The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-01-14
BUSINESS OUTLOOK.
The Year Opens with a Confident
Tone in All Branches.
A. F. OF |. APPEALS TO CONGRESS-.
Legislation Wanted for an Eight-Hour Day
on Public Contracts, Injunctions, Com
Wet Labor and Immigration
National w. q. Il. u.
New York, Jan. .-Bradstreets re-

New YORK. Jan. S-Bradstreet's re-
BORT says:
The year opens with tone of quiet conf
lence pervading nearly all branches OF busi-
ness with encouraging activity in the iron
trade, a resumption Of work by many thousands
of Industrial employees in the western glass in
dustry, largely reduced volume OF business
failures as compared with corresponding
periods In preceding years and n general out
look certainly not inferior to any previous year
at this time. Distributive trade has naturally
been rather slow, pending stock taking and the
return Of statesmen to the field While the
volume of diStributive business is not large.
industrial activity is special feature uncon-
fined to any section. but specially notable in
the west Resumption Of work after the holt
days has been generally encouraging in that
section.
Autumn weather in the northwest checks dis
tribution, but collections are reported good.
Sales OF southern iron are large. Louisiana
sugar crop returns have been very satisfactory.
Nine-tenths of Flordas orange crop was
gathered before the late freeze, and cotton is
steady and with good export demand Wool
has opened up actively in some western mar
kets, and lower prices for cotton goods have
stimulated some demand
Naturally enough, there was slight gain in
the number of failures reported this week over
last, the total aggregating 1888. against 297 last
the total was 4sS The total In this week OF
1896 was 4iG; In 1895 405. and in 1894 49, thus
showing q falling OF from this week in recent
preceding years of from one-quarter to one
third.
The total number OF failures of national
state, savings and private banks and loan and
trust companies in 1897 was l05, n little more
than half those Of 1896 and less than one-nfth
those of the panic year. 1893 Liabilities also
showed heavy falling of, being 80 per cent
smaller than in 1895 and 90 per cent smaller
than in 1893 The number and liabilities how
ever, were slightly larger than in 1894. The
percentage OF assets TO liabilities in 1897 was
only 80 the smallest reported since Bradstreet's
tecord of bank suspensions was begun
A. F. OF l.. APPEALS TO CONGRESS-.
WASHINGTON, Jan. S.-The legislative
committee of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, consisting of President
Samuel Gompers, Secretary Frank NJ
Orrison and Mr.. Andrew Fureseth, by
direction of the 18th annual conven-
tion of the federation, held in Nash
vile in December last, has issued an
address to the members of the Fifty
Fifth congress. After calling atten-
tion to the introduction of modern
machinery and new business methods,
and the competition of convict labor,
by which wage workers are forced
into idleness and want, the commit tee
says that they feel that they have a
right to bring their grievances to the
attention of the law-making power
and to expect such definite measures
of relief as seems most likely to inn
prove their condition and preserve
their independence and freedom as
workers and citizens, and, therefore,
urge earnest efforts in enacting into
law, the following measures:
Tristan eight-hour work day on all public
works such law to proyi de that all contracts or
sub-contracts for materials furnished or work
done must contain proviso that eight hours
shall be the maximum labor OF any one in
dividual in any one calendar day. Further.
that II shall be the duty of officials vested with
the power OF signing such contract to withhold
thei; signatures until such proviso Is inserted
therein
Second-In order to stop the indiscriminate
and dangerous use OF the writ OF injunction,
we urge the adoption OF senate bill No. 35
Third-In order to, in some degree lessen
the competition Of convict labor, we urge the
adoption of a law 20 pronibit the transperta-
tion OF prison made goods from one state into
any other state or territory
Fourth-We urge the adoption OF q reasona-
BILE law to restrict undesirable immigration
such law to be based upon an educational
qualification.
NoN-PARrIsAN NATIONAL W. c. T. U.
COLUMBUS, o., Jan. S.-The eighth
annual convention of the non-partisan
National w. c. T. u. opened in this
city last night. Miss Isabel Plumb, OF
Chicago, conducted devotional service.
Mrs. Anna Witten Meyer, of Saratoga,
Pa, president of the union, delivered
the annual address. The convention
continues in session until next Tues.
day.