New Britain herald., 1919-04-29
State of Trade.
(Rra dStrcetS Sl

1 koN-Words as to ordinary diStributiNe 1 trade, both at wholesale and retail, i '''u more of the important industries
 @ehd cheerful reports. but. as hercto-
 lore the big basic industries, iron and 1 steer and coal, while displaying
 Shaoc more life in isolated instances l are running at slow speed com pared 1 Nlth the feVerish activity of last year,
 ana pFlce funsettlem ent or uncertainty 1 SuH seems 10 constitute the chlel | orahe upon all operations. Nlntef- l wheat crop prospects are still hlShlE
 hatlerlh2, and clearing weather is per 1 Inlttihs more activity in western gram l helds and southern cotton and corn ' areas. The price situation is stronger, l certa1nlN s regards foods, textiles and l foot coverings. The stock market, de-
 spite realizing, is strong and active$ l and reports as to uncmploNm ,eXz
 cept at debarkation and large indus- 1 trial centers are moro cheerful.
 i Building is more active, but reports ] of scarcity of houses and apartments l are still practically universal. Wheat l exports for thc week are the largest
 of the present year and promise to 1 grow still further. The fact that l the wheat crop of the country has | been either consumed. exported or
 promised, coupled with scarcity of
 milling wheat. has started a new up- l ward moVem cut in wheat flour. wh ich
 is 10 cents to s a barrel higher, and | sym path etically in other grains, while 1 beef animals arc strong and hogs are 1 at new high price.
 1 In distributivc trade retail business,
 to use a military term, has the right
 of the line, and the final distribution | of all kinds of wearing apparel, mil ] linery. clothing, shoes, jeWelrN, auto l mobiles, musical instruments. ha rd- l ware and implements is fully sus- ! tained despite the Easter trade rush which, by the way, was large. being. l over. There is ia irly general agree 1 ment, indeed, that retail trade is bet l ter than q year ago. A feature of the
 tra dc reports is the advice that a num- l bcr of new enterprises are noted es- 1 pccially in small lines. Tn wholesale , and jObbinS lines, last and preceding weeks mproved pace is maintained, but the turnover is conceded not to 1 he equal to year ago, when govern ment buying was sharp stimulus to l opera tions. Relatively best reports a $
 10 distributive trade come from the 1 transM ississippi states. the northwest and the south, with demand from east
 ern centers not relatively brisk, but
 with more life in most lines and with l a ia irly general agreem ent that future buying is larger and proceeding with 1 more confidence than while ago. Certainly, higher prices arc being paid l for sta pleS such as cotton yarns. print l cloths, gray goods, raw and manufa C. { tured silk and wool and manu- ! factured woolens among the textiles 1 and for leather in most forms, with ] shoe nufacturers reported finding l difficulty in satisfying requirements.
 due to the enlarged export outlet for 1 heavy feathers.
 The prospect of an open market for steel products does not seem to con- l tain so much Of a threat for the trade 1 as a while ago. Indeed. some trade ! leaders predict higher prices fo. this product aud agrecd-on price levels
 seem to be quite we'll maintained, a1-
 though capacity ranges from 40 to 50
 per cent. among independent mills to 1 50 to 70 per cent. in the mills of the 1 leading interest. In this connection 1 it might be well to rem ember that full capacity today is consid era bly in
 
 ago. X little more is doing in struc- 1 tural material. but in the crudcr forms 1 pig iron is dull, melters' stocks are I large and ca pacitN employed seems ] decreasing. In the matter of prices [ it is worth noting that British and ! German prices have been advanced 1 and the former are said to be s2O to
 s2o per ton above .Am mcrican market ! levels, with lack of ship tonnage the only bar to charging our export
 trade A large order for street rail- 1 way material for a British city is re- 1 ported 10 have beer, secured by Amer- 1 jeans. The coal trade has liVened un [ a little and production is larger than , two weeks ago. but still well below a ; year ago, when industry generally was ! far more active than now. Copper ; stocks are said to be still increasing 1 despite, the mines curtailng opera tions. Lumber shows more life at the ! south and in the Pacific nOrthW est : In the latter section a large govern ! mcnt order for "a ilroad ties has been
 placed, and eastern wards are reported l freer buyers, with the result that or ! ders recently have exceeded output. i Contrary to general expectations 1 based on stock market and Victory 1 Loan activities money ceased this week 1 especially on call, and time funds are ! also lower. The exchange market is 1 irregular, sterling being fairly steady, l put French exchange has dropped to
 the lowest level of the year. Italian exchange does not seem to have been 1 affected by the deadlock and follow ] Ing disagreement at Paris
 CHALLENGE TO WILSON.