Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-01-08
BUSINESS WARNING
Continued from Page One)

carry them out.
The economies forced upon rail-
ways, industrial corporations and in
dividuals in the recent years are a
potent factor in maintaining prosper
ity. Our business is being better done,
less wastefully done, than here
tofore. There is a new tone of eff
cheney in factory, in office, on the
farm and in the work Of the railway
manager. We shall enter the revised
world arena better trained for the
struggle than we were when the for
mer game closed.
Conscious Relations
Our horizons are wider. Names that
were strange are common at our
breakfast tables. Our relation with the
whole world is more conscious. 1t is
not as strange a thing as it was to
many of us to do business across the
seas. II l am correct in this analysis,
the buying power of the United States
Is greater than it ever has been and
this is more widely distributed than
heretofore. The loaning power of the
United States is greater than it ever
tributed also. The saving power of the
United States is greater than ever be-
fore and more widely distributed.
Back Of all these lie resources well
developed indeed, but relative to their
total extent almost untouched, and the
power and the resources are in the
control of people awake as never
before to opportunities which these
give them.'
At End of War
Of the change to come at the end
of the war the secretary says: THE
war order must be replaced by the
peace orGer, and as has been said the
whole foreign trade must adjust it
self to a more normal basis. Certain
good customers, however, have not
bought much Of us in the last year,
and their business must in a large
part return with wars close. We sold
to Germany, Austria Hungary and
Belgium about $440,0O0,000 in value
annually Much of this must return
with the coming of peace. Our annual
sales to Mexico should increase by
$50 ,000, 900 to reach their former limit.
I'VE are Furthermore the source from
which purchases for rehabilitation
must be made. Already from both bel
ligerents there is assurance of heavy
purchases munitions of peace to offset
in part at least the sale of munitions
of war.
IF my analysis be sound we shall
lose the abnormal part Of our export
trade and shall fall back to a basis
which we may fairly expect will be
larger than that before the war. We
may keep if we will the first place. 1t
depends on ourselves. About it only
this one thing can be said with GER
tainty: This opportunity and the pros
perity affected by it will be Just what
we choose to make it.
Meanwhile other enterprises now in
a large part deferred by abnormal eX-
port conditions will come into life and
effect There may be readjustments
from present conditions to other ones,
the stress of which will depend upon
the wisdom with which the present s
utilized.
But there seems nothing that
threatens the continuance of general
prosperity based on sound and we'll un-
derstood economic forces. Our mer-
chant marine is larger than it eve''
has been and is growing. Our COM
merce, therefore, is increasingly under
our own control and we may hope. will
soon be free from the restrictions which
the necessities of those upon whom we
may have had to depend for the car
riage of our goods have imposed upon
it,