The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-03
Unusually Prosperous Season For
Salt Lake Business.
THE OUTLOOK IS BRIGHT
BANK CLEARINGS DOUBLE
WITHIN THREE YEARS.
Business Men In ALI Lines Report
Active Summer Season and Pre-
dict Lively Fall Trade-Million
Dollars Is Being Expended In
Public Buildings.

August IS gone. carrying with it the
summer lethargy, and merchants are
brac1ng themselves for an unusually
heavy fall trade. The reports come
from all sections of the country of
great business activity. factories rum
nlng night and day, cheap money seek
ing every channel of legitimate indus
Try and investment and a general tone
OF confidence and determination that
means business. Utah. from all pres
ent indications, will be in the front
rank of the onward move, despite some
minor set-backs among the farmers.
The prospects for the fall trade are un-
usually bright all along the line. and
predictions are made by good authori-
ties that the business of the next three
months VIII break all previous records
and open the eyes Of the entire CONNER
cial wcrld.
With view 10 ascertaining the con-
dition of local business at the close of
OF the fall campaign, The Herald inter-
viewed a number of representative
business men.
Increase In Hardware Business.
The George M. Scott-Strevell Hard
ware company reports a 40 per cent in
crease in business over August of last
year. Activity in building and in min
ing have made business better with this
house and also with the Salt Lake
Hardware company. Sales of metallic
goods have been made at advancing
prices. and the purchases made from
the east are on higher and higher QUO
tatlons daily. Nevertheless the leading
hardware houses are preparing for the
larger business that they believe is
coming.
Good n,~xy EooIc
In the dry goods trade such houses
as Walker Bros Dry Goods company
and F. Auerbach G. Bro. report a great
Improvement during the pas. between
seasons month. They are buying heav-
lily in anticipation Of a largely increased
fall and winter trade. The upward ten
dency of prices on nearly every COM
modify in the east is felt first by the
local merchants, but the general i'm
provement in all businesses encourages
them to prepare for the promised in
creased trade to round out the year.
Thomas G. Weber, manager of the
q. G. NJ. l.. reports business for Aug
ust better than last August. The sum-
mer business was better than expected
and better than for many years past
Mr.. Weber is confident that every
business man in Salt Lake. in no mat
ter what line. will agree to this state
ment Collections are little slow just
at this time, because little is coming
in from the farms. Prospects for the
fall business are excellent.
Farm Implement Company.
AS to the farm implement business,
Frank r.. Snow. secretary and treasurer
of the Consolidated Implement COM
pany, states that business in that line
for August was fully 20 per cent bet
ter than August a year ago, both as TO
sales and collections. Prospects for
fall business We're never better until
the late frosts came, doing great dam
age to crops in the upper valleys. Some
sections report the wheat crop cut
fully one-third. This will seriously af-
feet fall business in the implement line.
The Studebaker Bros Manufacture
ing company could furnish no definite
figures but reports business much bet
ter than a year ago. The company
came through the dull summer months
much better than it anticipated. Fall
prospects are unusually good.
Poor Prospects For Wheat.
All the implement dealers take Sc
rious view of the outlook in Utah for
wheat growers. Joe Letters corner in
Chicago two years ago doomed prices
out of all reason. AS result the
wheat acreage was greatly increased,
and as a result of this the wheat mar
ket is swamped and prices are very
low. AS long as there was famine
abroad and strong foreign demand
for our wheat, the American farmer
wore diamonds. This year there is
good crop the world over and the home
market is glutted. The outlook for
Utah is especially serious because Of
high freight rates to the coast.
Increase In Bank Clearings.
The incFes Sc in the volume of bust
ness transacted in August, compared
with the corresponding month of last
year. is shown in the months total of
clearings of the Salt Lake banks. In
In August, 1898, the clearings aggre- |
gated 81 1879 1876, while for the past
month the aggregate is 1854, 2S5.S6, a |
gain OF S2.505,OS7.21.
Well informed business men and
financiers always look at citys bank
clearings for an index of general trade |
conditions. The Salt Lake bank clear
ings in August, 1896, amounted to only |
81, 551, Ill, but the next year the increase
brought the months total to $500, e52. |
Compared with three years ago bank |
clearngs have more than doubled The |
reason is apparent Business has been |
growing steadily since 1896, but the
growth of the current year is we'll up |
TO the pace estimated by the most |
Sanguine.