Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-01-01
TINS ysAws BUSINESS.

view OF the coming year In business
tho Il IL noticeable In Its forecast THAI
possible labor difficulties are not dis
cussed. Its dependence appears to DC
largely on the purchasing power OF
the country, the fact of good crops OF
last year at high prices and the pros
pect that crop prices are to hold high
thru another season. Altogether the
financial and business experts OF Dun's
sec prosperous year for business
employers and employed. II believes
that big potential demand for goods
exists, at u price. knows that great
demand for food stuffs will be made by
Europe upon this country while mater
ials for clothing and for shelter AND
implements OF agriculture will prob
ably be badly needed and concludes:
The United States having suffered
the least Of all the beiligerents should
be in a position to supply these oe-
mands. as we have good share OF the
food and the raw materials which the
world needs. and our prestige has GER
tainly not suffered at the hands OF the
two million men who have represented
,is in Europe. We also have-what we
hitherto lacked-a big merchant marine
capable Of serving our importers ana
exporters and our loans to allies ana
neutrals have given us financial foot
ing in the markets OF the world OF
the world Of which our bankers prob
ably will no, be slow to take advan-
tage. II it is necessary to finance our
customers thruout the world to en-
able US to sell goods, we can do II. be-
cause we financed Europe when the
possibility of returns was not nearly so
good as now. We also have a larger
capacity for output and certainly
greater adaptability for catering to
foreign demands. whether Of peace or
war In fact, we have reached in few
short years a position that it took
Great Britain, the business nation par
excellence. generations to achieve.
Fears of Unemployment of the masses
should be considered with the known
fact in view that immigration. which
should have given US 100000 persons
in the past four years, has been almost
at a stanGstill. Furthermore. we are
not sure that our whole army is COM
ing home much before a year from
now. War taxes are a source Of APP
prehension, but these too should be
looked at in the light of the fact that
taxation in this country has not as
sumed the all-pervading character i'm
parted to it in Europe by centuries of
custom an dprecedent. Unless most
signs fail. the possibilities of future
state control, interference or regula-
ton are not so great as seemed certain
| when we were in the full stress of war.
Lower prices may come, not all OF
them at once. by the way. and may de-
| lay but should not radically inter-
| fere with the processes of proper re-
adjustment. While war imitation may
| have been responsible for some of the
| present high prices. the latter IN the
| last analysis merely spell scarcity,
| which it should be our work to remove.
| and in removing make business friends
| who stick and customers who will
come again. No headlong break In;
domestic prices seems probable with
the purchasing power of our people so
high: supply and demand conditions
J what they are: stocks Of goods outside
of government hands not burdensome:
| those in government control large
perhaps. but promising to be ,iquidated
| conservatively; credit conditions, as
| reflected in failures. sound: the farms
OF the country such mines of wealth.
and outside worlds needs SO great. 1t
| really seems certain that the people
| and the country that have done so
| much in past four years will not falter
| now that peace has come and business
as usual is again to be the watch
word.