Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1908-12-19
Merchants Might Have Fared Worse
as Result of the
Panic.
The Majority of Enterprises Have
Weathered the Storm
Well.
MANY IMPROVEMENTS COMING


United States in October of 1907 is
slowly but surely giving way to bet
ter times. The clouds of despond-
ency that covered the financial
horizon are gradually drifting away
and the ablest financiers of the coun-
try believe that with the dawn of the
next year a new and brighter era of
prosperity will open. Already there
has been a quickening in financial
and commercial lines, and Louisville
has begun to show signs of the bust
ness revival. Bad as the last year
has been, it might have been worse.
Despite the hard times of the past
twelve months comparatively few
business failures were noted in
Louisville. Neither were there any
strikes of moment. A number of fac
tories closed down temporarily, but
other concerns, like the Louisville &
Nashville Railroad Company, tided
over by putting their employees on
shorter hours. Perhaps the people
who suffered most from the strin-
gency in the money market were the
retail grocers. Many of them do a
credit trade. Their patrons, for the
most part, are mechanics and labor
ers who work for railroad companies
and other big corporations. When
these men were thrown out of work
the grocers extended their credit.
Bye and bye the wholesale grocers
demanded their money from the re-
tail merchants, and many had hard
time making both ends meet.
All this is being changed now.
Railroad building and the manu-
featuring business is steadily improv-
ing. The Louisville & Nashville
Railroad Company has put its
mechanics back to work six days in
the week, and will soon put them to
work ten hours instead OF nine a day.
Orders for locomotives, passenger
and freight cars that had been an
nulled when the panic broke have
been ordered anew. The work that
ceased on the new depot at Jellico,
Tenn, has been recommended. What
is true of the L. and n. is true of
the other roads in the State in pro-
portion to their size.
The Louisville Railway Company
gave no evidence that it suffered
from the panic. During the year it
kept on the even tenor of its way,
put many new cars into commission,
improved its roadbeds and tracks,
and extended interurban lines to all
parts of the country. When other
lines of business were dull there was
always work for motormen and con-
ductors who attended to their duties.
The Louisville Railway Company
also helped materially in making the
State Fair success by extending its
lines to the entrance to the grounds.
It's employment of thousands of men
at good wages was material help to
large numbers of our retail mer-
chants and did much to keep them
going.
Despite the hard times the State
Fair was a success and after ex-
penses were paid very handsome
balance was left in the treasury.
This is now a fixed institution with
permanent grounds and permanent
buildings. The number of buildings
will be increased as the occasion de-
mands. But the State Fair brought
people from all over Kentucky, and
merchants, manufacturers, hotels,
boarding houses, restaurants and
theaters all profited by the visits of
our country cousins.
Speaking of amusements, 1t can
be truthfully said that no manager
offered Louisville first class attrac-
ton within the past twelve months
and was disappointed at the result.
Louisville had a good base. ball club
and the management reaped a
harvest. Moving picture theaters
sprung up one after another, and
everyone that had attractive enter
tainments prospered. The other and
more pretentious theaters played to
good houses whenever they present
ed first class show.
With the signs of prosperity fore
Swallowed, 1t would seem that all
residents of our fair city are getting
together for new and greater Louis
Vile. There is boom in real estate.
The new sewer system has caused
a building boom in, the western,
southern and eastern suburbs, and
1t is expected that the number of
new homes that will be erected in
the spring will cause a greater de-
mand for building mechanics at good
Wapa