The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-03-28
TONIC OF SPRING
EFFECTS BUSINESS
Favorable Weather Is Doing
Much to Stimulate All
Trades.
RECOVERY is PREDICTED.
STEADY INCREASE, ALTHOUGH
SLOW, MAKES EVERYTHING
EAvORABIE-B BANK EXCHANG-
ES LESS THAN A YEAR AGO.

New York, March 2S.-R. 6. Dun's
Weekly Review of Trade today says:
Retail trade in spring goods made
further progress, and the conservative
buying dealers in preparing for curren-
CT distribution is now providing good
supplementary demand from wholesale
and jobbing houses. Unusually adj
vanced weather in many sections slim
ulates business, and agricultural work
is making an early start. In the lead
ing industries there is evidence of
gradual increase in contracts, many
plans preparing for greater activity on
April 1, while proposed reductions IN
wages have produced no threats or
strikes The best news of the week
as to manufacturing conditions comes
from the leather industry, although
+ shipments of footwear through Boston
are only about two-thirds those of the
same week last year. Dispatches
from the West and South are most ia
vorable to the general commercial sit
uation, a few cities reporting the vol
ume of business fully equal to last
year, and these statements are sup
ported by bank exchanges at these
points about the same as in 1907
There is still complaint regarding mer
camille collections, although improve
ment is noted.
Progress in the iron and steel indus
try continues irregular. The outlook
is encouraging, however, because inn
provement in the financial situation
continues.
In the primary markets for textile
fabrics there is more inquiry, especial
1y for small quantities of cotton to be
shipped promptly. Urgency of de-
mand for immediate shipment indi-
Gates that stocks in distributing chan
nels are light, and goods must be Sc
cured for delivery on orders that were
taken but not provided for. in the ex-
pectation that lower prices would be
named by producers before retail deal
ers called for them. The decline in
price Of raw material has had a de-
pressing effect on the tone of the mar
ct for cotton goods.
Signs of improvement are seen in
Q New England footwear industry,
rough many leading manufacturers
Atiil report trade quiet.
Seasonable lines of merchandise
move freely at Chicago. Trade i'm
proves at Cleveland. Retail trade
compares favorably with last years at
Cincinnati. and clothing manufacturers
are we'll employed. There is more for
ward business, but collections are still
slow. 3 |
Bank exchanges this week at all lead
ing cities In the United States are ST.
921 ,5O6,644 3O2 per cent under year
ago and IT'S per cent less than in the
corresponding week of 1906. The loss |
at New York City still reflects in part |
the largely reduced volume Of stock |
market operations this year: outside Of
New York there is a decrease of 13.1 |
per cent compared with last year
mainly due to the much smaller clear
ings at Boston. Philadelphia. Baltimore
and Pittsburg. most southern cities and
at San Francisco. The loss at the
West is still small, notably at Chicago, |
while some western cities report larg- !
err exchanges than last year and nearly |
all of them larger exchanges than in
the corresponding week in March two
years ago when trade was active.