Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1915-02-05

building operations as compared with
the previous year. For the entire
year 1914, these 100 cities issued
building permits totaling 800 million
dollars, a decline of more than 10
per cent from the previous year. For
the year, 20 cities showed a gain
and 80 cities a loss, compared with
1913. The principal decline for the
year occurred during the latter half
and is partly traceable to the effects
| of the war
Dividend Disbursements for Janu-
airy have been So million dollars and
Interest Payments 1853 millions com
pared with dividend payments of 1902
million dollars last January and in
terest payments of 1874 millions. The
notable item is that interest paid on
railroad securities was seven million
dollars less than last year, railroad
dividends also being seven million
dollars less.
Of the Crops grown in this country
for 1914 was 6,044 million dollars and
the animal product for the year
1928 millions. This crop figure COW
ers all of the principal crops but, by
adding the minor products in fruit
and truck, We have December first
crop value of more than 10 billion
dollars. Even this amount will be
considerably enhanced as, on Deem
Der first, commodity prices generally
touched about the lowest point since
the beginning of the war and are
now higher than at that date. This
means that if all farm products Of
1914 were sold, the farmers would
receive nearly IL billion dollars, but
naturally a considerable portion of
these crops is consumed at the farms
on which they are grown, the ami
NAL product bringing the largest
item Of cash return to the growers.
Very low Cotton prices still pre-
vail and were it not for the price of
cotton, the farm production for the
year would make a much better
showing as the total value Of all 9th
er crops is greatly in excess Of any
previous record.
Taking into account the demon
strated purchasing power of the
farmers of this country, the cash
payments Of the belligerent nations
for things which we produce and
considering in this connection the
unusually small stocks in manufac-
turers warehouses and on retailers
reason for believing that general
business will increase materially dur
ing the current year The manufac
turers who first take care Of home
merchandise demand will be building
a business which they can hold af-
ter the close Of the war but over-eX-
should be avoided in caring for the
demands of the nations now at war
or even of the neutral nations When
peace comes the nations Of Europe
will not be slow in rehabilitating
themselves and in attempting to re-
gain the commerce they have, at
least temporarily, lost.
Even now, we are importing at
least two million dollars worth Of
goods every day which we can sup
ply for ourselves and it is this bus
mess particularly which we must get
and be sure of holding before the
war ends and before we again have
to meet the competition of nations
which are older, better informed and
more stable in their business pro-
cedure than is our own country. We
are rapidly developing a new indie
pendence and a new understanding
and it is generally recognized both
here and abroad that the stability
of American business institutions
generally and Of American business
methods has been enhanced by the
European conflict.