The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1888-01-21
BUSINESS pRospERIIY OF laaz.

a general condition of pesee and
stability and unusual business
prosperity. TITS true there were
two or three extensive aud waste
ful labor strikes, but these did
INST inflict serious loss, cxccnt
upon those engaged in them. The
hanging of the Chicago Anarchists
caused a good deal of popular ex-
citement, but did not seriously
disturb ordinary business transact
lions! The volume Of business
was never so great before, and il
the profits were not exorbitant
the generally sound condition Of
the industrial interests of the
country shows that business was
on the whole fairly remunerative.
To specifyall the char nels in
which the increased volume of
business manifested would require
more space than an ordinary news-
paper article would allow. But a
few leading items of production
and development will serve to
show ina general way the high
mark reached ia 1887 and that
the year closes without any SER
ious indication of a business re-
action. Inthe matter of railway
building 1887 surpassed all for
mer years, the total new railway
mileage reaching 1924 miles.
The highest point ever reached
before was in 1882, when 1865
miles of new railway were bnilf,
the inereasefor 1887 being nearly
1,200 miles. Tho railway in
crease for 1887 was greater than
for the years 1885 ard 1856 cuni-
bined. The total railway mileage
of the United States was increased
by interpretations of 1887 to about
l5l 900 miles. ngas a tefi
Following in The line oil the un-
precedcnted railway activity come
the statistics of the anthracite
coal output. This is placed for
the year al not less than 81, ,172,-
939 tons, against 80, 1876, 1868 tons
in 1856, the greatest production
OF any year prior to that time.
This increase of upwards Of two
million of tons took place in face
of the long and stubborn strike
in The Lehigh sregious, showing
that the demand was SO Inlpera-
tive as to induce a supply III the
face of most serious obstacles.
The final Figures Of the bilumi.
nous coal and coke output for the
year are not yet available. but
enough is already known to show
that these two branches of pro.
duetion, like that of anthracite,
were never so great before.
OF course, 1900 miles Of new
railway, with the additions fequir.
cd for new sidings and old track
relaid, could not be built without
causing the iron and steel business
to boom as they never doomed be.
fore The exact output Of pic
iron and steel rails for the yeaI
will not be positively known fo
two OF thrre weeks yet, but that
it was greater than ever befor,
does not admit of doubt. Turn
ing to the manufacturers of tcxtil,
goods, the year has BEEN one. o
Continued activity. There hav,
been few idle factories. ard thu
suspensions, when they did occur
were not Of long duration.
In the agricultural department
the production has not risen to th,
highest point. Both the whea
and corn crops were somewha
below what they have been il
some unusually prolific years il
tie past. The cotton crop wa
more than an average one. Ther,
is enough and to spare 10 ever,
important channel of agricultura
production and enough is as goo.
as feast at any time.
Looked at from any point o
view, therefore, the year Jus
closed may be regarded as yer,
satisfactory one. 1t has been mar
red by some unnecessary labor dis
turbances fomented by demagogi,
lenders, but even these have no
sufficed to chock the steady flov
OF productive industry. The los
they entailed has fallen chiefly OF
those engaged IN them, and III,
great body Of workingmen hay,
learned that peaceabIe relation
with employers ard st ady en-
ployment are preferable 10 cause
less strikes and idleacss. Phi,
adelphia Weekly Times.