Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-31
YEAR 1919 SHOWS
Biz INCREASE IN
BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Volume is Larger and Failures Less
and for Smaller Liza
bilitv.
1920 PROSPECTS ARE GOOD

s II Harrs9n, manager Of II 6 Dnn
ami Company. mercantile agency branch
IN this city IN his statement II mercantile
conditions for the past year. calls attention
10 tho fact that the volume of huHlnees3
both IN places II business and ~ banking
circles has bocn much larger this year than
laet Another important feature of the
years financial rssImn ~ that there were
ieaq failures for srnaller Inhiltfe thar
sincn 1918. although the city has increased
50 per cont IN population and has greatly
increased IN business capacty Tho
statement follows
The year 1910 hes exceeded All previous
years in volume of business dome hy both
retail and wbnicsaio m Wilmington.
During fhc Cbriztmae soason retail men
have reported doing the the higTrsf
amount of business. that prlcce hasc heen
high and that N spmo instances th"lr
saie@ were lintted 4arlnlslg fy inability
r. secure euH.cicnt merchandise
The hanks havc had = vnrP silcersSfni
wear ncreats were higher ttan evor
before and 1horc hae bnrn IN active do-
mand for loans
Owing Ia high prices ~ labor and
material. hrlding operations have not
hern verv acftvo during thc past vnar and
n ihfs reepset Wilmington Il IS believed
tagged t,enna ofhnf clties whrre cen
siderable building haa hoen undertaken
A. least tpo ncw hrldngE ~ cons idorphlf
sire will be erected on Markct street
during thc corning wear and II i hoped
building operations wiil he more active
during lF5O
ON the whole. farmers n The Peninsula
have had moderately sncces~ful Year
Thc heavy rams n the summer wcrp
scrinus handicap ~ the wheat and tomato
crop hft growers ~ small fr7iit, potatoes
and rwcct potatoes report WY prna-
tera,B wear With lsrgc Yields aud prices
The oysfeTmen n the Peninsula nave
enjoyed a vrrv slrcrFgflll eeaa1n connnerc-
,ng With thc fall If 1919 and Il IS believed
i favorable weather conditions continue
it vi! bo he most PROSPEROUS season he,
have es,r had
"6Jno of the most prosperous lines ~
Wilmington during 1919 was the leather
manufacturing and finishing industry
4 steady demand for hides in fare of m
.rcasing price has rcsulted il prosperity
IN thla business with active demandE for
labor and high prices pad There eeems
u be no visible let in IN bhlE faxe ot VII
mingtor :ndlkatry
"Aithough owing ~ tho ending of the
war the demand for ships, materially has
fallen Oft It ~ underrtood iocai ship
Yards arr working At normal capacity
and tt Is stated that there Is work n sIRht
Tor at least the coming year II IS hoped
that conditions in This line which are at
present unsettled wil become norr
stable during the coming yeaT
Following ar the failures for the ypar
Of 1919 IN quarters First qiIaF1er 'otai
uurnber II laluTo+ s Liabilities S20
20 II. assets. 81 S4S.56
Seo5nd quarter total number of fail
urcs. :. liabilities, sl33 S6l.j5. assets
So .525
Third quarter. totA! nurnber 0f fall
urcs. - habtiites, $50 o03.0i assets,
si5 04S -
Fourth quarter tota. numher q ts.I-
ures. 10 liabilities s9' 0'0; a.sses-. S2l,-
697
According 70 states, failures Of 1919
follow