New-York tribune., 1907-08-04
PROSPERITY SKY CLEAR
NO SIGN OF H.1RD TIMES.
Big WkoFesGEc and JObbng Houses
Haze No Fear of Future.

There is recession of business prosperity
and no probability Of such change according
10 the belief expressed yesterday by men repre-
=enting Ghe Eastern interests in dozen of the
biggest wholesale and jobbng houses in the
United States, Their firms in touch with
conditions in nearly every state of the Union.
Their HEADQUARTERS are in Chicago. San Fran
cisco. 81 faul. minneapolis New Orleans and
-. Joseph. No Tho agents and manufacturers
agreed that the market is better than normal,
more active than il year ago. and in every
way indicative OF unusually high tide of
trade tc follow the gathering Ct the crops
The only qualification OF this made by a
man connected with jobbing houses I'm St Paul
and -. Joseph. He said that prices had reached
what H. believed to be their highest mark. and
that they were the result of n demand uarket."
He conceded. however. that the contracts pre-
Vailing prices. already made for fulfilment next
yeal, would tend Ia keep up the market and
make its decline gradual
And that's a mighty good thing" he added
for were il not for such wide buying and the
assured employment IF the big mills for long
period would look for a slump in the spring
Its fEsJ this point suppose. that has been used
by persons who were natural born calamity
howlers and wanted convince themselves hard
times were coming 50 they would have political
capital They overlooked this matter OF con-
tracts and the resulting assurance of employ
InenJ'
a less speculative view Of existing conditions
was taken 10y a manufacturer who is a large
factor in the American wool business
-'Prosperity.'' he exclaimed Why how can
anybody doubt it, 1t has been said there is a re
cesSion OF business There has been no doubt Of
prosperity up 10 the time this rumor OF a reces-
sion has appeared Therefore the question for
10 decide is Has there been g recession? p
The best Way decide il is take. for example.
the facts - the woolleu trade. The wool Of the
world hes been taken up virtually for a year.
All The available wool has been purchased at
ic~g9v
new wool from Queensland in October No
vember hut il VIII not be enough to influence
the American market The Australian clip will
not begin u appear until January February
MILLS TAKING ORDERS FOR SPRING.
~As Tor the converting of this wool into CLOTH
tie mills are already taking orders for the spring
Of 1905 Some mills have taken contracts that
viii occupy their entire plant and employees until
that time It is assured that goods for the
spring Of 1905 and the fail OF 1903 viii be Of
high cost wool.
For the retail trade this has been good
year. Although il was an open winter until
q ont January there was plenty Of cold weather
afteT.ara for the sale OF heavy goods. The
spring was late, TO be sure. but came with a
rush and created a first rate demand for spring
goods. A for the market this fall the outlook
IS ot the best for the crops are promising, and,
as has been said. the next six weeks will deter
mine the extent
i know that some respondent or imaginative
persons have said the first touch of the decrease
in prosperity had been observed among the
wealthy, and that the sales of automobiles. dia-
monds and sch things lessening
Perhaps there may be smaller sales in those
commodities but l shouldn't be surprised If this
Were the case because most OF the wealthy per
sons al their summer places or abroad Tie
automobile and carriage factories are still buy
h ing large quantities Of the woollen cloth they
NJ use in upholstering their vehicles II they had
Y noticed any lessened demand for their products
they certainly wouldn't be buying much high
priced a-oollen goods All these, taken together.
can produce only one conclusion. That Is that
there Is no recession of business and the coun-
try was never more prosperous than il is to-
day
The local manager of a Minneapolis jobbing
house that does business all through the Middle
West was equally satisfied with conditions.
There has been 2 drop in prices from those OF
last WINTER lie said. but they normal
and healthy At the time hey were so high
dealers were buying too much and had forced =
market that was entirely disass0Ciated from
cost Of production and profit This could not
last Of course and 1 think that not fer long
time VIII prices again be as high. Were prices
Sill soaring ! would look for a slump in the
spring Now. however. they indicate the best
and most reassurIng sort Of prosperity
FIND IT HARD TO FILL ORDERS.
The men who handle cotton goods find IT
hard TO I'LL their orders do those who handle
vvooIlenz- Cotton staples are sold up until De-
ceIglfar / As a jobber for St Paul firm re-
marked:
Usually a man could get cotton staples IN
two weeks from the time he put in his order
Now he wait months. and the mills have
contracts that. just they stand mean full time
employment for the hands until next spring.
Print cloths are higher than they have been
since 1850 believe they cannot keep UP to this
right along continue 10 rise much higher. but
the buyers willing TO contract for them at
prevailing prices. so that means there cannot
well be a moderation for long time.
We furnish supplies for merchants all over
the Northwest and along the Pacific Coast The
size oF their orders shows that they prosper
ing more and expect more business than they
have had IN many years"
The head Of Of the largest silk houses
here did to go into the details OF his
business. hut he laughed he said
u don't see why anybody should feel obliged
TO prove prosperity Look at the records Of the
banks. cast your eye the clearing house
reports and the story is told I'm big letters. If
such conditions. I don't know what It would
need"
The agent for \ jobbing house that handles
much silk said however: "Just at present there
is a scarcity Of silk and consequently high prices
for the demand has increased. I'm talking of
American made silks Our travelling men, who
cover Missouri, Texas and about all the Misss-
sipri Valley, are getting more orders for such
silk than I've ever known before. In those dis-
-rjcfs the farmers wife and the workingrnan's 8
wife still cling the theory that silk dress is
the only thing for their Sunday best Evidently
they are getting prosperous down through
the small town sections that every woman can
CRAFTY her wish. If some Wall Street men think
they can see anything but prosperity, they Ger
tainly differ from the business men OF the West
Perhaps they haven't seen our corn and wheat
rorgS"