Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-12-28
Prosperity's Presence
Brightens the Business World

T.
/ One fact is writ large over the face
of the years industrial and commercial
activities, especially in our own land.
Whatever may be said of the equity or
/ inequity Of the existing economic sys-
/ tenn and of the distribution of opportu-
| nities an unprecedented era of business
! prosperity is with US beyond cavil.
The hesitation which marked the presi-
Dental campaign of 1904 gave way to
confidence after Roosevelt swept the
country. Money became plentiful
Prices Of staple products and nego-
table securities advanced. At home
and abroad enormous orders for iron
and steel products, machinery and ag-
ricultural implements, fuel and all
kinds of raw material set mines, mills
and factories to running overtime.
| The settlement of extensive strikes in
the building trades paved the way for
phenomenal squirt in residence and
office construction In nearly all of our
cities. Railroads, trolley combines and
shipping interests went into new and
j vast schemes Of extension and improve
ment. Lastly, but at the foundation
1 of the whole structure, was the de-
cision Of our farmers to increase the
acreage under cultivation, an exception
/ being the cotton planters who made
| some ra 5Ffctiol IL 0tzIer to maintain
prices. The result, weather favoring
and improved methods helping, made
possible Secretary Wilson's story Of
record breaking crops to gladden. the
nations Thanksgiving day, the total IN
crement of agricultural wealth being
estimated at $6,415, 100000.
In the spring of the year this condi-
| tion of affairs was noticeably reflected
/ in the universal shortage of freight
cars on all the great railroad highways,
Notwithstanding that the car construc-
| tion companies had been running full
/ blast to fiji enormous orders for rolling
/ stock. The Missouri Pacific and the
Burlington engaged in sharp rate
/ war in the rivalry Of gulf and Atlantic
ports for western grain last spring, and
/ later in the summer eastern trunk lines
suffered slightly from a temporary Pc
riod Of rate cutting. Progress was
| made toward through trolley lines be-
/ tween Buffalo and Chicago and other
western points. The management of
| the Vanderbilt system of railroads was
i centralized under the single headship
of President Newman. Gould became
supreme in the Wabash after forcing
/ Ramsey out. Hill and Hartman reach
ed a settlement by dividing the north
west between them. Our foreign COM
1 merce as recorded at the end of the
| fiscal year was over 81, soc, 100000. an
increase of S1S4, 100000 and the largest
on record. This meant prosperity to
shipping interests, notwithstanding that
| the trust as such reported million
deficit.
Our export trade encountered one
! DANGEROUS antagonism in the Chinese
boycott, which was begun May Is by
the action of the Shanghai chamber of
/ commerce, presumably inspired by
! powerful officers of the empire in re-
taliation for the rigors and insults con
nected with the administration of the
American exclusion law.
The great life insurance companies,
which began the year with their Gus
tomary reports boasting of gains and
4 surpluses, have passed through the
Christening fires of investigation and
reorganization following the strife be-
tween the Hyde and Alexander fac