The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-03-17
SKIES BRIGHT
FOR BUSINESS
4. i. DALzELL OF NORTHERN PA.
clFic ls OPTIMISTIC.
CONFIDENCE RETURNS
High official Of the Railroad 10 Boost
or for Good Times-Expects Normal
Business This summer-sltuatlon
Improving Everywhere.

"All along the line OF the Northern
Pacific ! find q restoration Of conf
dence, a new spirit Of energy and
cheerfulness among the business men,
in fact a general revival In every form
For activity" said j. L. Dalzell, assist
ant general freight agent OF the
Northern Pacific who was in Billings
yesterday.
"The farmers are painting earlier
this year and look for q heavy crop,
the mining districts are resuming,
particularly the Butte and other Mon
Llama districts, the small manufactur-
lies are again in full blast and the
butcher. baker, candlestick maker and
In, fact every sort OF merchant is buy
ling heavily for q good summers
trade.
ALREADY the railroad is feeling the
uplift. the surge Of returned vitality
In commerce. There are many idle
freight a i and freight engines, hut
[the number Is not much greater than.
|fss normal at this time Of the year and
CONSTITUTES a margin Of safety for any
sudden demand that may come up.
East 10 Better.
y cannot compare conditions. III
Ethe east with those in the west be-
cause l have not been east Of Mime
apolis since the first Of the year, when
everything looked blue, but / am told
that eastern and middle west towns
and cities r taking on a more cheer
full aspect and that the country gen.
orally will Don swing into Its old
gait.
"You see there are 10000, 900 people
in this country to feed and clothe
and Il takes pretty nearly all the fac
tories In the land to feed and clothe
them and to furnish the means Of
housing them and bring to them the
things they need. Consequently a
panic cannot last forever, nor a
any great proportion Of the working
men Of the country remain Idle for
long. There is too great q demand
for the things they make.
"Of course, compared with the
Ffrightful congestion Of last year,
which was abnormal, there has been
la greater falling OF ID railroad bust.
ness. But when the trahlc Of this
spring 10 compared with that Of an
average spring 1t will show almost no.
idiminution--perhaps a slight increase.
All Optimistic.
II find merchants, manufacturers.
mining men and farmers planning for
an extension Of their business this
year in the west. You see there are
no great manufacturing centers along
the Northern Pacific, and no enormous
numbers Of men out Of work. Now
that the. mines In Montana are re-
summing, the labor Of the west is pref
~ well employed and this creates =
demand for the goods Of the mer-
chant. the farmer and the manufac.
'5turer. Hence prosperity cannot help
but return"
Mr.. Dalzell stated that his visit to
Billings was merely a regular trip
taken every year to look over the
freight situation. He leaves here for
the west this morning.
Billings appears to be as prosper.
,ous II not more so than most Of the
cities and towns along the line" said
Mr.. Dalzell. land I am told that the
WOOL clip viii be larger than ever.
The price may not be as high as u.s.
nal, but It will be enough to pay the
growers. Your city Is lively and
shows good freight returns-in fact,
We are congratulating Mr.. veltum
,ulpon the showing made by his once
the dull times"
While here Mi. Dalzell met Super.
|intendent Nichols and the two biz Of.
dcials were guests Of Mr.. Squirting and
Mr.. veltum and Of the Billings club.
DRILLING RESUMED