The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-01-01
1870 SUPER YEAR
FOR MEMPHIS IS
PREDICTION Of ALL
CONTINUED Fror, FIRST Page

Continued Frorc FIRST Page D
weather is to be had for the next so
days local Wholesale grocers will have
more business than they can take care
Of. He said:
Prospects are better than could
really be expected. 7 have commuri-
Gated with dealers over the country
and can c~onservatively say that con.
ditiens viii be better and bigger than
ever, There has been no letup since
Christmas and we are doing a record
business right now.
Iossey NJ, White declared:
Irl-state crops are in the field. or
the good part of them, and in conse-
quehce more OF the farmers profits
and the retailers profits are yet to
come. see a big spring with all the
Whotesale houses can do to take care
OF business. The outlook Is exceeding
ly optimistic. Our new year opened
with a day the equal Of any preceding
Christmas. | do not see an immediate
decline in prices, for the demand and
supply Is such as to forbid a drop."
1 expect 1920 to be a good year for
the hardwood lumber industry: the
outlook is entirely favorable" James
r.. stark declared. we have had two
years of bad weather, and il seems
logical to expect better conditions in
A"-ps III NY 'Dlllon "uuCl VIII
be increased after March /, and will
assume normal proportions by June.
There will be h good general demand
throughout the year, equally as good,
and perhaps better than the 1919 de-
mand. l look for an increase in for
elgh demand and also increased de-
mand from the building industry. The
European nations must keep their peo-
pie employed: they must have lumber
and other raw materials to Go this. and
believe the lumber will be bought
in 1920, ever II the governments have
to finance the buyers"
Mr.. StarlV declared that he did not
anticipate a famine in hardwood luln-
Der during the remaining winter and
spring months. I'VE have W mills
operating IL hours a day, and many
other mills are managing to operate,
SO do not believe there will be "a
famine he said.
Prices l believe will remain some
where near the high level they attained
in 1919, though not quite as high"
John W. Mcclure declared that he is
not as 'pessimistic about production
conditions as some Of these other fell
lows are. Some of the members of the
hardwood industry are saying there
will be virtually no production between
now n March l. But it won't be
that bad, l have an idea that from
now on this is going to be a good open
winter and that we will be able to get
out more logs than Usual during the
winter months, which usually bring
conditions very bad for logging. You
will notice that we nave had two weeks
of good weather and if this should con-
tinue for about six weeks, the woods
would be well prepared for logging.
| do not expect production to reach
normal until June or July, but there
will be some all along between time.
Stocks of hardwood have never been
at a lower ebb than now.
demand will continue good through
out 1920,'' Mr.. Mcclure believes, and
there will be some increase in demand
from the building industry and the au-
tomobile body and vehicle and imple-
ment manufacturers. 1t would be i'm
possible for the furniture industry's de-
mand to be stronger for hardwoods," he
said, but that demand will continue,
as will the demand Of the musical in
strument and other industries. | also
expect foreign demand to improve" Rel
alive to prices Mr.. Mcclure said:
4 hope there will be no further in
creases; | would not like to see the
market &C any higher. But there prob
ably will be much f~luctuation until the
middle of summer, when production be-
m normal"
Bankers Optimistic.
John 7. Walsh, president North
Memphis Savings bank, anticipate the
most prosperous year that Memphis has
ever experienced, both in a commercial
way and in building, and the location OF
new manufacturing enterprises.
ave Halle thinks there is every in
dlcatlon that Memphis will continue to
go forward steady In every line of en-
deavor this ear
G. NJ. Bryan says: 80 far as | an,
able to look ahead, although l am no
L nrDnhpt Mnn1nhln 10 fn1ott hA-t,-sa.
tory"
W. C. Duttling/, THINKS that Memphis
VIII continue to grow and prosper, and
TINS year should prove the best year
the city has ever seen.
%. N. Killough, Wynne, Ark, says:
We Arkansans feel an intense interest
In Memphis prosperity and growth, and
l am sure that this prosperity, so evil
dent in 1919, will be continued this
year"
Very good, indeed, very, very good"
was what George r. James answered
when asked what he thought of the
prospects for the wholesale dry goods
business in 1920. He predicted that the
particular line of business in which he
Is a figure in Memphis would enjoy one
years.
Conditions generally have changed
declared Mr., James. This time last
year we were just out of war. not a
soul had an inkling Of what sudden turn
labor might take, 1t was said on some
hands that there might be an over
abundance of laboring men, we would
De crowded to death with workingmen.
On some hands it's was seen that values
would slack. 1t is different this New
Years, entirely d/'erent."
Mr.. James sees IN advance in the vol
ume of wholesale dry goods business.
1t is given that tri-state merchants and
indicating an advanced buying period
which, Mr.. James thinks, will be more
than felt by his. line or commercial en-