Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-11-26
PROSPERITY, 1T is HERE TO
STAY!

New York, Nov. ia careful re-
view of the nations business and in
dustry has Just been made by Post re-
representatives. here.
The purpose was to discover
whether there is ground for the wide
ly published optimism on returning
prosperity-whether there is improve
ment apart from the influence of war
orders.
There seems to be no doubt that de-
finite, actual prosperity has arrived,
east of the Rocky Mountains, at least.
Herewith we set down some of the
important facts and straws which we
have secured.
The country's chief metal industry,
steel, is booming. The United States
Steel Corporation can keep.its rolling
mills in full operation until spring
with orders now in hand.
American iron and steel in now n
100000 ton-a-year industry, and
it is now at its capacity.
Railroads Loaded to Capacity.
Most wonderful change has come i'm
the railroad industry All lines are
loaded to capacity. This is shown by
the arrival of a serious car shortage.
Idle cars on Sept. list, numbered
183, 500; on Oct. LIST, 1920. On Nov.
LIST, there were only 26,239 idle cars,
and today every ancient car and To-
connective is at work.
Railroad tonnage increased 10 per
cent in one week the first half of
November.
Railroads in the hands of receivers,
and as bad, are picking up wonderful
ly. The Eric, which has been n joke
for years, is doing the heaviest bust
ness, for its size, east of Chicago.
Exports of iron and steel have in
creased 300 per cent since last Jan
uary.
The movement of wheat is immense.
Regardless of Spectator reports in
Chicago, the price is sure to go up
bushel is probable. The worlds
visible supply is now 33 100000 bush
els less than last year.
The lumber trade was nearly dead
in 1914 and the war killed it. Now
it is rapidly reviving. Many timber
concerns are now running to full ca
pacity.
Banks Show Big Business.
A straw on business in the West
and Southwest is shown by the bank
clearings of Kansas City, which were
S96. 100000 last week, an increase of
S45, O0O,O0 over the same week the
year before.
The best financial judges predict
that the war in Europe is to be
question of endurance-that it will
only end with the exhaustion of one
side or the other. This is taken to
mean that war and war orders will
continue for long time yet.
Investment bankers say that flu
ture investment issues must yield
5 per cent and be high grade securi-
ties at that.
1t is Il striking fact that municipal
bonds are in great demand, even the
bonds of small cities. and that 1-2
per cent interest carries them where
per cent was demanded in 1914.
In 10 commodities used by the gen
eral public, figures from all parts of
the country east of Denver show high
and raising prices. This indicates
prosperity and also high cost of liv-
ing.
The demand for dry goods is better
this November than since 1906.
When times are poor the piano bus
mess is poor, even in the Christmas
season. Such remarkable demand
for pianos has sprung up this fall that
all the factories are working to the
limit.
The Western Union Telegraph Co.
and the telephone trust report heavy
increase in earnings. This is ascrib-
ed largely to increase use of the wire
by buyers, who are flooding manufac-
turers with orders.
Railroad figures for October show
gross earnings running about 10 per
cent ahead of a year ago, with every
indication of breaking the record soon
When many men are out of work at
the beginning of winter, Chicago is
their mecca. There were 100000 idle
men in that city last winter, the char
tiles officials say that there are no
idle men in Chicago today.
One of the biggest electric COM
panies in the country has lot of war
orders, yet the price of its stock on
Wall Street is not higher than is war
ranted by its increased domestic bus
mess. This indicates that the war
stock boom is not all imitation.
The fine fall weather was great for
the western farmer. If the winter is
not too severe, another great wheat
crop is foreshadowed for 1916.