Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-31
.NOF[AROF DEPRESSION.
Merchants in All Sections of
Country Make Cheering
Business Reports
HIGH; PLENTY OF WORK
Thorough Canvass Of Country Shows
No Reason for Sharing Wall Streets
Pe.simistic Understanding Cues.
+ions Prepounded-soms of the Re-
plies.

plies.
New York, Aug 31.-Remarkable Tor
their optimism are the replies from
more than 5000 retail merchants, JOB
hers and bankers regarding the pusl-
ness outlook of the country, whlcn are
printed today in the Dry Goods Econ
omist. They show that there is no
evidence Of business depression, that
on the whole the retailers are purchas-
ing as heavily as they did last year.
uation of prosperity.
There Is not the slightest evidence OF
pessimism that has pervaded Wall
street. Where there is trade depres-
sion 1t Ia due to local conditions, as,
for instance. in San Francisco, where
on account of the labor troubles the
merchants have not purchased as heav-
ily as heretofore. In other places
where the purchases have not been as
large the merchants for the most part
state that it Is because prices are
SO high that they look for lower level,
and are purchasing for the Immediate
demand only.
Five questions were asked by the
Economist of it's subscribers in MAX
ing the canvass OF the business con-
ditons. They are:
What are the crop conditions of your
section?
How are the farmers fixed tinan-
cially?
II labor well employed. or otherwise,
in your city and vicinity
Do you abserve any condition which
would cause you seriously to appre-
bend any decline from present pros
perity?
Have you bought as freely as you
did last year at this time?
In. classifying the replies the states
and territories were placed in five
great divisions. In all of these 1t will
be seen that on the whole the pros
poets for good crops are bright, and
when the crops are lighter than here
tofore the higher prices will more than
compensate. In all sections there APP
pears to be a scarcity of available la
Dor, with unusually high prices being
paid.
Report Season Backward.
South Central states-Alab ama, Ar
kansas, Indian Territory, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi. Oklahoma,
Tennessee, Texas Crops in
the south central states run from fail.
to GOOD, the most favorable conditions
being reported from Kentucky, Ten
nessee, Oklahoma, and Indian Terri
tory, tho in Tennessee the fruit crop
is poor. In Arkansas and mississippi
the season is somewhat backward and
late fall is also, desired in Alabama.
In the last named state some farmers
are feeling the effect of last years
poor crops. The boil weevil has done
some damage to cotton in Louisiana.
Reports from Texas vary considerably,
the cotton prospects being very poor
in some localities, half a crop being in
Dictated in others, and the anticipated
yield in still others being ~ per cent
of the average. Dut to the holding OF
their product with a view of obtaining
higher prices, some of the Kentucky
farmers are not so well supplied with
ready money as heretofore. Everywhere
the demand for labor is greater than
the supply.
North Atlantic states-Connecticut,
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
Rhode Island and Vermont-ln the
North Atlantic states continuance OF
prosperity is regarded as fully assured
AS whole, the crop situation thruou1
this entire section is favorable, the only
drawback noted being a poor yield OF
fruit in certain localities Of Pennsyl-
yania. Tobacco in the same state is re-
ported as late. In the dairy regions OF
New York and elsewhere great salts
faction is expressed. Everywhere, IN
deed. the farming community is pros
perous. Mines in the keystone state
are running full time. In the Pittsburs
iron center retailers are particularly
optimistic, and similar sentiment
prevails in the manufacturing enters
of all the states in this group. AL
classes of labor are fully employed al
high wages. :.
North central states-llllnols. lndl-
ana, Iowa Kansas, Michigan, Mlnneso-
ia. Missouri. Nebraska, North Dakota,
South Dakota Ohio and Wisconsin
Thruout a region so diversified as that
which the north central states COM
prise there must of necessity be con-
siderable variance in the agricultural
conditions. They may however, be
conservatively summed up as fair to
good. with Missouri probably heading
the list in point Of optimism. 1t is
worthy of note that our reports of poor
crops from this section are in good
many cases accompanied by the state
ment that the shortage will in a meas
ure be made up for by high prices.
From the manufacturing centers OF
this section our reports are almost in
variably optimistic, and particularly
favorable, are those from the mining
regions of Minnesota and Missouri. But
in every industry there is activity, and
everywhere the difficulty is to find an
adequate supply of labor. One OF the
noteworthy features is the dissatisfac-
ton with the present high prices Tor
cotton and certain other goods. The
opinion generally entertained, that
present prices are not warranted by
cost of production, has created a con-
sentative buying policy which is in
marked contrast with the liberal scale
on which purchases were being made
last year at this time, when retailers