Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-12-27
PREDICT GREAT
TRADE PICKUP
New Buying Movement Pre-
dicted for New Nor
NAL Times Will Follow.
BY ALBERT APPLE.
n. T.. A. Business Editor.

Business should be picking up
about the first of January,
ing to the Federal Reserve Board.
BY that date. says the board, the
smashing of wartime prices Will be
completed sufficiently to usher in
normal times.
The latest business forecast by
United States Chamber of Com
merce says that merchandise stocks
by Jan l will be smaller than for
years, making a new buying move
ment probable.
other guesses for a revival OF
business range as far ahead as
April. In the steel industry long
considered the barometer of general
business conditions. d new buying
movement is expected to start
either in February or March. In
the building trades a buyers mar
ket prevails. But where inquiries
are. for deliveries after March, the
sellers are not anxious to quote
prices, indicating hat they look for
big buying by that date.
What's Really Wrong.
The present business slump is
not basically serious. Business is
bad because the cost of living is
being smashed. Everybody wanted
that. Temporarily it's bitter med
icine. Inf alton is being sqeezed
from prices. When the downward
movement is completed and buyers
are sure that bottom has been
reached, things will go ahead. No
danger of panic. The situation is
we'll in hand.
Meats at Pre-War Prices.
Armour & Co. that
wholesale prices of fresh meat cuts.
both beefN and pork, are now below
the prices of April l, 1917, and in
some instances below 1914 prices.
Growers of livestock and feed
stuffs shoulder the loss.
Other Price Crashes.
Cuban raw sugar appears in New
York Offered at less than four cents
a pound. No buyers.
Silver has fallen to a new low
record, around so cents an ounce.
The highest price was $1.37 an
| ounce, reached Jan. IL last.
Tobacco growers are in bad shape
Raw tobacco in Kentucky is bring
ing almost two-thirds less than a
year ago.
American farmers have lost at
least 5000, 900, 900 in three months
by the slump in prices of farm
| DI puutlo anu iINtStoth. u 40 tiiS
estimate of Thomas J. Wilson, pres
ident of the Institute of American
Meat Packers.
Railroads Plan Big Buying.
The steel trade expects 1921 to
break all records in production of
steel rails. The roads hope to ar
range the necessary financing
early in the ear.
There is now a surplus of freight
cars. President Gray of the Union
Pacific predicts a record traffic
movement in the west the last eight
months of 1921.
Foreign Trade Changes.
Big exporters are turning their
eyes away from Europe. Many
think the big foreign trade oppor-
tunities of the next few years will
be in the orient, principally China.
Europe is now Undertaking
Americans in Argentina, especially
in steel products. Germany has
~reappeared strongly in the steel ex-
port market. China lands cargo of
steel plates in Seattle at less than
the American prices. Said to have
no broad significance.
Soft coal has dropped al average
of Sc a ton in the big mining dis
tricts east OF the Mississippi. This
applies to prices charged by the
mines. Consumers should benefit
soon. Cheaper coal should greatly
stimulate manufacturing. 1t re-
duces costs.
French buyers have Cancelled
more than 500. 00O,O 900 worth of
contracts for American coal. Con-
tracts made a year ago for export
were $40 a ton. The open market
has dropped to S14.
Textile Trades Hard Hit.
New England textile mills are
running 80 to so per cent capacity.
Manufacturers expect heavy buying
TO start by spring. Some manu-
facturers hint they, will sell direct
to consumers. \ Brooklyn firm
throws its factory open to the pub
lie and offers $1.000.0 600 worth of
raincoats at wholesale prices.
DR.. S. w. Mcclure. representing
the National Wool Growers AS
ISOLATION, tells the Senate that 95
per cent of this years wool clip in
the United States is unsold. Also
that 800. 100000 pounds of wool are
stored in American warehouses. a
two years supply.