St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-15
This Causes Whatever Dull
ness Exists in Business
Circles,
According to the Testimony
Of Some Of the Heavy
Weights.
Perhaps Business Men In
dulged in Too Great
Expectations.
Some Interviews Gathered
From a Casual Walk Among
Merchants.

DuSllleSS is nOC very Qull III The N Oftn-
west according to the average st. Paul
merchant, nor as viewed through the
glasses of the mercantile agencies.
There has been q general increase of
sales over last years, but the very
Sanguine expectations with which the
commercial world looked forward to the
years business, have not been exactly
realized.
And this is really the only disappoint-
ment. Since the sun began to shine
sales have taken big jump, and the re-
taller, who has felt the bad weather
most, begins to look up smiling. A
chance ramble among business men
yesterday afternoon resulted in several
encouraging interviews, as follows:
Manager j. j. COrcoran, of Dun's Mer-
camille Agency-You know what has
been the matter with business as we'll as
anybody else does. l think business in
the Northwest is very good. All we
needed was little sunshine to brighten
things up. 1t makes business men feel
better. | think, while trade in the
Northwest for the season so far
has been somewhat moderate,
yet there is very good reason
for. confidence in the future,
and the hopes of the most expectant
may yet be realized. You see
it is not disappointing season
so far as business itself is con-
cerned. The fact is the wholesale
trade is steadily on the increase, and
business seems apparently dull simply
because men started out with very great
expectations, and if there is any disap-
pointment it is because the wet
naturalization of these hopes,
rather than through any comparison
with the trade OF past seasons. | be-
lieve, if crops turn out to be good, and
we have every prospect of good crops
in the Northwest. that it will be an eX-
ceedingly prosperous year. One good
| thing, the wheat crops will bring a
higher price this year, and this, in con-
| nectiOn with the increasing demand for
bread stutfs, and the lessening
of the visible supply, owing
to poor crop prospects in some
other sections of the country, makes it
reasonable to expect high prices for the
farmers harvest this year, and CORE
spending benefit to the merchant. You
have noticed how wheat has gomez up
lately. W ell, that is, think, something
of an indicator of what the coming har-
vest season is about to be, as viewed
from both agricultural and commercial
StandpointS. Idon't believe politics have
very much to do with business in this
| section. There are no particular issues
which are going to affect. depresslngly,
business in the Northwest.
AT BRADSTREET'S.
Supt. D. Moreland, of Bradstreet's-I
have been out in the country in both the
northern and southern parts of the state
for the last two weeks, so l don't know
vet Just how business does stand in the
cities. L think crops will be good in
Southern Minnesota If the grain ever
comes to a head. They are little
late, however, and the great fear is that
they mightn't head out good. Winter
wheat will be little short, but that will
make prices higher, which is one good
thing; that farmers will receive good
prices for whatever they do produce.
first planting, you know, rotted, and
it was necessary to go over
the ground again. The weather
has effectually drowned out the
chinch bugs, though. They told me
that there wasn't cilinch bug to be
seen: The northern part of the state
has not suffered so much from the
weather. The rain didn't begin there
until about two or three weeks ago, and
crops there look very good. The
weather has had all to do with bust
iiCoo. IL 10 piShiiS uP oAObSis
and I am inclined to think
that the coming months will show
up unusually fine in some lines. But
you see the trouble has been that the
laborer has not been able to do much
work. Building was set back. and this
deprived the mechanic of a source of
income, the outlay of which he had
previously anticipated. This in its
turn deprived the retail merchant
of a good deal of trade. and
through the retailer it affects
for instance, summer clothing, shoes,
and those lines. The season has very
largely to do with them, while in staples
such as hardware, the retarding of
building operations has affected them
more or less unfavOrabiy. Since the
good weather commenced all these lines
have shown remarkable increase in
sales.
But take any one line, suppose you take
shoes for inStance-aS a man put it to
nc: In this country we have 60,000.000
OF people; now so many millions repre-
sent adults. ana every one of these
adults decides that he won't buy a pair
of spring shoes this spring. That will
depreSS business of very big item of
money, won't it?' Well that's just how
it is with lines that are not exactly
staples. According to our bank reports
up to date, deposits are heavy,
and there is not much demand for
money. Money can be got pretty cheap
now on good paper. The big banks,
however, will loan only on short time,
as the fall business will require great
deal of money for out of town, and the
banks have to make preparation for the
demand, which will come just about
| harvest time and after, during August
and September.
AMONG THE WHOLESALERS. J
J. 81. Burwell, JObber in Agricultural
Observation-Disclosures is not very dull
with us; it's the retailer that is suffer
ing. No other cause than the weather.
George w. Lamson, inSuranee-Well,
business seems little dull; people are
| not carrying very much insurance.
Louis H.MaXfield, Jobber In Groceries
business has been good with us. Our
business during May was considerably
over that of the corresponding month
of last year. The worst month we have
had was March. | think the year will
show good increase generally in sales.
ID. ID. Thorpe, of Detroit, President of
the st. Paul Knitting Works, Proprietor
of the Lansing, Mich, State Republican,
and engaged in large Detroit whole
sale confectionery cOncern-I think
business has been fairly good through
out the country. Of course the late
| spring had much to do with certain
class of business, but up to the 18th of
last month our sales were % per cent
better than last year up to the 1st of
June.
P. r. L. Hardenbergh, Jobber in
Leather Findings, and Saddlery Hard
ware-Oh, think business is all right.
IT iS pood with rs OF course thew do