Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-28
CONDITION OF OMAHA'S TRADE
JObbers Report q Fair Average Business for
Last Of June,
MANUFACTURERS TALK HOME INDUSTRY
Situation at south omaha shcws In
mistnknbIe signs Of Improve mcnt-
Deficit In Live stack Receipts
DcinE Rapidly Reduced.

Reports from leading local jobbing houses
ali agree that business The past week has
been In very fair condition and fully up to
the expectations for this season The DUH
est season Of the year in most lines Is now
near at hand and no one could expect u
very active demand for merchandise. Trade
at the present time Is Of a satisfactory
character and goods being sent out are
for the most part going into tolerabIy
strong hands and very little complaint is
heard on the score Of poor collections.
The people who are buying appear to have
the money to meet obligations Incurred.
In all sections OF tributary territory farm
crs arc very busy in the fields and arc
visiting the towns only on rare occasions
when compelled and hence the retail trade
of the state is small. The feeling among
merchants so far as can he learned from
Interviews with those who have been in
the city during the past few days, and
from letters received by jobbers, Is that the
situation in the country Is all That could
be expected ana that they are not at all
worried by present light trade, as they
figure that the fall trade will more than
make up for II. In Omaha business con
tinues rather quiet, but no more so than it
has been the greater portion of the past
two months or more. Local retail mcr-
chants. like their brothers in the country,
are also looking for IL good iall trade.
The manufacturers are talking home pat
ronage at every opportunity. ana are doing
all that is possible to set their goods into
tho market. During the past week the
secretary of the Manufacturers association
called upon the merchants located in the
different towns between Norfolk and ONeill
and arEucd the home patronage question
with them. The most of them carry full
lines and few of them push home manu-
featured goods with the energy or enthusi-
assn that they might. or the contrary,
many merchants allow the jobGers to load
them up with goods made in other states,
TO the neglect of their own manufacturers
The jobbers always say when approached
on the subject that they handle the goods
that their customers, the retail merchants
of the state, want and that. If there is n
demand for homemade goods they would
just as soon carry them as not. on the
other hand, the retail merchants say,
'Well, why don't you get the jobbers to
put In homemade goods and then we would
handle them"
Mr.. Holmes says that the home industry
theory is like religion, every one believes
in 1t. but Il good many do not practice II
with as much enthusiasm as they might.
The merchants In that portion OF the
state, where sugar and chicory are pro
duced are reporting u better business thar
are the merchants In a good many other
localities. The growing of bects and chic
DRY gives employment to a much larger
population than corn growing and the more
people there are to be fed and provided foI
the more business there is for the retail
Mrs. Pugh and Mrs. McMurphay are
demonstrating in lectures before Che Crete
Chdv.aIqua the values of home manufac'
tured food products and this is one of the
methods by which the manufacturers hope
to Increase the consumption of their goods
SHOE MEN TALK PRICES.
Dealers in boots and shoes are calling at
tention to the fact that while values OF
most all the great staples are declining the
market on shoes is assuming. "A stronger
stronger position than it was II year ago
and to that fact must be ascribed any
market for the manufactures PRODUCTS o
leather. The cry of scarcity was SO alarm
Ing. last summer that all the reserves o
world were brought out. Since that tim,
the consumption of leather has been in
creased and the output has been decreased
1t is noteworthy as showing the inheren.
statistical strength of leather that it ha.
advanced two, or three times within a shor
time, while all sorts and conditions of com
modities in other lines of trade have beer
on the down grade. The recent advances II
leather have compelled the shoe manu-
features to pay some attention to the ques
ton of raising shoe prices for the coming
season.
MOVEMENT IN LIVE STOCK.
Business at South Omaha shows unmis
taxable signs of Improvement that are mos
gratifying to all who are interested in thu
conferred at that point. During the early
portion of the year receipts of all kind.
Of live stock We're very limited, owing t.
In 1884 has compelled the farmers of tn,
state to market all their surplus, and il
many cases their breeding stock as well
For a time the state was almost bare o
live stock. and business in consequence wa,
at IA very low ebb at South Omaha. Sine,
the failure of 1884 a new crop has beef
grown, and during the few months il il
just commencing to come forward to mar
ket, with the result that receipts are nov
heavier, by considerable, than was the cas-,
a year ago. For the six months of tn,
year now passed there were received "A
South Omaha 11,G59 cattle and 42,579 NOR,
sheep than arrived during the correspond
Ing period of lS95-not a large gain, by an,
means. but n gain all the same, that prove.
beyond question that the tide has turned.
In the matter Of hog receipts there ha!
amounting to sc. Al head, but a month az,
there was IA deficit of los, 73i, showing tina
during the past thirty days there has beef
n large gain. and>that at the present rat,
of increase 1t will not be long before i9
can show gains in all kinds of live stock.
Prices, as n matter of fact, are very low
Tor all kinds of live stock, but probably n,
over in proportion. than other leading farm
products. Aside from the low prices in,
condition of the trade is of a very salts
factory character.