The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-12
JULY TRADE ENORMOUS.
Southern Buyers Place Large Orders
With Wholesaler.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Aug. u.-Order.
| from the South and Middle West have
| forced local wholesalers to employ extra
help, and without exception the big job
| bers report unprecedented business fol
| the month of July. The accounts for tbs
| month are now being billed, and the
comparative statements complied by some
| of the oldest houses in the city show q
volume of trade for July not even ap-
preached by any previous corresponding
| period in their history.
Local wholesale dry goods and notion
firms pronounce the past month a record
breaker for business. and state that dur
ing the month of July trade was UMPIRE
cedented. The volume OF business done
in the Philadelphia wholesale dry goods
section. as well as that of the notion
| houses, eclipses by far that OF any sum-
mer month within the recollection of the
oldest merchants in these lines. While
this city has within recent years grown
immensely as a wholesale centre in these
two branches OF business, none of the
merchants anticipated any such a boom
as had been experienced during July.
The increase in trade began early in the
month and continued throughout. grow
ing as the month passed. Orders came
from all sections of the Middle West and
the South, and many new customers were
made for the Philadelphia wholesale mer-
chant. The boom was not confined TO any
particular line of goods, but took in all
summer goods in the dry goods and no.
ton lines. Some of the increased trade
Is accredited to the recent renewals OF
the old trades relations between Phila-
delphia and the South, as considerable
business was done here for the first time
since the civil war with Southern towns
and houses which in former days made
this city their IT gular market.
Another reason given for the big bust
ness done the past month Is that the
South and the Middle West have had
good times for several seasons, and II
the recent drought in the West does not
prove as disastrous as at first claimed a
good fall and winter season is anticipated.
The foremost reason, however, given for
the unprecedented trade in July is that
the hot spell in the latter part of June
and beginning of July created an unusual
demand for light summer goods of all
descriptions This spell having come at
the very beginning of summer. and hav-
ing been general throughout the country
east of the Mississippi River, there was a
rush for light goods. and the demand be-
came greater than the supply.
The prices rose with the demand. and
the houses that had laid in good stocks
have had one OF the most prontabie sea-
sons in years. The boom in the dry goods
trade was entirely unexpected, as July
and August are generally considered OF
months. but the demand for goods came
so early that merchants had a chance to
obtain the desired goods, and good bust
ness throughout the trade was the result
The wholesale grocery houses are eX-
perencing 4 rush of business on an en-
tirely different basis. The great demand
for their goods comes from the section
that is supposed to have suffered mostly
from the drought. Canned goods of all
kinds are in great demand. and from all
parts of the West, as far as the Rocky
Mountains, come orders AT advanced
prices. Canned tomatoes. apples. all
fruits and berries have risen largely in
prices. Potatoes are in great demand all
over the East and West. and in most of
the farming sections this crop is reported
rs short