The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-02
HOME TRADE PRESENTS
GREAT POSSIBILITIES
Never Before Have the People Had
the Money With Which to Take
Advantage OF Opportunities.
CONSERVATISM is ADVISABLE
American National Banks November
Business Forecast Shows Substan-
tial Gains IN Railways. building OPP
crations and Crops situations

1t should be our present and great
est concern to take advantage Of the
home trade possibilities Just now De
fore us as never before have the peo-
pie of this countrV had the money
with which to indulge their needs and
their fancies as they have 1T this pres
ent moment" says the General Get
ter on Trade Conditions and Business
Forecast for the month II November.
lust issued by the Amer lean National
Bank Conservatism, II adds, is
adyisa BILE now, as always but with the
exception of few lines of trade the
business is to be had Il the proper
amount of energy and effort Is tx
pended"
SO concludes the General Letter,
which opens with the declaration tina.
to labor. transportation and building
operations business must at this time
look for indications of the trend or
business in any or ali lines,
Labor situation Tense.
or labor the General Letter OBJ
serves.
.rhe labor situation is ,ense-frst.
because many labor organizations
have taken advantage of the oppor-
tunity brought about by war orders
10 enforce better working conditions,
rhorter hours, higher pay. or ali
these demands are Just and some arr
unjust; If at all reasonable, they have
az rule been granted, as the ioss
occasioned through granting them
was less than would be occasioncd
through delay in production or
total stoppaSe of operation. strikes
and ioekouts are All TOO numerous
for the good OF general business. ana
they are injuring not only the lines
but u
lines as we'll II IS hard TO believe
that more than one hundred thousand
empIoyes now attempting 70 enforce
demands for higher wages were, jus'
n wear ago asking for work at aimost
ana figure II reasonable demands
are met By the employers and II un-
reasonable demands are cot made bE
the employees the next fee months
will be period Of practically fun
employment Aside from strikes ana
lockouts. the idle labor at this time
Is hardy in excess Of one million per
sons nearly one half of whom Will
find employment during ;he next rev
weeks If they desire il
OF transportation the letter rays
Gross earnings Of railroads so far
o. reported for September were neariE
II million dollars compared with IS
millions a wear ago. an actual in
crease of 7oa thousand dollars or
rsarfv o,a ner cent. Gross earnings
ror the sr.t half OF this calendar year
90 ALI steam railroads ware /. mi MIL
ifA,, aof1arx eornared VIII I.4.- rail-
ifo, aoilar. for the first half Of last
,e.r decrease Of A. million dollars
or nearly three ger cent -c0ue-
,,o, II aneratiur expense Of SIS nil
ito, aofiars ar ei,-hl n. A cent male Peg
sthis nat earnings OF 235 million d~l-
laws counared with 3&7 million dol
lars for the FRS, half OF last year.
Civ or nearly IA per cent. bringing
ret earnings above even the frsr half
of 1918
"Psi1x ordered for the year 20 Oc-
+char -. ,o-sjed 1918 thousand tons
co,,,a~ed ~,-ith 1881 thousand tons for
.hs SAWS ,a-tad last wear Septer,a Der
,a5, orders we're tos Thousand tons
10, ,he wear I, date. the railroad.
b,va oraered about $500 cars. l1I5o
~ +bass het,e orderea in St Lternber
Csr orders an 20 Snptefnber list. this
80. v.r. bs35o connpared with "a
a4s las, YEAR
.s1-ne u,,r,ber ~ idle cars on tie first
o- October was - thousand compared
Win 1s5 Thousand A month ago ana 81
thousana = vsar ago During III.