The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-10
GENERAL BUSI-
 NESS CONDITIONS

The business situation in the Unit
 ed States has improved very much in
 the last month, and the outlook is en-
 couraging. It is a, very great gain
 to have dissipated the atmosphere Of
 pessimism which was prevalent in
 February, and that has been accom-
 plished in large degree. The idea
 that the bottom was about to drop out
 of all markets, and that grave peri
 cd of unemployment and perhaps so
 cial disorder was pending. is no long
 CT entertained. The people, north
 and south, east and west. have dis
 posed of that bogie by simply con
 tinuing to buy goods at the greatest
 rate ever known, evidently without
 apprehensions of poverty or revolu-
 ton. We conclude that the great
 body of the American people are dis
 posed to go along in a normal way,
 whatever the rest of the world may
 do, and as their buying capacity is
 about equal to that of all the rest of
 the world put together, they can do
 fairly well all by themselves if they
 try. With strikes, revolutions, al-
 lied dissensions and all sorts of ex-
 citing news served up in the head
 lines daily, they have been busy well
 coming home the boys from France.
 and incidentally and perhaps for that
 reason, the women have bought all of
 last years high-priced dry goods re-
 maining in the stores, and thereby put the merchants at ease. The old
 stocks of textile goods have been
 cleared out, and current demands now
 require current production The
 whole situation in the textile industry
 has changed. Confidence has been
 restored. prices have recovered part of the mid-winter decline, and the
 mills are resuning full time opera tions. The strikes have been gener- ally settled, but in some instances the demands of wage-earners have been held in abeyance pending recovery in the industry. and there are reports that they will be renewed.
 Raw cotton had a rise of about 2 cents per pound during the month, and with the price now only a little l under 30 cents, it would seem that 1 argument in favor of reduction of | this seasons acreage already requires revision. Wool prices are sstrongef both in England and this country, and l recent sales by both governments have shown that the stock on hand
 was passing into manufacture at a rapid rate. The goods markets are also strong.
 Trade in all lines which reflect com | mon consumption is excellent, the only light business being in the lines | related to construction and invest l ment. A symptom of free buying for | family consumption is to be seen in | silverware. Last year the produc- l tion was 40 per cent. below normal, | but manufacturers are now busy on | the greatest volume of orders they have ever known. The jeweIry trade l in all grades is booming from the | cheap goods to diamonds. Sales of | diamonds are the largest ever known l and at high prices. In rings and ar- | ticle5 for the common trade. .busi- | ness is immense. It looks as though | the return of the soldiers might bes a | factor here also. The June crop of | weddings will be the biggest crop of 1 the year, notwithstanding the govern ! ment's guaranty on wheat.
 | There is some unemployment in | the large cities, particularly in the 1 vicinity of Rehabilitation camps, but i the authorities are over thein worry
 on this subject As a rule the re- 1 turning soldiers have found their old l places ready for them, and the sub l stitutes, including many thousands of women, are finding employment also.