The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-12-30
J0BBERS REPORT
GREAT BUSINESS
FOR LAST Year

II business in Richmond next year
is as good as it was during the year
now closing Richmond business inter.
ests will have little cause to complain
In 1913 business conditions locally
were at low ebb and the outlook was
far from satisfactory. Late in 1914,
following the outbreak of the Eur
opean war Richmond's industrial
plants began to experience a boom and
at once the local wholesaling and re-
failing concerns began to benefit from
these changed conditions Collec-
tons soon began to pick up, showing
the purchasing public was sharing in
the industrial boom, and each month
the past two years there has been a
steady improvement in collections.
Close Satisfactory Season.
Richmond jobbing concerns have en-
joyed. without exception. one of the
most profitable seasons in their his
tory the past year Notwithstanding the
greatly increased costs of products. AS
a rule each market advance found
these concerns well prepared TO ben.
eft from the price increases. Ad-
vances in foodstuffs the year now clos
ing were almost unprecedented but in
most cases the wholesale jobbers had
anticipated these increases.
Richmond is probably the largest
jobbing center of any city it's size in
the, United States and during the past
year one of the largest wholesale groc-
cry concerns in the state, the Hood
company, opened plant here, giving
Richmond three wholesale groceries.
Report Wonderful Business.
The two local wholesale hardware
concerns, Miller Brothers and Jones
Hardware company, probably the larg-
est concerns of their kind in the coun-
try, did a remarkable business the
past year, as did the Adam H. Bartel
company. dry goods jobbers and over
all manufacturers. The Bartel com
pany distributed a large Christmas
bonus to its employees. II
With steady employment and better
wages for the citys workers the retail
concerns enjoyed the most prosperous
season they have experienced in sew
eral years, and the prosperity of the
jobber is always dependent upon the
of the retailer. 1t cost the
jobbers and retailers almost twice as
much to operate in 1916 as 1t did in
1915 because of the spectacular i'll
creases in the costs of practically ever
but the purchasing public
was able to meet this abnormal ad-
vance in the cost of living
Had the purchasing public, as a
whole Jagged in it's payments there
probably would have been a different
story to relate concerning the 1916
business record of the local jobbing
and retail interests.
Bank Deposits Increase.
The banks are the foundation Of all
and no city OF its population
in the nation has a better industrial
than Richmond. The city's
banking institutions won for Rich
mond the title. Panic Proof City" dur
ing the dark days of 1907 when the
country was I'm the throes Of one Of
the worst panics in its history. These
stood as firm as Gibralter
during that trying period and kept in
operation the city's hard hit indus
tries Since that time, year by year,
these banks have become stronger.
Bank reports last November showed
a total over $6,600,000 deposits, an in
crease of almost million dollars over
the deposits of the first of the year.