The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-01
PROSPERITY In INDIANA.
Another Interview with First Assist
ant Postmaster General Heath.

PITTSBURG Sept 30.-The Washington
correspondent of the Dispatch says: While
First Assistant Postmaster General Heath
was in Indiana he made study of the
business situation, and found it in a very
much improved condition There is as
complete a revival OF business in Indiana
at this time" said Mr. Heath to-day, "as
followed the passage of the Mckinley tariff
law in 1880. 1 visited five or six Of the
leading natural-gas cities in Indiana, in
Guiding my own city, Muncie, the largest Of
them, Anderson. Marion, Kokomo and Tip
ton, and everywhere the factories were
running on full time More than half of
them are running double time. One year
ago three-fourths of these factories were
running on short time. That condition of
affairs continued until about six weeks ago,
probably eight weeks ago, when the facto-
ries began running on full time and then
orders came in thick and fast, until q
double force was put on in almost every
establishment I met the head of the larg-
est merchant iron mill in the natural-gas
belt, and he told me that for three years he
did not have more than thirty days of or
ders ahead at any time, but that he now
had orders that would run him double time
nine months
this wonderful revival of business, when
there was so much stock on hand every
where and comparatively little building go
ing on, he said it was simply due to re-
| turn OF confidence. Ife said dealers in mer-
| chant iron We're everywhere stocking up
| with view to building.
THE wages of men were no higher than
| they were Il year ago. That is the most dis
| couraging part of the revival of the times.
| | was told everywhere that wages always
| appreciated at the tail end of d revival of
| business; that it was competition In labor
| that always increased wages, and there was
| so much idle labor at the time of the be-
| ginning of this revival that no appreciation
| had been felt yet, and it took some time
until the demand for labor could not readi-
| ly be supplied when there would be in
| creased wages for labor. But the cost of
| living is lower than it has ever been in the
| history of the country. There IS an
] abundance of everything to eat at very
| low prices, and this revival of business has
| filed the stores with goods that are be-
| ing sold off for what merchants can get
| for them in order to give place for a new
| stock / saw suits of clothes being sold for
| 1915, and any gentleman would not hesitate
| to wear them in New York or Washington.
/ "All through Indiana there has been a
/ very remarkable crop of everything the
farmers raise. and they are getting profits
| out of their crops equal to the prices al
| which they held their farms two years ago.
when / was in Muncie, IN the early part
/ of February of this year, continued Mr..
Heath, II met a farmer who was in great
| distress. He was an old friend, with 26l
| acres of as good land as can be found any
where. 1t was mortgaged for several thou
/ sand dollars, and he offered to sell his
| equity at an almost nominal figure. When
| / was at home last week / thought / would
| like to buy the equity in that farm. went
/ out to the place. and, upon approaching the
/ farm / was surprised to see the farmer on
/ TOP Of a new house a beautiful structure
/ surrounded by a new fence, and when
/ called him down and asked If he still want
| ed to sell his farm he told me the farm
/ was not for sale, that he had made enough
| out of 1t to settle up his interest account,
nav off part of his debt and build that
! new house He had renewed his mortgage
| at per cent lower than he had been pay
! inc"