The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-02
JOBBERS AS AUNT
ALL AGREE THAT THE PRESENT
TRADE CONDITIONS ARE GOOD
AND CHEERFUL
PRESENT is PROSPEROUS
WHILE THE FUTURE PROMISES
AN EVEN GREATER STORE OF
BUSINESS BLESSINGS
ALL LINES ALIKE ARE LIVELY

There Is No DiscOrdant Note in the
Chorus of the Local Wholesalers
1T Is the JubIIate That Wells
From Every Trademarks Throat
These Days-Interviews With St.
Paul JObbing Magnates.
Not in years have the jobbers Of St
Paul been confronted by so general a
condition of prosperity or with such hope
full prospects for q continuance of SINH
larly happy conditions. Such at least was
the consensus of opinion among repre-
sentatives of various lines of the whole
sale trade who were questioned by the
G o b yesterday with respect to the cx-
listing conditions. The dealers inter-
viewed represented several lines of busi-
ness, and all were agreed that the season
of 1899 need but continue in the way it
has begun to rank with the best year of
the jobbing trade in the Northwest
DRY GOODS.
George R. Finch, of Finch, Van Slyck
Young & Co., said for the wholesale dry
goods trade that it was in an especially
prosperous condition. His firm was this
year employing approximately 200 more
people than in April 1893. OF these $50
were to be accounted for by an increase
In the manufacturing department of the
business, and the rest chiefly by the ne
cessities Of the increased business in ship
and the like. There had been no material
increase in the number of statesmen nee
essary. Mr.. Finch was sanguine that The
existing condition was a healthy one. and
not unnatural. 1t was general and not
local, and it appeared to carry with it
the promise of permanency The people
OF the Northwest had enjoyed a season of
prosperity, and having the money to
spend they were spending it.
GROCERIES.
Ranking with the dry goods trade ne
cessarlly, If not properly ahead of it, is
the wholesale grocery trade, and in this,
too, a healthy condition is manifest. ].
H Allen, Of ]. H. Allen Co.,
said yesterday that while the figures
of the local trade would probably run
slightly behind the amount Of business
done in the same month of 1898. the de-
crease was gratifyingly. small and read
lily accounted for by the fact that year
ago last month the federal government
was buying immense stocks of provisions
Tor the feeding of the then mobiIizfng
army, much of which was furnished bv
the local trade. There is, too, a tempo
rary dullness in the grocery trade, just
as there always is at the seeding season.
rms is an entirely unusual condition.
however, and has been Invariably fol-
lowed by an increased activity, as the
farmers, after they finished putting In
lhelr crops, proceed to close out what
ever OF the former crop which they NAV
have left. This year the farmers of the
Northwest have considerable grain left
wheat especially, and they will no doubt
follow their usual custom Taking the
year so far, 1 think that the first fonr
months Of 1899 would probably exceed in
volume of business the corresponding
months of 1898, although April taken
alone would appear to a slight disad-
vantage, on account of the reason I
have named.
HEAVY HARDWARE.
]. Ross Nicols, Of Nicols & Dean, deal
ers in iron, STEEL heavy hardware and
wagon stock, etc, reported conditions In
that line as very good, although he had
observed the same temporary depres-
sion remarked by Mr.. Allen, attributable
TO the period of seeding. Our trade dur-
Ing the first part of this wear has been
excellent Prices have been advancing
not only on iron and STEEL but on drv
stock for woodworking There Ia
scarcity of this stock, and the demand
Tor 1t has been considerable The wagon
makers throughout the Northwest are
nd 6o
a marked advance in prices. Collections
have been good and the trade yerv
steady. Similar conditions exist in other
lines of trade, am informed. Only todav
a Jobber told me that the April trade of
his firm represented an increase of a clear
$4,000 over the same month Of 1898. That
ought to be considerable encourage
ment."
NOTIONS AND SUPPLIES.
G. Sommers, of G. Sommers & Co..
dealers in notions toys and household
furnishings and supplies, expressed him
self as highly gratified with the results
attained during the year thus far and
the prospects in view. "Our business has
shown very healthy condition, he said
and the retail dealers throughout the
Northwest seem to be experiencing a re-
vival of prosperity, which is making an
increased demand for all lines of goods ;,
BOOTS AND SHOES.
George w. Freeman, of the Minnesota
Shoe company, was specific, indeed, about
the present state Of affairs. With the
pardonable elation that accompanies a
newly made discovery, he answered the
reportorial query as follows:
Conditions good? Yes, sir. Our Anr,l
business represents an increase of 12 per
cent over the same month Of last wear
That Is one sign of the times I haven't
speculated great deal as to the reasons
for these Increases; unless it is that the
people of the Northwest are coming to
a realization that they can get the best |
line of shoes here that they can get any-
where. However, the Northwestern coun-
try is generally prosperous, and the boot
and shoe trade, I suppose is merely en-
joying its share of the improved con-
ditions."
DRUGS.
An increased drug jobbing trade does
not necessarily mean that more people
are sick than usual, possibly because
paints and oils for building and decora-
tive purposes constitute a material ele-
ment in the average drug trade. Conse-
quently there need be no general panic
when John F. Broderick, general man
ager of the Ryan Drug company Is quot
ed to the effect that the wholesale drug
trade is enjoying the same meansure of
prosperity reported by the general job
bing trade.
Our business has been very steady"
said Mr. Broderick yesterday, in re-
sponse to query. my judgment is that
the !obbing trade Of the Northwest, and