The Lamar register., 1900-01-03
a RECORD BREAKER.
A Portion of BradIreeI's Review of the
Wonderful Business Year Just Closed

sanguine commercial and financial
hopes or predictions found such ade-
quate realization as they did during
1899 Certainly nCthink like the wide
spread and general upward movement
OF values, alike Of staples and Of Sc
curities, such Us occurred during the
year, could have been foreseeu
Linked with an immense business
ana misunderstanding production In
nearly all lines OF business and Indus.
try, except, perhaps, in some products
Of the agricultural Interests. there was
with ii an advance of sTapic values.
either Of which alone would have made
the year notable aud couIhlned 10 have
served to establish The year As 4
record-bTeaker aud set up new stand
ards. The volume OF domestic and Of
foreign trade alike was the largest
ever recorded. and the bank elearinEs,
refectinE immense business expansion.
active speculation Ia stocks and enor-
nous uew Industrial fIoatlngs. far sur
passed al previous records, Prices. as
a rcsult. primarily. OF the stimulation
prUcee,ling from supply and demand
conditions, scored probably the great
est advanec IN any single year and
brought the general level Of staple
values to the highest point reached for
more than eight ycans past. Failure
statistics point to the smallest number
reported for seventeen years past.
These results have come TO pass In the
face OF 3 considerably Iessencd pro
duction OF wheat. and un immense
falling OF in the yield Of cotton.
In Industrial affairs the year has
been one OF enorInsus expansion. Ger
taInly nothing like the general advance
in wages OF Industrial employees has
been witnessed Tor many years, and
this has been accomplished with mgu-
imum OF friction.
The close OF the year finds order
books ailed for from rIEr,~e TO SIX
months ahead in nearly all lines. Dis
tributive trade was naturally OF i'm
mease volume throughout the year,
though mild weather at the close tend
ed to modify the satisfaction with
which retail trade in winter fabrics
was regarded. This was. however.
partly compensated for by a holiday
business surprising all previous rec
ords.
Notwithstanding smaller exports Of
agricultural products during the caicn-
dar year, bfeadsturs shipments being
10 per cent smaller. cattle and hogs ex.
ports II Per CENT less, aud cotton ship
nent, owing to the short crop. At least
u per cent less, there was such an ex-
pansion In our manufactured experts
that the entire expert trade OF the year
VIII considerably exceed that OF the
last calendar year. which was the
heaviest recorded. and WIN make the
year no less notable In the Hnr Of for
eiGn exports little less than 81 ~. d-pp.-
oeD. an aggregate Of which. Il reached.
win mark gain OF > per cent. ever
the record total Of 1855
Imports have naturally shown
marked revival, and II th,. gain for the
eleven months Is maintained for the
month OF December. a total a nttle b..
low Sspo.0c0oo0 may be expected
which would guarantee a total foreign
trade well In excess Of SaOnp.sponpa,
an amount. It might be remarked, never
before equaIed- As TO exports, II Is to
be noted that nearly one-third Of all
are OF manufactured products, pro
ducfion never before reached: and, as
to imports, the heavy increase In raw
products intended for manufacture
bears Testimony 10 the activity OF do
mestic Industry. The apparent trade
balance In our favor. though not a.
heavy as In Is9s, win still aggregate
an enormous sum.