The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-01
Prospect Is that Retailers VIII Open
the Next Season with Empty
Shelves.
GREAT SCARCITY OF BEANS
PRICE EXPECTED TO GO To So
WITHIN TWO WEEKS.
Plenty of Corn, and Small Crop of Cot
ton Would Help Dry Goods
Business.

Trade in wholesale grocery lines con-
tinues good in spite Of the hot weather and
the drought said William Kothe. of
Kothe. Wells & Bauer, yesterday. This is
because of the scarcity of all kinds of veg
etables. which forces the consumer to use
canned goods and dried fruits. We have
never had such a trade in canned goods
since we have been in business as We have
had during the past week. We are getting
81 a dozen for tomatoes. and expect the
price to be $110 next week.
1T looks as if the retailer will so into
the new season with empty shelves When
you figure that ii would cost 81 cents a
dozen to put up water in three-pound
cans, you can realize that the present
prices, although they may seem high, are
really not out of proportion. / don't think
there is any doubt that everything in the
canned goods line will bring much higher
prices this fall than during the past spring
Broom corn has doubled in value within
the last forty days, and it looks as II
brooms would go much higher than they
are now.
1--WE are paying $3.50 cash for beans to-
day, with a prospect of a IS price within the
next two weeks. The explanation for this
lies in the great scarcity of beans. what
the new crop will sell for is guesswork.
1T is impossible TO get "A price from any
packer on pickles or kraut. These articles
may bring extreme prices if we DO not have
a general rain very soon.
There is a general tie-up of teamsters
and dock hands on the coast, and this has
about paralyzed the canning industry In
California. Unless the difficulty Is settled
within the next few days the results Will
be very serious. The Gamers nave all
withdrawn prices, and Will not accept any
orders until the strikers settle.
The present strike in the East mas mdue
most of the packers very nervous because
only a small proportion of them were able
to buy cans and store them in their fac-
tories. The rest of them have placed or
ders for August shipment and 1t Is simply
a question of how long the strike may last
whether they will get their cans or not.
Taking the condition of the tomato ana
corn crops and the uncertainty OF the cans
the packers are certainly not in an enVlaple
situation. 1t looks very much as II they
are up against the real thing.
providence plays a wonderful part IN
the equalization of commerce and crops,
continued Mr.. Kothe. Sixty lays ago the
packers were begging for orders and max
ing all kinds of concessions. Now you can
not find a packer that will even name a
price. At that time it looked as II there
would be unprecedentedly large crops OF all
kinds, but along came the months drought
and completely changed things
1.-The drought has affected our business
in two ways said a representative of Hib-
ben, Hollweg & Co, wholesale dry goods,
yesterday. lone effect has been to cause
us uneasiness as TO the probable amount Of
corn that will be harvested and the other
is in the uncertainty over the cotton crop.
Plenty Of corn and a small crop of cotton
would mean a better price for cotton goods,
but the reverse would leave the matter in
uncertainty.
1.-The general condition of the dry goods
trade has. however, been satisfactory. |
do not remember a time when we have had
as brisk a summer trade as we have had
this year. Our advance order business for
have paid well. which is another good indi-
cation. Indeed, everything points TO better
conditions this fall than we have seen for
several years.
when you come to think Of it, dry goods
are not high. They are extremely cheap
when compared with other things. There
is room for an advance of several points in
many lines. a lumber OF calico manufac-
turers have been threatening an advance
for the past three weeks, but it has not
come yet. l think they are like the balance
of the trade. holding off on account of the
weather and crop conditions"
Charles O'Connor. of the wholesale
grocery house of NJ. O'Connor & Co., said
yesterday: Beans are going up because
of the fact that old stocks are about ex-
hausted and the prospect for the new crop
is by no means bright. Potatoes in Indiana
are doomed this season. Syrup is soaring
In price. All grades of prunes have ad-
Vanced one-half cent A pound. Some grades
of cheap baking powder are going up be-
cause of the cOrn-starch used in filling
shaw ENFn - hfUh and fhaFafnrc CORN