The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-02-09
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 1915.
manentIy Prosperous condI-
tions.

btOUSs
Already there has been such a
return Of prosperous business
conditions throughout the east
that it has been felt necessary to
sound a warning against any eff
fort to bring about boom times,
which have so often proved dis
astrous to thee ountry. Con-
servatism is the word that is be-
ing sent out in purchases and in
investments. Surplus supplies
have become exhausted and there
is buying for immediate use.
The danger is that there will be
too much buying for future use,
which is a condition which it is
sought to avoid. Financial
America" for February /, says
upon this point:
Regardless of the fact that
fundamental conditions are con-
sidered better than at any time
in number of years, there is a
decided feeling that anything
such as a boom in any line of
trade must be avoided. Some
CT the best authorities are of the
opinion that evidences are ac-
cumulating of further improve
ments in some of the major in
dustries of the country, and this
will gradually be reflected in the
minor ones"
There is talk of an approach
ing shortage of labor in the steel
and manufacturing centers, it
being pointed out that when the
mills get to operating at full ca
pacity there will not be enough
labor to supply thed emand. This
possibility has been made mani
fest because of the fact that dur
ing the worst of the hard times
when mills were running as low
as 35 per cen of their capacity
there was nowhere near the cor
responding number of unemplOy-
ed men. Or putting it the other
way, while the mills were 65 per
cent idle, there was nowhere near
65 per cent of the mploeyes idle.
In other words, now that some
of the mills are running 80 per
cent of their capacity, they have
nearly exhausted the supply of
unemployed men. When they
get to running 100 per cent ca
pacity, not enough men can be
secured.
But it is a fact that there is a
disposition not to send business
beyond immediate demands that
offers the greatest hope for con-
tinued prosperity when once the
exact demands of the country are
ascertained. With such a con-
dition prevailing at all times
there cannot, of course, be sea-
sons of hard times. It is only
when speculation sends people
buying and investing away into
the future that difficulty arises
when such buying and investing
ceases. There then comes tn,
era of readjustment to the coun.
try's real needs, which forces az
interval of greater or lesser ex-
tent of practical suspension o.
business until the country grow.
up to the fictitious condition
created.
1t is with thee ountry at larg,
just as it is with an over-boome,
city such as the west has almay
known. Such cities arch come,
away beyond conditions warrant
ed by the general development o
the country at thet ime FINAL,
theb Doom bursts and an era o
hard times and tremendous loss
es results. It takes years 70
the country ii catch up, and sucl
city cannot grow until the coun
try has caught up.
It is just so with the whole ma
ton. The era of readjustmen
Is now over and all financial an
business reports indicate the re
turn of legitimate business wit
its permanently prosperous con
ditions. In fact, that return ma
comet o all thee Ountry alread,
save to those few sections an
localities whichh ad suffere
from a boom which had carrie
them farther beyond the countI
than the nation as a whole Ia
suffered.