The Alaska daily empire., 1916-05-20
VALDEZ coNTENTED
lvnldez Minerl


 While our merchants in general report business little dull ct the present time, the majority of them states that they have had much better trade this season than last Men are departing for the mines and the hills daily and the town is so nearly emptied of It's usually large male population that 1t looks Ike war town in Europe when it comes to the female population being the majority.
 But this Is one of the best indications of good times If our town was crowded with men It would show that jobs were and labor Is abundant The lack of Idle men shows that much money will be turned loose In Valdez before the end of the season With hundreds of earning four dollars per day the sum total will be large Already hundreds or tons of supplies have been hauled to the mining camps near Valdez and business is bound to be slack for few weeks, that an the large orders have been filed
 The Road Commission win start to work on the valdez-Fairbanks trail in few more weeks and this will drain the town of all available men, and will place hundred thousand dollars with our merchants as Col Richardsons plan has been to spend all the road money with Alaskans.
 The Signal Corps, Army Post and Cable Station together with the Federal officers annually turn tens of thousands of dollars In to the coffers of our mer' chants This trade is all cash trade, and the custo mers demand the best that can be obtained
 Our merchants are taking advantage of the dull time of the year to take stock and replenish their supplies of goods for the summer trade The Valdez Mercantile Company has made many improvements in their largo spending several hundred dollars in interior work and has added to the lighting arrange ment. This building would uO SIcuib to O s''t- ~' thirty thousand people and the stock carried includes everything sold in a mining community
 S Blum & Company have started constructor work on their new building to replace the one destroy ed by the big fire It will cover ground space of 75xi4O feet and will also be a tremendously large store building for Q town the size of Valdez This company also carried an immense stock. DougherS S Ferguson have made many improvements In their building and have added nearly twenty tons Of groc cries for the summer trade.
 George Mead, who burned out clean last July has his new plumbing establishment in good shape for the summer and has added several thousand dol lars worth Of hardware. ship chandelry paints and oils to his alreay large stock
 F. p. King. the grocer has also added largely te his stock of family groceries and Is optimistic over the coming summers business. Mir King handles the Reliance brand of canned goods and Chase san borns staples He predicts lively times for Nalde' this season
 Rudolph Schmidt. the baker has made such a m with his dellcatessen and home-baked products tna he is compelled to seek larger quarters soon to handle his increasing trade MT. Schmidt was burned oa clean by the recent fire, but started over next day and has made good
 Our restaurants and hotels say that business IS laI and have no complaint to make. Valdez has nun Der of good restaurants, and large number or goo hotels and all seem to be doing we'll
 Many new buildings are going mp m the clN and nearly every citizen is either painting or impro' ing his premises in some manner.
 No we would not call city dull but her pee ple are contented and with but few exceptions pros porous It is a good home town and It's growth steady and substantial