San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-02-18
SAN ANToNIo's STABILITY.
A Mercantile Agency That Tells
the Tale of San Antonio's

the Tale of San Antonio's
Business.
Speaking with Superintendent j.
| e. &. Pedder, of the Bradstreeet Mer-
camille Agency, of this place, of the re-
cent business failures, it was learned
that during the past eleven months
there have been just twenty nine
| business failures in the city. This
you will understand" said Mr.. Ped
der, embraces assignments, chattel
mortgages, deeds Of trust and the
like, besides which we have numer-
Gus changes in business, dissolutions
and discontinuances." The speaker
then went over the list of failures,
attempting to make out somethinglike
an approximate total of liabilities and
assets, but he found this an impossi.
bility, as in q large number of the
| most important failures, the assets
and liabilities have not yet been filed,
while some of those which have been
given, will, after investigation, prove
very different.
although we have had an I'M
usually large number of business
failures" continued MIR. Pedder
"they have all, with the exception of
the Maverick bank, been lesser ones,
and have had no serious effect on
other business firms. In place of the
old firms, those that have failed, or
been discontinued, we are hav-
ing new ones to spring up
readily, carrying with them, new
capital, vigor and enterprise, and we
receive as many as from three to five
enquiries from out side establish
ments, as to these new firms, daily.
The local market has @ better tone
than before, and Notwithstanding the
large number of failures In the past,
the northern firms do not hesitate to
sell to our merchants, as they consid-
er these failures all honest.
Owing to the stringency of the
money market, the collections have
been poor, and the people of this city,
in common with those Of other towns,
have severely felt the depres-
sion IN trade. Then the
business for the two months
of January and February, has fallen
off considerably, owing to the small
pox scare, and these two months have
been the dullest, of their kind, that
have been known here for years. The
outside merchants are afraid to come
to the city, for fear of being quaran-
tined when they return home, and
hence they do their purchasing by
mail. So 1t is with the farmer, there
by entailing a great loss to the bust
ness of the city.
Real estate, however, is picking
up right smart, and the spring
trade gives great promise. There
have not been quite as many capital
lists in the city as few months past,
but those who have come here were
all we'll impressed with the city.
Mr.. Pedder has been in charge of
the Bradstreet agency for several
years and relates his observations OF
our city's growth and business i'm
provements, in this fashion:
| "When first came here to take
charge of this office, remember, we
had somewhat of q boom here, little
| one, to be sure, but it died
| away and 1 have noticed a
wholesome steady growth since.
The interest that the people take in
the trade market, has grown consider
| ably, as can be gathered from
| the amount of business the commercial
| agencies now do. remember that In
the beginning our customers were
satisfied with one report a week. Now
their business interests have. become
so wide spread that they are receiving
their reports every other day"
Mr.. Pedder has had charge of the
Bradstreet agencies at Dallas, Fort
| Worth, Houston and Galveston, but
he says that he has found the San
| Antonio market the steadiest and
the best in the state, the business ofthe
other cities cropping out in spssmodic
booms, except Dallas, which seems to
have perpetual sort of boornlet.
"You can put it down." Mr.. Ped
der concluded, "that the Bradstreet
company regards San Antonio one of
THAR Very hest fields in the state. "