The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-01-01
Prospects for Norfolk Are Seemingly Bright.
for The New Year. D. B y
EMPLOYMENT FOR IDLE LABOR
New Constructions Under way-Pos-
sibiy IN EIcvator-Tho Chris,,nas
Trndo Was Unusually Large,
largo Spring Stocks Orderrd-n
Few Facts About business.


COMES, in people grow more or less re-
Elective, and The question or "Where
am L Az? is Unexpectedly propound-
ed by each man. Is he ahead of last
year or behind IL? Is the prospect for
the next year brighter or less hopeful
than was the prospect for the year just
passed?
These questions may be answered In
general way quite satisfactorily
In spite of hard times all over the
country, business in 1897 was better
than In 1886. Particularly Is this true
or the: last few months. Norfolk had
her share of failures. but with one eX-
ception they were all small, compare
lively and trade in general was not
affected by them. On the other hand,
me stores have nearly all done q bet
ter business than for years, and the
merchants wear. a happier look than
any that has adorned their counten-
ances for n long time
CHRISTMAS selling was fast and buy
ing was heavy. Probably twice rs
much money went over the counters
inns holiday season as last. As q result
the merchants, while expecting a good
traae. put not anticipating such a.rush,
una themselves nearly cleaned out
Stock is closer in the stores right now
than for years. ..ts 1ff
some OF the jobbers complain that
their business showed no great i'm
proNemcnt. if any, which IS not strange,
Tor reasons mentioned, but now that
stock is short. calls upon the jobbers
WEI be heavy and big Improvement
in their trade may be expected.
Quite number of things have con-
tributed toward bettering conditions
There has been more work In the city
than for long time. Buildings going
Up, railroad work, Increased cotton
shipments and many other things. The
erection of the Monticello Hotel, the
citizens Bank, the new warehouses in
Atlantic City gave work to many and
put money into circulation, so did i'm
provements at PinGer's Point and num-
erouS private enterprises
The outlook for 1898 Is apparently a
bright one. All of the larger merchants
have ordered heavily for spring and
summer, and the chances are that
there will be fewer idle men around
town than there were in 1897 The
buildings already mentioned will not be
completed till spring. excepting, of
course, the warehouses, already COM
nleted. The Norfolk and Virginia
Beach railroad is giving employment
to over thousand men on its Kemps-
Vile extension and this work will not
be finished before March. The new
Government building, in the meantime,
will be commenced. and work on this
will be continued during the year. A
number of new factories are promised
noinbiy along the Virginia Beach route
and al Lamberts Point, and there is
possibility of new elevator being
erected in this section before very long
1t is hardly probable that such cry
ing need can go much longer unsatis-
lied. With new elevator, exports
here will be doubled, and there will be
more work for labor, more money for
spending and more business for the
merchant.
Speaking along this line last night,
we'll known transportation man said:
'All Norfolk needs is for the railroads
10 do something. With their concerted
action there is nothing that cannot be
accomplished in building up the city.
Shipments from this point ought to be
ten times as great as they are, and
would be IL the railroads would haul
the stun here. If the railroads had
the facilities they could get all the
business they could handle. There is
no doubt OF that"
However that may be, the prospects
for 1898 are seemingly brighter than
they were a year aGo for lie 365 days
that are dead.