Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-19

perhaps because OF the large contracts
let last year for buildings not yet
completed on inside business property
san Francisco. of course. continues
TO build and MS result seems to be
very prosperous. The reason is that
building necessities continue to re-
Quire Che expenditure of large sums
OF money and the rates OF interest are
luch as TO attract H. This money
r. distributed among working people
and contractors and viii prevent any
such depression as eXists in Eastern
Misunderstanding centers. To a large
extent this Is true of all parts of Utah
as well as Of California, for there
are not opportunities for Investment
on an important scale which are GER
tain to prove satisfactory and profit
able. Tho depression at the East IS
Affecting an: Will continue to AFFECT
the prices Of most Of our shipments,
but the outlook for winter growing
crops Is as good as II has been in any
recent year.
Current statistics confirm the belief
that a substantial trade reaction is
under way IN Europe The decline in
the average OF commodity prices Is
one evidence. Bankers check clear
ings at London for the past nine
weeks are down f209,000,O0 from
1907 or fully per cent Aggregate
traffic returns of British railways for
the period show decrease of a quarter
OF million sterling in receipts from
goods transported, as against an In
crease Of $500, 600, in last years re-
turns at this time,
Germany, which has just reported
on it's foreign trade for January
showed imports of S,G44,0OO tons
against 4,19LG00 in 1907 and 4,b7S'-
600 in 1906 Exports too, are reduced
in quantity, falling to 3,16S,000 tons,
AS against s,g6i,OoO in January Of last
wear and 9,Gi1,0oO the year before
Traffic through the Suez Canal in
January and February shows decline
OF % ships from the same months IN
1907, and even tonnage tolls are down
100000.
According to the London Econom-
ist the average prices OF commoul-
ties there declined at the beginning
Of March to a total value rated at
2,266 points us against 2'SO9' month
ago,
The March l index number indicates
a 10 per cent. decline from June l III
q
cost of living, the index NUMBER 'he"
having been 1901, the highest OF any
month or year since 1876. In the
middle Of 1897 the number was 1852
low record for fifty years; from theh
until last June the advance was al
most continuous.
Since the London market quotations
practically rule the world of BUSINESS
it would seem that prices everywhere
are tending downward. The present
prices there are the lowest since 1909,
which We're given at 2'146' Ihe low
est price period in London which
preceded our own by several months
was in March, 1901, rated at l,sf9
points, or 2S7 points lower than the
lItdtll ih4ibN VI $780,
1t is said that unique factor Is hkeN
to determine the course OF prices IN
the immediate future. This is case
now before the railway commission
ors by which it will be determined
whether two of our leading railways
the Great Northern and Great Cen
trail which serve similar districts IL
the country. are to be allowed to en-
ter into u scheme which TO all In
tents and purposes is an amalgam~
ton, the object being to effect econ
omies In working. The scheme is be-
on the outcome of the issue inuch VIII