The Coconino weekly sun. [volume] (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1891-1896, 1896-03-19
THE INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK.
Probable Eject Of the Coming Presi-
Dental Election.

Probable Enect of the Coming Presi-
Dental Election.
No change Of tariff being expected
until after the presidential election,
some of the probable consequences call
for notice. 1t is better for business
men and producers that undesirable
changes should not come upon them
without warning. If they should start
out in another campaign of impetuous
buying, as they did last summer, the
result might be to many unfortunate.
For there is some reason now to ex-
pect year of uncertainty and gem
orally unsatisfactory markets. A
presidential election of itself usually
causes dullness and uncertainty in bust
ness, but this year it is liable to be COM
plicated with foreign questions of some
delicacy. Preparations for farm work
give promise of full crops of cotton and
wheat, but it will be about six months
before the actual movement of crops, If
satisfactory in size, will begin to slim
ulate business. Meanwhile stocks on
hand will he depressed in price accord
ing to the brightness of prospects for
the coming yield, and this will tend to
hinder improvement in prices of cotton
goods and some other products.
There is reason to expect that the in
dustries will be subjected to a foreign
competition as severe as they have met
during the last year. Imports in Feb
h.y f,,1l 10 no a cf
year. In 1895 wooden goods invoiced at
$60,319,301 were imported, and the ac-
tual value was probably more than $751;
100000. Adding the duties not evaded,
these imports would displace about a
third of the entire product of Ameri-
can wooden mills when well employed,
but in cloths and dress goods the pro-
portion is much greater, apparently
about nine-sixteenths. In some impor-
tant branches more than five-eighths of
the consumption has been captured by
foreign competitors. Meanwhile the
wool growers saw in 1895 no less than
24s,9s9,3l7 pounds of foreign wool inn
ported to displace their product. This
was about half the greatest quantity
ever consumed in American mills in
any year, even when best employed,
but it is unpleasantly obvious that the
mills have not been fully employed
during the last IL months. If they have
consumed as much as 400,000,000
pounds, over 60 per cent. of it from
abroad, the stock of domestic wool un-
sold, which was largely taken at rising
prices when it was hoped that duties
would be imposed, must be unusually
heavy. Depression in prices would seem
not improbable, and the states like
Montana, Utah, California, Oregon, Col
orado, Texas and others, which produce
most of the American wool, have to
settle with their senator's.
Imports of cotton goods in 1895 were
invoiced at $35, 101 ,s32, and doubtless
were worth much more. Imports OF
earthenware amounted to $10,524, COS,
the total value of clay and pottery pro-
duced, according to the census, having
been about $22,000,00O. Imports of
gloves were invoiced at S7,453, 800, and
worth very much more, the product of
the manufacture, according to the CEN
sus, having been about S1o,o0o,oOo. Silk
goods imported were invoiced at $751;
G5s,666, and the product of the manu-
facture in 1890 was about SS7,000,000.
From these few items it may be in
ferred how seriously in some important
branches the employment of American
workers has been interrupted by the
preference carefully given in demo-
cratic legislation to the foreign works
and their products.-N. Y. Tribune.