Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-04
CONDITION OF OMAHA'S TRADE
FyWholesale and Retail Business Alike Show
Signs Of Dullness.
MONEY is BECOMING MORE PLENTIFUL
outIooIs in All Directions More Hope
fuI and business Men See Better
Times Indicated by the Course
of Present Events.

Local business conditions have not
shown any very marked change during the
past six days. Continued duliness has
been leading feature in many depart
ments of merchandising and in no line
can business be said to have been very
good. The tendency of business, however,
Is toward Improvement and even If no
very material gains can as yet be reported
1t Is highly gratifying to know that such
changes as are taking place are on
the right side
The cause for such Improvement as may
be discerned must be ascribed to the in
creased confidence in the future. based
upon gold imports improved speculative
markets, increased export demand for
grain products and the starting up of
idle mills. 1t Is "A significant fact that
travelling statesmen report a much better
feeling prevailing in all localities.
Money is easing up and large capital
has within the week been placed at the
disposal of a local bank to be used in pur-
chasing cattle paper. At the same time
there is n heavy movement of live STOCK
from most sections of tributary territory,
which Is turning many hundreds of thou
sands of dollars into the channels of trade
every week. Some grain is also moving.
which adds TO the amount of money going
into farmers hands. The whole tendency so
far as the money situation Is concerned
appears to be favorable.
PURSUING A SAFE POLICY.
A feature however, that is not entirely
pleasing to the sellers of merchandise is
the very conservative character of the
demand for goods of all kinds. This
tendency Is to buy only as necessity re-
qlIires and then in the smallest possible
quantities, Is confined not alone to the
smaller dealers, but the best and strongest
merchants, If anything, are still more
adverse to anticipating their wants. The
general explanation of this timorous
policy on the part of merchants is that
the actual consuming demand Is too
limited to admit of purchases being made
In advance of actual wants simply be-
cause present prices are low Calling at
tention to the fact that stocks of goods in
hands of manufacturers and jobbers are
extremely light does not induce any more
free buying. It is plainly evident that any
material or lasting Improvement in mer-
chandizing, in this section, must origi-
nate with an increased CONSUMING de-
mand on the pact of the farmers. Local
jobbers generally realize this fact and are
anxiously awaiting the time to arrive
when the farmer will feel that he can be
n little more liberal in the matter of his
purchases at the country store.
Values in most lines of merchandise are
low and it is pretty generally conceded
that any change in the future will be in
the direction of a higher level. For that
reason few manufacturers are willing to
sell goods at current values for future
delivery.
Business men generally are expressing
much qualification at the favorable turn
in the matter of exports, which cannot
confidence. While exports large, i'm
ports are from 25 to 30 per cent less than
Il year ago.
Taking everything into consideration the
present situation Is far from discourag-
Ing, though actual business doing is small.