Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-03-05
BRADSTREET'S WEEKLY
VERMONT TRADE REPORT

Reports to Bradstreet's for the week
in summarizing general trade conditions
in the State. state that the several ex-
traordlnary natural conditions for the
month We're as a whole beneficial rather
than otherwise. The extremely cold
weather established records in some
places, interfered with manufacturing
business but brought a fairly good vol
ume of trade in seasonable goods. This
trade, however, was more apparent in
the larger places. 1t was too cold on
a number of days for the shopping pub
lie to get out. The month has recorded
large sales of coal, has seen the ice
harvest nearly completed and among the
dealers in ice the amount harvested this
year has been heavy; as the demand for
ice during the season of 1913, practically
depleted supply on hand this gives the
ice men liberal stocks now of fresh tee.
Coupled with the cold weather was the
heavy snow falls. In this respect records
of previous years. as far back as 1888
were passed. The snowfall, however.
has benefited numbering operations
which have been pressed forward on a
larger scale than FOR the past few years.
" AlpAtSceIV AIitlN lllA ItIpiI q S'phIN
increase in the volume of business done
with logging camps and the large piles
of cut logs at the mills are indicative
Of a prolonged period of work at these
mills. Reports from contractors and
builders would tend TO show that con-
tracts now in hand and prospective ones
that the spring period will show more
building work under way than has been
noted for several years. This building
work will be pretty evenly distributed
throughout the State. Granite and slate
manufacturer report considerable time
was lost during the month by reason of
cold days, too cold to operate plants
economically. Business on hand and in
sight among both the monumental and
building lines anon granite and marble
manufacturers is large Machine manu-
facturers note but little change in condl-
lions. Furniture plants are fairly well
employed and note demand for export
trade is better than earlier In the year
but not much dicerent thar during Feb
ruary of last year,
Maple sugar apparatus manufacturers
" had reasonably good sales but
amount of business done Is said not quite
quite up to normal. Predictions are,
however, that with seasonablc weather,
sugar produced this year viii he larger
than usual but Of course this all depends
upon the number Of so-called "sap' days.
Retail merchants as well as the whole
sale trade look upon outlook for spring
business with anticipated increase In
trade. General conditions appear to fav-
or a good trade, but this does not mean
that the buying on the part of the retail
MERCHANT has been more than usual.
Included in the failure reports for the
month just closed are one compromise,
one involuntary petition and three vol
untary bankruptcies with total liabili.
ties of s+4, 049.@ and assets of 81 ,349. 81,
for the latter. This was two less fail
ures than were noted during the first
month OF the year, February, 1913. gave
four failures with amount OF liabilities
a little in excess of those of this year.
February, 1908, had eight failures, this
being the largest number recorded for
the month since 1906, but the amount of
money involved for that month and year
was less than a half of what is shown
for the month this year. Sc far his year
fire losses nave been numerous and have
involved considerable damage, for In
sta nceFebruary this year gave ~ fires,
affecting Il mercantile firms, with an ag-
gregate damage of t2l2, $50; this is the
largest property damage for the month
in the last seven years.