Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-02
CONDITION OF OMAHA'S TRADE
Jo55ers Talking Very Bncouagingly Of the
State of Business.
COUNTRY COLLECTIONS ARE QUITE GOOD
Country Merchants Complain Of
Nho1esaIers Who Sell Groceries
Direct to Fnrmcrs-April Busi-
ness at south Omaha.


very decided change in the local situation
as regards the jobbing trade, and while
business IN the east is generally reported as
disappointing. the jobbers Of this city, al
most without exception, talk most encouras-
fngly Every jobber seems to be feelins
very hopeful as to the future course OF
business and the encouragement so notlce-
able at times past has apparently disap-
peared entirely.
The fact Is that the jobbng trade of
Omaha has been slowly but steadily inn
proving all this year, and. while the change
from week to week has been small, IL Is
very evident that there has been a most
decided change when one looks BACK rev
weeks or months. The progress made to-
ward recovery is sufficient to render the
jobbing trade of the city quite satisfactory
AS a matter of course the volume of busi-
ness is not what 1t was at one time-fal'
from it-but 1t Is much better than last
year and progress in the right direction
never fails to bring satisfaction. .,.,.,
The situation In the country has improved
very rapidly of late. The farmers and pusl.
ness men alike have been gradually worklnS
ali obligations are not liquidated by any
means the process OF liquidation mas p,V-
gressed sufficiently to cause a considerarps,e az e
easing up in the money stringency. me
sale OF crops and live stock has put a laISa
amount of money into circulation ar ana that
is making n great difference with al enter enter
prisps i'm the country. Business men VINO
are we'll Informed as TO the situation now
say that one more good crop In Nebraska
viii place business in excellent shape, even
If prices remain no better than at the pres
ent time, while advances in values on Iarrn I'm
products would make the Situdtioii an 'iiN
more favorable.
FAIR RETAIL TRADE.
The retail trade in Omaha the past week
has been very satisfactory, excepting on
the stormy DAYS, when buyers were kept at
home The spring trade Is now well under
way and each warm day brings "a vGrE
,t,I far
Keeps all hands busy. , +,
The general business of the country II
injured to a considerable extent, without
doubt. by the fact that in some large
branches of trade in the east business IS
still checked by the uncertainty OF tarlt
legislation. In many of the articles az
fected the margin of change Is not great
and yet 1t is great enough 10 ihi,uehCe i1.
transactions quite seriously; sS II me so6in,t IL
check preparations for the fall and winter
trace. Manufacturers cannot fix prices
with any definiteneSS where they are iSno-
rant Of the cost of the raw materials anu
importers are backward about placing or :
ders when they cannot judge within ~ 10
30 per cent what duties viii have to be
paid on the goods. All this amounts to a
serious interruption of business: and as one
industry has more or less influence upon
every other the result is detrimental to all
ENCOURAGE EIEN'T AT SOUTH OMAHA.
At South Omaha, Nebraska's greatest in
dustry, the live stock and packing house
The volume of business Is rapidly increa9-
ing as compared with last year, while prices
are such to give the farmer ana stock
grower very fair returns on ther invest
lnents.
That the improvement in business IS not
imaginary is readily determined by refer
ence to the figures. During the month of
April just closed the total receipts of cattle
ut the yards Were 5l.Sl1, while the receipts
for April 1896, We're only S3S25. and for
April 1895 33 iG9. Only three times in the
history of the yards has the month of April
brought larger cattle receipts than this
Turning from cattle to hogs, it will be
found that the total arrivals for the past
month were 1oSS5o, as asaiMst SSG5a a for Tor the
corresponding month Of 1896 and So65 for
the same month in 1898. With the one eX,
ception. the past month was the best April
AS regards the receipt of hogs since the
There were only thirty days in April. and
the receipts of sheep fell IA few carloads
short of the record made in March, which
was the largest for any month In the MIS-
tory of the yards.
since January there has been an increase
in the receipts of stock at South Omaha,
as compared with the corresponding four
months Of 1896 of 5000 cattle. 9S,60S hogs,
1H,1Ss sheep. This is most gratifying
showing, and one that will be the source
of much encouragement to every friend of
the South Omaha live stock industry.
WIIOLESALING GROCERIES.
Complaints are frequently noticed in the
press regarding the. operations of so-called
Wholesale grocery houses that sell goods
direct to the farmers. The Glenwood Ua)
Leader recently mentioned the distribution
of of groceries at that point by an
Omaha wholesale house and the Des Moines
Capital reprinted and added to the com
ments of the Leader
These complaints are so frequent that II
may not be out of place to take some notice
of them. In the first place 1t must be under
stood that no REGULAR wholesale house s,n In
or sells directly to the consumers, This
business is carried on by houses making
specially of il, and most most, all the large large
people send their drummers out into
the country and solicit orders, and
when sufficient goods, goods have AYE been been sold
shipped to the nearest station and the
buyers notified to be there on certain day
the company goes with the car and sees
that the goods are distributed and paid for,
for, as matter of course, there is no
Country merchants say that the farmers
are '.balted' with low prices on one or two
articles with which they are especially
Whether this is true or not It stands to
reason that these self-styled wholesale
from house to house and sell their goods for
nothing. 1T 1t ought , not to be very difficult
undorsell these people and convince the
farmers where 1t is best for them TO do
their buying.
ave can and do underscl them we give
better goods for less money" Is the re-
sponse. of the retail grocers, but the trou-
OTHERS BESIDES THE FARMERS.
Every business man has realized many
times that II Is n difficult task to make
people see things as he sees them. but the
farmers are not the only ones TO be con-
tended with, There is perhaps no class of
people more often taken, IN than the
country retail grocers, ana that, too, by
n game old that II must have been worn
threadbare long ago Every year so-called
commission houses are organized In every
large city for the sole purpose OF swindlng
the country retail merchants. and they find
them dead easy" plucking. These commits
signments of produce ana quoting prices
way above the market and way above
the prices named by old and reliable houses
that have been years In the business.
The country merchant does not stop to
think that the very fact of the quotations
being above the market Is sure indica-
tion of one of two things, either ignorance
or intentional fraud. but ships In his butter,
eggs and poultry. The receiver loads the
at less than the market price makes a
quick sale, puts the money In his pocket |
and lies low. The shipper writes for his
money but gets no response, and getting
uneasy inquiries of some other house TO
the standing of the company to which he
shipped and then learns what he ought to |
have known In advance, that he has fallen !
victim visits the city and IL he succeeds in
running the swindler TO ground he IL put |
off with excuses and promises, but at all
events the final outcome Is the same-the
shipper seldom sees the money.
by frequently changing the firm name
these swindling concerns are able 10 stay |
In business year after year and work the