Evening journal., 1918-07-13
BUSINESS Brisk IN
FURNITURE TRADE
Ellwood Souder Tells Of
War Work Being Done
by Manufacturers
WILMINGTON STREETS
BEHIND OTHER CITIES

Ellwood Souder. OF the decorative
furnishing company OF Ellwood Souder
| & Sons Sompany, has returned from a
; two weeks visit TO the Grand Rapids
!; furniture exposition. where he went to
! make furniture purchases. Mr.. Souder
d told a representative OF THE EVENING
e tJOURNAL that there were plenty OF
opportunities 10 procure furniture at
= present, but as most OF the factories
/ have taken over government work, some
partially and others entirely, an inden-
mite continuance OF the war wiz make
furniture a scarce article. He pur-
chased literally at the exposition, and
made sure that HIS firm VIII not have
any depletion OF stock. this year at
least.
Mr.. souder was In Grand Rapids on
the Fourth OF July. and witnessed a
parade which he says was the most
creditable procession one could imagine
for a city the size OF Grand Rapids,
which Is about the same population as
Wilmington. He said there were ten
thousand persons In the parade. Ean,
women and children OF every nationals
ity, representing Red Cross and other
war work organizations. There wera
many DthulnuA uudl1g Dauuglo anu
flags OF Allied nations.
He noticed particularly an organiza-
ton OF Hollanders who displayed a
copy OF a communication appealing to
their country. lmplOring 10 TO Join thu
Allies in winning the war for democ-
racy, to make the whole world like
this, their chosen and beloved coun-
try.
Il love Wilmington and Wilmington
people, and am lOath TO admit even
the slightest superiority Of any other
city OF equal size" said Mr.. Souder,
but II il were not for the reflection
10 would have upon our street and
sewer department. the company con-
trolling our street car system. and
some other municipal management. l
would say that Grand Rapids can teach
us some things about how 10 build
city. Grand Rapids is a fine city.
"When I came home" Mr.. Souder
continued meditatlvely. "and my wife
told me that nearly all OF Washington
street had blown into our house dur
ing my absence, because, as Colonel
George w. Sparks told me, Council
wouldn't give them money ever to
sprinkle that street, / almost felt like
leaving Wilmington and going back.
II don't remember seeing anything
like Washington street. between Six
teenth and Nineteenth street. anywhere
went except stretches OF hundreds OF
miles OF country. through which l was
riding on trains. visited Buffalo, Nj
agara, Cleveland, Detroit, Jackson,
Mich, and Grand Rapids, without see
ing any street in like condition"
Mr.. Souder spent several days at the
home OF his son. II. C. Souder, in De
troit. Near his sons home, Henry Ford
has in course of construction one OF
the greatest hospitals in tho world. The
great Ford auto works and the new
Ford war boat plant are also in De-
trOit
Detroit is a wonderful city. show
ing perhaps the greatest recent growth
OF any city under one million popula-
/ ton, III this country" /" said NJ. Seaaesr-
1T is the third largest furniture CEN
ter OF the country"
The Wilmington dealer was Impress
ed by the lack OF any profiteering on
the part OF furniture manufacturers
He stated emphatically:
"To my mind, the furniture manu- ,
lfacturers are about as fair in their
charges as they can possibly be under
these var time conditions. There Is
no sign Of profteering. In most cases,
there is only a 20 per cent to 80 per
cent Increase in furniture prices where
as in most other lines. advances are
from 80 per cent to 300 per cent.
Il found good healthy business con-
ditions generally, notwithstanding al
most everybody in every line OF bus
mess is doing his utmost to bring about
such financial conditions tlat the war
shall be won, and won quickly