The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-17
RETAIL TRADE WAS
NEVER so BRISK
BY HOLLAND.


New York, September 16.-(Special)
1t is queer paradoxical situation
which is characteristic in this autumn
month of business and industrial con-
ditions throughout the United States.
Men who have had long experience in
industrial and financial activities con-
fess that they have never seen any
thing which compares with this present
day situation. For instance; reports
from all parts of the country which
have since the first of September reach
ed New York tell of an almost unpre-
cedented retail trade 1t is not con-
fined to the large cities or to the sur
burban districts. 1t is characteristic
of the small communities even of the
remote agricultural sections. Futher-
more the prevailing demand is not so
much for commodities which are com
paratively cheap but for those which
cost a good deal of money.
One of the high authorities is quoted
as having said that peculiar feature
of this situation is the demonstration
that high prices are not depriving any
considerable portion of the people OF
| the comforts of life. TIE people not
withstanding their aggregate subscrip-
tions of some twenty billions to the
victory and liberty loans. neverthe-
| less seem to be in possession of money
| in plenty. So it is said that the buying
power of the people has outrun the
rate of production. This certainly is
a condition that was not forecast i'm
mediately after the armistice was
| signed.
Another peculiar feature observable
in these mid September days refer te
the crop situation. There is no en-
! to- 1,n re W come
from the wheat belts but on the other
hand the chances seem to be that the
Indian corn harvest will be somewhat
in excess of two billion nine hundred
million bushels From several points
of view it is regarded as quite as i'm
portant that there should be very
large harvest of Indian corn as RECORD
making harvest of wheat The klnf
of crops which are utilized for feed
ing stock are presumably to be a:
large as any that have ever been har-
vested. For that reason the supply q
meant and of dairy products is to bt
larger than was the case last year.
| 1T CAME OF A SUDDEN
When the first reports came from
the authoritiesatWash
the authorities at Washington of
heavy falling off in the production O.
wheat there was attached to this re
port some gloomy forecast OF the lndlal
corn harvest This greatest of on
single grain harvest both in amour
and in moneyvalue seemed likely to d
a comparative failure. Suddenly tn
climate changed. The burning heat o
the sun and the long continued draugli
were, almost in the tw1nkllng OF a.
eye, ended and there came refresh
ing and abundant supply of rain t
, which the Indian corn stalks Instant
; that Indian corn will harvest two bill
: lion nine hundred million bushels
almost three billion then that wi
serve to some extent to offset tn
falling off in wheat.
1t is spoken of as one of the quee
developments of the somewhat quee
season that while wheat should hav
fallen off almost all of the other crop
and especially the forage crops are I
| be excellent and in some cases recor
making.
1T is A CALAMITY
One of the foremost of the bankin
authorities of the United States l
speaking of the 1919 crops said tina
1t is a real calamity that there Shout
have been a loss of three hundred mi
lion bushels in wheat which came Jus
at a time when wheat was ripenin
and ready for moving and the thrash
| of two or three weeks of the unfavol
able climate there is no doubt that GU
| wheat belts would have yielded conslo
ierably in excess of billion bushels.
This loss it is pointed out was ne
due to any act of man. Strikes al
not cause it nor did unrest affect
The important financial problem
| which refer to the maintenance an
increase of our international trade ma
| no Influence over the wheat harves
Bad climatic conditions which no ma
| could have foreseen or if they had bee
foreseen could have prevented, al
solely responsible for the loss OF thre
hundred million bushels of wheat.
On the other hand considerable raj
ing off in production has been due ne
to climate but to the action taken I
men. Labor unrest, in some cases pr
\ | tracted strikes. are chiefly responsip
for the falling off in production. ~
ports come from Washington that II
cotton mills of the United States al
now operating somewhat in excess
thirty four million spindles This is
increase of between five hundred al
six hundred thousand spindles, as con
| pared with the number that were O.
Grated the previous year. 1t would ma
been an excellent thing II 1t had PEI
possible to keep these spindles runniI
on three shifts which as whole to-
in the entire twenty-four hours OF
single day. But instead of that II W
necessary for the textile mills to r
duce the hours Of labor for labor MAJ
that demand, and the result was IN
not withstanding the increase in t
number of spindles the consumption
raw cotton which these spindles wo
into cloth fell off eight hundred tho
sand bales. The manufacture OF &C
ton cloth is decreasing month by mon
as compared with the previous year
In other industries the reduction
hours of work has caused falli
off in production and the apprehe
sion is great that If the demands
the anthracite coal miners that tn