The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-01-09
4 YEAR OF PROSPERITY

The year 1906 will be recorded In
northern Montana history as one of
''good times" The products of the
ranch and r~ange-which supply most
Of the vitality to business interests in
this part of the state-were In brisk
demand by at prices that
were profitable to the producers, and
the output of agricultural and live
stock products was larger than for
several years past. These satisfac-
tory conditions resulted largely from
climatic conditions that were
favorable than those of the two pre-
ceding years: two seasons of drouth
were followed by a year in which ma.
ture bestowed her blessings with
more liberal hand.
The people of northern Montana en-
ter upon the New Year in confident
anticipation of a continuance of the
prosperous conditions of the past
twelve months. The reward of their
past labors encourages further en-
deavor in the great work of advance
ing the welfare of the community by
improving their surroundings, in.
creasing the crop producing capacity
of their lands, and supplying the mar.
kets with products for which our soil
and climate are adapted. Progress
along these lines has been excellent
during the past year, and it promises
to continue until all available re-
sources are put to proper use.
Reviewing business conditions
throughout the United States, the
Bradstreet mercantile agency says:
Nineteen hundred and six was a very
remarkable year. Aud yet this char
acterization appears incomplete in
view of the fact that old records we're
retired and new ones set up, in the
%disproving Of old proverbs, and the
predictions that 1905 was so favorable
that better results were hardly to be
expected the following year. Not the
least remarkable feature, too, was the
fact that the apparent drawbacks-and
there were a number-did not retard
the onward movement, and course of
events, commercial, industrial and fl
ground of achieved results, was a
grand triumphant march of progress.
Concisely stated, 1906 saw very ia
vorablc crop yields: Il record output
OF cereals: close to highest yields and
record values of other farm products:
unprecedented activity in all kinds of
mining except coal; enormous outputs
OF precious metals: land speculation
assumed enormous proportions,
building activity surprising the won
derful record of 1905; unprecedented
totals of foreign trade: an unparal-
leled immigration: surprising totals
of clearings and railway earnings;
employment active and labor carce
as never before.
Looking forward to the New Year,
the same authority says: Prosperity
beyond precedent in 1906 and the high
standards thereby established make
prediction as to 1907 peculiarly diff.
cult. 1t may be said however, that
the outlook for the year is very fav-
orable. Probably never before was
the volume of future business booked
SO large. From three to nine months
orders ahead are reported by manu-
f%acturers, aud wholesalers n Job.
bers have been active as never before
on spring business. Perhaps the
heaviest future business done in any
line has been that booked in iron and
steel in all its forms. And what Is
true of this generally regarded ba
rometer of trade is also largely tn.
case in cotton goods of all kinds. lr
addition, wooden dress goods, hosiery
and knit fabrics, linens, to u smaller
extent silks, and copper, hardware
rubber goods. lumber, farm machin
cry, and a long list OF other products
are in excellent demand.
All sections of the community seen
to be prosperous and spending NOR
freely than ever before. Three fea
lures with q bearing upon the futur
are labor, prices and money. Scarcit
OF the first, thereby favoring furthe
insistent demands, and the higher ter
dency of the second may push matter
to a point where production and cor
sumption alike might be checked. Th
strain In money! worldwide cond
ton, perhaps, but one felt here mos
because prosperity has been SO pre-
nounced-seems to have SO far onl
brought a small measure Of conserv'
tism. In the absence Of now unfor
seer happenings a very large, If nj
record, years business seems With
reach, modified as it may be by Il
effects OF the forces above named al
the crop developments of 1907.
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