Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-01-26
WHERE WILL PRICES >END7
People Start New Year Buying as
Heavily a. Ever.

Again this week wholesale prices OF
staple commodities have undergone
further revisions upward. Enough
time has elapsed since the first Of the
year to determine the attitude Of buy
ers toward spring purchases and ap-
parently buyers have started in right
where thewleft off. determined to buy
up everything in sight.
AS a result prices are edged up. an
other notch regardless of the fact that
the notches are placed higher than
formerly and advances of a few cents
have been broa dened to advances of
as much as 10 cents yard on staple
cotton fabrics.
1t is clear. Of course, that prices can
go down only as q result OF increased
production or lessened consump-
ton. The Indications for increased
production are not altogether favor
able. Not only has there been par
tial absence Of the normal increase in
facilities Of production during the last
three or four years. but. as every one
knows. there has been a decided let
down in the quantity produced by the
average operative.
Thrift is today In the United States
a virtue more honored in the breach
than In the observance" and the same
is true of Great Britain and Of France.
In those countries, as here. reports
show that the return of peace has
brought an orgy of buying and there,
as here, what once were regarded as
Injuries are in chief demand.
1t is as significant as it is disquiet-
ing that according to a great Amer
lean banker the people of this country
are selling their liberty bonds at the
rnte Of twelve to thirteen million dol
lars per day. in order to supply their
wants and crafty their whims. It is
high time. indeed. that nation wide
effort should be started for the in
cu1cation Of thrift The more imme-
date remedy for high prices in this
country, however. will in all proba-
bility be found in lessened exports.
Estimating our shipments of mer-
chandise to foreign countries during
the month of December, as the exact
figures for the month are not yet
available, thei total exports from the
1919 were but a fraction less than
eight billions Of dollars. whereas dur
Ing the calendar year of 1913 our total
exports reached value of less than
two and onehaH billions.
Our imports also show marked in
crease. But whereas our exports for
1913 were considerably more than
three times as great as those Of six
years previously, our imports little
more than doubled during that period.
As result. our exports exceeded our
imports by no. less than four billion
dollars. In the year Immediately pre-
ceding that in which the world war
began the excess of our exports over
our imports was less than three
fourths Of billion dollars.
TO ascertain what increase there
was In our exports of textiles we must
take the figures for the first ten
months OF 1919. these being the only
ones at present available. During that
period shipments Of manufactures OF
cotton jumped from s46.s1S,5ss in 1918
to practically 22o million dollars In
the first ten months OF 1919. Our ex-
ports Of silk manufactures increased
from less than two million dollars to
nearly twenty millions, and our ex-
ports Of manufactures of wool increas-
cd more than ten times. namely, from
$4,000. 4s9 to 33s,3Sl,229.
When viewing these figures as indi-
cation Of the extent Of consumption,
the increase In prices must be taken
Into consideration. Thus, our exports
OF cotton cloths. altho- they In
creased in value from twenty seven
million dollars to 1914 millions, were
n quantity B47,o3s,sis yards in the
first ten months OF last year, axainst
SsSie4s.7b4 yards In the first ten
months Of 1911, Echicaso Dry. Goods