St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-25
THE TREND OF TRADE.
Marked Effect on Local Retailers
: of the Late Wet Spell
I Is 81 of Weather.
In Jobbing Circles, the Spring
Traffic Has Surpassed All
Previous Records. is

Spring trade for the jobber is over;
spring trade for the retailer has just
begun. What is the situation with
each? The past month has been unusp7
ally inelement, and naturally the effects
are far-reaching and relatively lasting.
A good beginning goes long way to-
ward success in every branch of bust
ness, in that it inspires and encourages.
The most sanguine must admit that the
beginning Of this year was anything
but a. good one. The spring was de-
layed when it should have been well
under way. We we're visited by long
and dreary wet spell, that has happily
come to an apparent end at
last. Business is now Just where it
should have been four weeks ago, and
the interval is so much lost time. 1t Is
an axiom with the merchant that every
bad day is a lost day; for If trade falls
off one day, it will not, OH the next fair
day. make up the loss. 1t is unnecessary
to say, therefore, that the local trade
has not been good. While the retailers
are not in the dumps, they are not feel
ing like millionaires. Though the spring
trade is now expected to start I'D with
| renewed vigor, it cannot entirely make
amends for the bad weather past. How
is it with the jobber, whose spring trade
is over? J. j. Corcoran, manager of the
Dun agency, said yesterday:
The iobber sells for the spring long
before he or his customer knows what
the weather or season will be. The
hAo in N G a.
pies as dry goods, boots and shoes are
made in January. In last January the
sales of our jobbers were nearly 90 per
cent in excess of the same month for
any time of which we have any record.
February and March kept up very we'll,
and the season hao closed under very
favorable auspices. But the reaction
will come later, when the effects of the
unreasonable spring are felt. Country
merchants may he unable to close out
their stocks, and when fall comes will
be unable to stock up again. They
will have neither the means nor the
courage to go in very heavily
i'll next falls buying, and the ]Obber will
feels the effects i'll next years trade.
This, YOU understand, is only antlci-
pating the probable bad effect of this
delayed spring. If we deal only with
facts, it is certain that the spring trade
has been splendid one for the l0bber
of st. Paul. The reports to this effect
are unanimous. But there is one thing
that should not be overlooked, and that
is the losses by the unthreShed grain Of
the last years crop. l am confident
that as much as 20 per cent of the grain
of North Dakota was not threShed and
is still in that condition. That wheat
| means to the farmer just the profits of
the season, and you may Imagine the
results. 1t falls mostly upon the small
farmer. as the heavy and wealthy
grower had the means to secure the,
men and machines when he needed
them. Our wholesale trade Will feel
this, am afraid" ri
''Wnat is the situation with the.
banks?" 81
You may Judge from their reports
that are being published at this time.
Take the largest banks of the city, for
instance, the Merchants, First National
and the German-American, and notice
the large increase i'll their discounts
and deposits. | do not remember the
exact figures OF their last reports, but
the increase is very handsome. The
same is true of the state banks, beaded
by the Bank of Minnesota. All the re-
ports we receive are of very Satisfae-
| tory nature. L all Sftt1 u Scc int iiluS e
ment to -reerganiZe the Commercial
|. bark. ands hope it may be successful.
I 1t means a great deal for the city.. Such
a bank will certainly do well. 1t will
not only start out with large number
of stockholders, but it will have large
number of Individual accounts, and Will
be able to accommodate the many small
borrowers that none of the larger banks
| will care to be bothered with. 1t is a
good move, and hope it may be sue
cess fuf.
.HeM is retail trade?"
| NATURALLY. not very encouraging.
! City merchants are very. glum over the
/ loss of SO much trade incident to the
| bad weather. Each day and each sea-
son has its particular kind and class OF
business, and. once lost, 1t cannot be
made up. When spring is pushed into
/ summer it hurts the trade of both to a
| large. extent. Continued favorable
weather may help out very largely, and
| all we can do now is to hope that such
weather may come to the rescue"