Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-12-22

The volume of business transacted
during the present season of holiday
buying has given Newark merchants
a great deal of encouragement and
! they are looking forward to a most
/ prosperous new year.
Since the beginning. about four
weeks ago, the department stores and
other stores have been crowded with
people. generously buying. In some
! isolated instances there are mer-
chants who have not found the trade
of the season equal to their eXpecta-
tons, but in the main there was a
feeling of enthusiasm for the present
season and of confidence for the
future.
One merchant sounded a note of
warning "A house may be destroyed
within a few minutes but it will take
many days for its restoration, If the
structure is to be permanent" hs
said "Let us not expect too swift an
advance in business, for that would
be unhealthy. We must not force
things. A sharp, quick boom, would
mean a recession that would bring
disaster In its wake"
Taken as a whole, 1t was said that
the year Just ending had been mod
erately profitable one for Newark
merchants. 1t is promised that the
year 1915 will be much better than
many previous years.
A member of the firm Of Bamberger
& Company expressed the firms optn-
ion or the Christmas business in one
word. Fine" he said. He said the
throng of shoppers had exceeded that
of former years. Observation as to
the nature of the purchases, the
speaker said. showed the same ten
dency on the part of shoppers as in
former years--that of buying bread
and butter stuff" By that he said
he meant the purchase of practical
things, but at the same time, he de-
clared, there has been no let-up in the
purchase Of luxuries.
The firm is very optimistic con-
corning business prospects after jan
uary l." said the speaker; but we
are no more optimistic over future
business conditions than we were last
September over the holiday business.
We felt then that, even though there
was feeling of unrest on the part of
the people, that conditions would
right themselves when the time came.
And so far our views have developed
as we calculated"
Albert Hahne's View.
Albert Hahne, of the firm Of Hahne
& Co., declared today that the Christ
mas business would exceed that OF
last year. Only one thing could pre-
vent it-bad weather conditions-he
said.
Our Christmas business has been
excellent" he said. "Of course, the
effect of the recent hard times is felt,
but only to a certain degree. The
people, as near as we can observe, are
spending as much money as ever. But
instead of buying the more expensive
things, they are investing their money
in the more practical articles,
We have every good reason to be-
neve that business conditions will be
normal after January /. Where was
once feeling of uncertainty is now the
solid belief that conditions will be
better. Peop4e are now more willing
to loosen their pursestrngs. The re-
cent decision of the Interstate Com
merce Commission raising freight
rates for railroads will have good
effect on the business conditions OF
the country. While we do not predict
big business boom, still We feel con-
hdent that the pulse of business is
daily becoming more normal and that
shortly after January l viii see II
steady and active"
One OF the most enthusiastic of the
merchants interviewed was Samuel
Plaut. of the firm of L. S. Plaut q Co.
THE Christmas business has been
excellent" he said. We've gotten a
very big share OF the Christmas shop
ping in Newark, and the firm is en-
tirely satisfied. Taken as a whole,
the general trend has been to pur-
chase the necessary things OF life, and
while the amount of purchases was