The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-07-10
SIX MONTHS OF BUSINESS
On the Whole Ii Just About Averages
Up with Last Year.
Reports from Various Lines of Wholesale
Trade in the City-lndianapOlis as
q Grain Market.

Inquiry among the various branches OF
business as TO trade during the first half of
the year goes TO show that. taken as a
whole. the volume was well MP with that
of the first half of 1872 and but for the fall
ing off in business the last two months of
the six it would have been largely In ex-
cess of that of the corresponding period
1892.
In some lines il is largely in excess. Take
the wholesale grocers: there are now eleven
large concerns and they are selling more
goods than the wholesale houses of Gin
cinnati. Three of the leading houses say
they In the first half of 1898 sold % to 80 per
cent. more goods than In the corresponding
period of 1892, and that June was no ex-
ception to the volume of trade. and they re-
port that business with them has not been
affected in the least. apparently, by the
financial scare. SchnUll ~ Co.. one Of
the largest of the houses. say business
Is moving along very smoothly with them
and the collections are so per cent. better
than had been anticipated under the close
financial conditions.
The dry-goods men report that their
trade has been in excess of that OF the first
six months of 1897, considerably. but
ia now very dull. as they expect 1t
TO be in July. Their trade the last
month, however. was q little be-
low the usual volume. but this may be due
20 the fact that the retail merchants in the
carly part of the season. looking for q big
trade, stocked up more heavily than usual.
Inc Wholesale boot and snoe men say
their trade las varied but little In years.
Zach house has its own customers. who
buy about so many goods. The business or
the Wholesale boot and shoe men Is now
about % per cent. larger than ten years
ago. Their business Is OF q steady, healthy
growth.
The druggists report trade q little off
the last two months. not that there IL not
q great demand for patent medicines and
the usual line of drugs. but the sales of
paints, oils and such articles have not been
as heavy as expected In the early part or
the season. when there was an unusual de-
mand.
b wholesale confectioners. of which
there are now three large establishments,
have had al unusually good trade tee last
six months. juno being exceptionally good,
TO meet the Fourth of July trade.
The hardware men say their trade has
been Disappointing In March and ADril
business was excellent. and they looked
for the largest summer trade IN their his
tory, but the latter part of May and June
trade took q tumble. and is still very
quiet, which indicates that less building IL
going on.
The wholesale leather dealers say they
have had q fair trade all the season. The
tendency to lower prices. however. caused
their patrons to buy more on the hand co.
mouth sty 10 than usual.
There are now on south Meridian street
three large stove houses, and all report
their trade good Tor the SIX months as a
whole. Now iJ Is quiet with them and they
cannot tell how the recent financial scare
Ia TO sfiect their trade until next month.
The large book houses, of which there
arc now three, have eX perienced u good
business. but competition has been sharp
and all lines OF books have been sold lower
she last six months than ever before. 1Ae
book men report sales more numerous, but
profits not AS large.
Probably no ci.y In the Union. of o like
Number of inhabitants. has as many large
houses which deal III furniture and house
hold goods generally as has Indianapolis
Inquiry among such esta Adjustments shows
that their business has dropped q little be-
hind the hrst six months of 1872. yet they
have no great room for complaint. as
more houses of this class have been es-
tablished.
The seed men have enjoyed q good trade
oil through the season. Indianapolis has
come into prominence as q seed market.
There are now two of the largest houses of
this character IL the West established
here. handling every thing known to the
trade in this branch.
The wholesale whisky houses report a
good trade. One of the largest dealers
says financial conditions. seemingly. never
affect their business, admitting that times
will be hard when the business Of q whole
sale whisky house ID p~erceptibly lessened.
The Trust, seemingly, did not catch the In
dianapolis houses.
The representatives of the large carriage
and buggy houses complain the most. They
say that in March and April they had the
LARGEST trade In their history. selling more
high-Priced vehicles than ever before, but
since the money scare came on they find Ii
difficult to sell any high-prIced carriage.
and It Is hard TO dispose of cheap work at
any price. Meantime the houses they rep
resent are pressing them TO sell their goods,
being hard up for money.
The crockery n glassware houses of
which Indianapolis has two. which rank
among the largest and most successful es-
Establishments of this kind in the West,
report that trade mp 60 the middle of May
was fully ND TO the usual volume, and the
years business bids fair to exceed that of
1924 The last few weeks there has been q
falling on, which is in some measure attrib.
utable to the light crops. the houses not
selling one-tenth the amount of fruit jars
which they were at the corresponding
period of 1892.
The wholesale millinery trade men say
they have had the biggest trade the first
half of 1893 they have ever experienced.
Just now IL is rather quiet with them, but
this Is not unusual. The only grounds for
complaint they say they have. Is the
trouble TO collect bills. which is rather un-
usual with them.
indianapolis IS q Grain Market.
Within the last SIXTY days more grain
has been handled by the Indianapolis ship.
pers and dealers than In any like period
for some years. For . few days it really
seemed hat Indianapolis was again com.
ing to the front as . grain market. Hear,
ing one of the largest shippers ask q lin
agent to name him q rate on five thousand
carloads of grain. to be forwarded within
sixty days. seemed like the time when ths
Indianapolis grain men were handling a.
100000 bushels of grain q year. This led the
reporter 20 inquire why Indianapolis had
lost It's position as q grain center. .Flrst.n