Evening star., 1909-02-21
TRADE IN WASHINGTON
Magazine Writer Exploits
Business Conditions.
JOBBING NOW BIG SUCCESS
Wholesale Market Now Known in
Many States.
ONLY A FEW LINES NEEDED
Notable Growth of the Department
Store Patronage-Expansion of
the Banking Interests.
only A FEW LINES NEEDED

The April number of the Bankers Maya
zine will have a thirty-page article on
Washingtons commercial and financial de-
velopment entitled ''The Business Side of
the National Capital" written by Edward
White. Much of the data which the au-
thor has secured for the article came to
him in the course of ordinary converse
ton with business men of the city. He
made his headquarters in the rooms of the
Chamber of Commerce, and felt the pulse
of the city through the experiences of
many of the members of that body.
Speaking of the wholesale trade of
Washington, the advance proofs of the
article say:
Up to the present time the develop
ment of the jobbinS trade of Washingto on
has been more a matter of necessity than
a voluntary growth. Nearly all the houses
now doing business in the city were Crig-
iEal1y retail establishments, which began
Jobbing simply as a sort of side issue, to
meet the wants or requirements of out-of-
town buyers.
Exclusive Wholesale Business.
1t required but little additional capital
and scarcely no risk to enter the new
+ field, and when once engaged in it is was
found so much more profitable and satis-
factory than retailing that the lines and
the territory were gradually extended un-
til an exclusive wholesale business was
established. This is being done by various
firms in Washington today, and the Wash
ington market is becoming known in many
states.
There are many reasons why Washing
ton should become a great wholesale
market and therefore an important finan-
,i.ll ANTI but i4r
the nations capital and should become
one of its leading cities. and the further
reason that it has many attractions
for the SightSeer. The average country
merchant spends two weeks in each year
away from his busness-when he goes
TO market to stock up"
1t is but reasonable, therefore, that he
should prefer to go where he can be
entertained the best-get the the most for
his money in sightseeins-and how nat
ural for him to come to Washington,
where he can buy his goods and at the
same time be entertainingly relieved
from his business cares.
Help the Retail Trade.
And by inducing the country merchant
to come to Washington to buy his goods
still another purpose is served-that of
increas ing the trade OF the local retailer
The out-of-town merchant not infreauent-
of his family-usually feminine MEM
ber-Who visits the shops and stores and
makes purchases to carry something
home from Washington
The volume of Washington's retail
trade is already very large as NAV be
seen in the statement of a New York
salesman TO the effect that he sold more
goods to the department stores Of Wash
ington than he did to the department
stores of certain city more than twice
the size of the capital city.
There are only d few lines needed to
make Washington a full market for the
trader and these will undoubte edly be
added in short time. Nothing can
prevent the establishment of houses in
these needed lines. The opportunities are
100 great to cause them to be overlooked
A Financial Center.
Washington has witnessed the upbuild-
ing of some strong. financial institutions
within the past few years. and the next
decade will be much more fruitful i'm that
line. Every department of banking is rep
resented here-commercial, trust and saw
ings-and in addition to the organized in
stitutons there are several private bank
ing houses of considerable Importance in
the city. All the organized banks are un-
der the direct supervision of the controller
OF the currency, an arrangement which
50 fec yards all alike
The buildings OF the Washington hanks
and trust companies are among the finest
and best equipped in the United States
Some of them are splendid specimens of
architectural beauty. and all are designed
and arranged for the comfort and CON
venience of bankers and customers
\ portion of the article will be devoted
to banking conditions in Washington. A
small table has been prepared by Mr.
White from the advance sheets of the
report of the controller of the currency
for 1905 from which it will be seen that
Washington stood the ordeal of the recent
panic much better than several other
cities.
The report covers the year ending Sep
temDer, 1908; and Mr.. Whites table is as
follows:
Percentage OF