freely and confidently than was expected. A report from Boston states that unusual activ- ity prevails in the boot and shoe trade. July is generally dull month but orders have been coming in from the South SO fast that dealers have had all they could attend to. The business has been gradually improving for four or five months, but the rush has come within ten days. It signifies that stocks of goods have been small throughout the country, and buyers are now obliged to sup ply themselves for the fall trade. People are not buying for speculation, but because they need the goods.
 A review of the industrial situation in Lawrence, Massachusetts, gives promise of much better times and greater activity for the great cotton mills of that city. Six months ago the mills were daily shutting down different departments in part or entire ly for indefinite periods, and hardly any of the mill men could see prospect of better times. The storehouses were nearly all filled with unsold goods, and few of the corpora tions had orders of any amount ahead. It was most discouraging period and was heavily felt by manufacturers there. At the present time nearly all the mills are giving employment to full quota of help and are running all their machinery, or else are pre- pairing to do SO. The markets are somewhat 4reer, and there is 8 growing feeling among manufacturing people that the worst of the depression has been seen and that this class of industries is slowly taking upward turn
 There is also better feeling among the iron manufacturers. Harry Olivery, the well known iron manufacturer, is of the opinion that September will see the iron mills in the western part of Pennsylvania quite busy. ''There may not, " he says, ''be a headlong rush such as we have sometimes had but business will likely be steady and. on a good basis"
 The outlook for business in the South is very promising. The total amount of capi- tai, including capital stock of incorporated companies represented by the new enter prises organized in the South during the last six months and in the enlargement of old plants, and the rebuilding of mills destroyed by fire aggregated $36, ,534, ,0OO. Rarely, if ever, have the prospects for the growing crops in the South been more encouraging than at present. Every indication points to magnificent corn and cotton crops, the larg est ever produced, while for rice, sugar, fruits and vegetables it is quite as gratifying With abundant crops, produced at low cost, with railroad, manufacturing and min eral interests steadily improving, the South bids fair to enter upon an era of great pros perity this fall. And, of course, the pros perity of the South will be shared by the whole country.
 All these are substantial crumbs of com fort There is undoubtedly better feeling among business men all over the land. There is great deal of money all ready for use, and all that is needed to bring it into use is books assert that confidence is plant of slow growth, it is evidently growing and the time is not far distant when business will be ia 8 more satisfactory state than it has