The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-06
SLOW BUT STEADY
TURN FOR BETTER
ACTIVE SPRING EXPECTED
BY RETAIL MERCHANTS
OUTLOOK BRIGHTER
Holiday Sales Average Well With
Those Of Year Ago-Low
Point Passed.
OUTLOOK BRIGHTER

Dun's Review (New York; in its
Issue of January 2. says of business in
the South Atlantic States that "the
trend towards Improvement is slow
but steady and an active spring is ex-
pected." The Baltimore office reports
that the colder weather has had a
stimulating effect on the clothing, un-
derwear and shoe trade and the out
look generally, while among some
large employers of labor the situation
continues rather unsatisfactory, there
are lines In which there are indica-
tions OF renewed activities, the Balti-
more shipyards. iron plants and rail-
road shops having restored to their
payrolis several thousand men. Elk.
ports from that port of breadstuffs
exceed all previous records. The de-
preston in the canned goods trade
has been to some extent overcome und
there are now indications of progress
sive betterment. Dealers in buildinp
supplies say trade continues dull but
collections are fair to good. The holt
day season has been on the whole sat
isfactory In retail lines and there In
apparent solid confidence regarding
the future.
Richmond's report to Dunn's is al
so oDtimistic. Severe weather dur
Ing the last few days has stimulat ed
the movement OF heavier lines Of sta.
pie merchandise and some country
merchants are placing orders for the
replenishment of their stocks. Re.
tailers. in casting up the results OF
holiday trade, have found that sales
average well with last year and In
some instances show an excess. A
number of travelling statesmen have
not yet returned to their territories.
being engaged In changing samples
to spring lines. Several houses re-
port further improvement In collec-
tions. Bank dividend disbursements
show an increase over 1918.
The Boterie is a Columbia firm that
has not felt appreciably the depres-
sion in trade. H H. Powell. mana
ger, said last night that the trade for
| 1914 was in excess Of that for cor
responding months in 1913. I'VE bal
ance our books, July l5," he said.
rAll along through the fall we com
pared the volume OF monthly sales
| with those OF, 1913. In each Instance
| the 1914 trade exceeded that OF 1913.
Since Christmas. though. there, has
been decline and January trade to
date is below what It was one year
ago."J r. ,.,t,5,T.l
| ]. C. Copeland of the Copeland
company said that the lowest level r
the depression had been passed. He
did not! look for any material i'm
provement before early spring, but
thought IL likely that there might be
a boom then. December trade with
this company was very encouraging.
The bulk of business for the year.
| however, was not equal to that OF
1918.
| e. p. Davis, dealer In shoes did not
1 find the last half years business as
! disappointing as early fall trade indi-
| Gated. when we balanced the books
we were .agreeably surprised to find
that our excess sales to July practi-
cally balanced the deficit from slack
ened trade in the fall. 1t was not
nearly SO disappointing as we had ex-
pected"
Mr.. Davis has compared the vol
ume of his firms business in 1914
with that OF several years prior to
1913. which was. he thinks. one of the
best wears Columbia merchants have
ever known. Trade in 1914 was not
below that OF 1911 and 1912, he SAYS
and he has found travelling men max
ing the same analogy. So.
With M. l.. Kinard, the clothier. ex-
oeriences have been similar to most
business houses; there was a gradual
recovery in November and December
from the tremendous slump early in
the fall The years business was
not equivalent to that OF 1913. Since
Christmas our trade has been good.
We hope 1t will continue. and be-
lieye q will. We think the extreme
lip.t OF the depression has been
reached and look for readjustment
through the spring" This company
does not balance It's books until March
and could not give more definite in
formation II -s7iNg -