The Alaska daily empire., 1914-09-09
BANKERS THINK
 WAR WILL HELP


 That the United States undoubtedly will benefit commercially as the result of the great war in which Europe has been plunged Is the opinion ex'I pressed in The Digest of Trade Condi' lions for September issued by the First National Bank of Seattle. While tbjs war is a misfortune to the entire world 1t continues, material oenents to the people of America will be ieit in its wake, if 1t does nothing more than to emphasize the possibilities or trade expansion with the South Amer icon countries. The Digest says in part: .n .u,or,.
 "The steadiness with which Ameri' can business has met the new condi' lions is the best evidence of our pres ent. stability and of the resourceful- ness of this great country. Present conditions call for clear head ana n steady nerve. In the end the ousi- ness man who is strong enough to nusb steadily ahead and make each day's business count will win, put inc man who attempts to make ouick fortune because he chances 10 own n warehouse full of meat or grain taking this fortune out of the pockets of tbe people at large, may find him self discredited and a financial fall, ure The American business man will usually be found to be eminently fair, and in times like the present he will have no patience with the man who tries to take an unfair adSaintage or an unhappy condition.
 'Dlvidend and interest disourse- ments for August are estimated at SOP oOo.0 .00O as compared with S7S.- OOO GOO for August last year. Divi- dends will be S4S.OO0,OOO against less than s4l.OOO,00O a year ago and inter est nearly S49,OOO.OO0 against less than $SS.0OO,OO0 last year,
 Prices Arbitrarily Advanced.
 "Commodity prices have been arbi' trarily advanced in most cases, al though some of the advances are jus tifed by changed conditions resulting from the European war. The prices oi many staple commodities have been increased as much as per cent or 1C per cent in the wholesale market, al though the actual average increase in commodity prices justified by condi tions should not exceed per cent to 9 per cent. The greatest increase not ed. however. are in retail prices and these have no doubt been occasioneo largely by fear of shortage of com modities. There Is no basis for fix ing prices on imported goods, as goods which are usually brought from tho countries now at war are worth what ever the dealer can get for them, as no more can be had for the present Prices genqrally will advance, but many of the sensational advances al ready recorded are not in any wa! justified by conditions. As an ex ample, the big crop of sugar beeti and the fair crop of cane sugar coupled with the unusually large sup ply on hand at the refineries should nave held sugar prices dS '0Ay HUN above their former level.
 With the large crops produced thi' year, the faTmers would have beer compelled to be content with compara lively low prices had 1t not been fol the European war. The total volume of all crops produced this year, ant because of recent and prospective price advanced, the total amount re ceived for these crops by the farmers will be greater than ever before. Il is estimated that the fourteen princi pal crops will bring the farmers six billions of dollars, and these together with the minor crops and the live stock raised this year will bring the farmers about eleven billions of dol lars"