The sun., 1918-07-06
BUSINESS BOOMING
IN SLACK SEASON
War Makes Usual Midsummer
Shutdowns Improbable,
Says "Bradstreet's."
REIMBURSEMENT OF LABOR
Less Essential Manufactures
Shifting Workmen to Ur-
gent Needs Of Country.

Business continues at high tide, ac-
tordIng to the weekly trade publications.
which see no indication Of the usual
summer shut downs. With respect to
trade conditions. Brddstreets will say
to-day:
Exceptional conditions present them
selves at the turn OF the year. With
the country at war, summer shutdowns,
so-called. are of course not TO be ex-
pected. the more so that weather con-
dI,ions Of late have favored capacity
operations. but the recent speeding up
II industry in all branches OF war work
las been such as would have seemed
impossible short while ago. In ship
building, iron and steel production. cop
per and coal mining, glass and pottery
making. gun and ammunition outputs,
Army clothing manufacturing, and a
variety of other lines catering to war
needs, there has been great recent ex-
pansion. all the more notable because
m midsummer Is never associated with
fullest activities in factory work. The
irexorable logic OF events-hish wages,
patriotic impulse, and last. but not least.
the work or fight legislation-has
worked quietly but none the less effec-
lively to cause great readtustments Of
conditions OF employment and divert
hundreds of thousands from peaceful or
less essential occupations to those con-
nected with the carrying on Of the war.
Distributive Trade Is Quiet.
Naturally, ordinary distributive trade
has taken a back seat. as 1t were. and
business at first hands, especially at the
larger markets, has relapsed into COM
parative quiet. the more SO that the
textile trades particularly and the
leather and other trades generally still
lack a clear view Of Government price
or production regulation, and that the
casting up OF Md-year accounts has
been in order. 1ntimations that cotton
and woollen goods may be lower are
contained in current market gossip.
Still. the reports from crop producing
and goods consuming centres show a
large business going forward, with
repetitions of past familiar stories of
scarcity of merchandise. Retail trade
has been helped by holiday buying. but
reflects also the effects OF past and cur
,ent purchases by millions of exception
ally well paid workers. OF whom women
seem to constitute a large and constantly
growing proportion
Dun's Review will say:
Measured by all OF the traditional
CiittIS oii u Sec
ond half OF the year in a highly pros
porous condition, and that commercial
reyerses have been remarkably moder-
ate the insolvency statistics plainly
demonstrate. Yet the distinction be-
tween volume and value of transactions.
for many weeks clearly discernible, be-
comes increasingly apparent as tighten
ing Of the war restrictions continues.
and the amount OF regular commerce
Il al may be done Is lessening steadily
from one cause or another. While the
extreme living costs and the practice of
economy are not insignificant factors.
the combining of ordinary operations
within still narrower limits results
mainly from the growing pressure OF
national requirements. and not a few
things that had come to be regarded as
necessities by the civilian trade are no
longer appearing on tie markets, or are
only being produced in comparatively
meager quantities.
An Eventful Half Year.
"'rhe half year just ended has been. in
many respects. the most eventful period
o. American economic history. and that
further great fundamental changes are
70 be witnessed, both during Il e life OF
the war and afterward. is obvious. That
these readjustments will be accomplished
without serious disturbance is an ex-
pectation that seems justified by recent
experience. and the close cooperation ex-
sting between many private interests
srd the Government has had much to do
with promoting the stability which has
been so noteworthy feature OF tie
general situation. What strengthens
confidence in the future is the continued
promise Of abundant harvests and prices
~ cotton this week declined abruptly or
The announcement Of a crop condition
estimate that as rarely been equalled
at this sea SON."