Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-04-16
BUSINESS IMPROVES
ALL OVER COUNTRY
BETTER COMMERCIAL AND IN.
DUSTRIAL FEELING NOTED
STOCK MARKETS LIVELY.

Business conditions throughout
the country are showing marked inn
provement in almost all lines, ac-
cording to reports from national bank
examiners, made public by the treas
ury department. Eighty of the 80
examiners in the United States re-
port permanent improvement in
business and Maine is said to be the
only state where real depression
exists.
The reports are announced to be
the result of careful observation and
supplemental to the regular reports
on business conditions made each
month to the controller of the cur
rency.
Pronounced hopefulness is prev
alent in nearly every district" the
announcement says. Agricultural
conditions are generally excellent
and commercial lines, with compara-
lively few exceptions, are enlarging
their activities, mainly through an
increased demand; but in some cases
preparation for activity is expected
to develop with the coming of good
weather. Manufacturing is on the
increase and those industries having
orders for supplies FROM foreign
countries continue especially active.
Further orders have been placed
for cars and rails by the railroads
and some large contracts have been
made for structural iron for large
buildings in different portions Of the
country"
Although no burst Of prosperity 10
being felt by the New England cot
ton mills = quiet improvement has
set in within the past month or two
which has materially increased man
ufacturing operations and which In
due course may be expected to affect
profits, according to the Christian
Science Monitor. The cotton mills
on the whole are running between
80 per cent and So per cent capacity,
compared with 65 per cent to 70 per
cent towards the close Of last year.
s'Headed Toward Better Times"
Discussing the business situation.
the Monitor continues:
with increasing activity in the
securities markets, higher prices ana
normal conditions Of trading the In
dications are accommodating that gem
eral business and finance are once
more headed toward better times.
The chief factors governing the Lead
ing markets Of the United States
have been the greatest volume Of
sales since reopening Of the ex.
changes and the removal Of the min-
imum price basis. When the New
York stock exchange resumed buai-
ness December ~ last after suspen-
sion Of almost four and Z half
months trading was on very limited
scale. Daily sales averaged little
more than 100000 shares. Az an
indication Of the growth Of stock ex-
change business since then the aver
age daily sales during February were
199,100 shares, and for March 2S7,-
500 shares. There has been steady
buying of securities by both invest
ors and spectators and prices have
had a substantial rise.
"There Is q decidedly better feel
ing in Industrial and commercial
circles. The large orders coming
from Europe. although directly help
ing certain dustries, are beginning to
have favorable influence upon busi-
ness generally. Heavy orders for
steel placed by European govern
ments in the United States are in
creasing steel mill production rap
idly. That this sort of business win
continue indefinitely is evident from
the fact that foreign governments
are negotiating loans in this country.
the French government this week
having completed arrangements for
a $50.000,000 one-year 5 per cent
loan. The great abundance of money
in the United States makes 1t easily
possible for this country to meet the
financial needs of other nations. The
yield to the investor of slightly bet
ter than SIS per cent makes the new
French loan very attractive"
Stock Markets Lively Again.
There has been greatly renewed
activity in the stock markets during
the last few days, one high point