The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-04-24
Expect to Be Compelled to
Pay High Prices for
Threshing
MERCHANTS FEEL
SLACK IN BUYING
Westerners Refuse to Buy at Present
Pr1ces-Less Speculation In Land -
Farms Carrying Heavier Indebted
ness.

HISS.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, April 24-W;tb
the opening of spring in tile producing
country of the Southwest the attitude If
business interests is on the whole ont;-
mlstlc. 1t is only about 80 DAYS until
wheat harvest, always the big index of the
income factor in trade, and the keenest
interest is taken in the probable buvinp
capacity Of the agricultural sections. In
on this is based the hopes of the mercan-
tile field.
Inc farming communities, however, are
not over-enthusiastie over the prospects
Tor profits. The labor shortage last sea-
son that compelled land owners to nav as
i'igh as Slo day Tor ordinary workers
seems likely to be continued this wear
me men are not going to the farms:
there IS too good a chance to work IN
town. Threshers are counting an al caoIs
a bushel for the process OF separating
ene gram; last year many farmers paid
slOO day for a threshing outfit. regard
| less OF the amount of wheat threshed
| All this indicates that there will he no
/ So lANtS III hHtdts ana OIIE a idrpC
yield viii make it a favorable season
| Then the guaranty Of the wheat price
goes off in June, and the farmer is NOT
| certain what is to happen He has seer
the prices Of livestock nearly cut into
since last August, and claims that he !,
not able To make even wages in fattenine
cattle or hogs hence is cutting down nro
| ductlon at that end If he finds grain
1 SImllaPlxy affaaf tad xY-l,S1, L. \ I
at climbing figures, he NAV also reduc,
has acreage of crops, which, of course
means smaller production. The farmer
believes that he can live, regardless q
the larger body OF consumers, because o
much of the familys foodstuff' 5 comes iron
the farm
Something of a hesitancy is noted Il,
the merchants in the tendency towar,
buying as spring opens There is more in
chnation 10 get along with old goods. t,
rcmake and repair, This tendency j
{ starting with those most able to bu,
whatever they desire. \ banker with ;
large income was speaking of his own case
got out some Of my last summer
clothes the other day and my wife de
clared that / could not wear the suit
another season. But | can and will
patched clothes are going to be plent,
popular this year / simply will not pa,
the prices asked for clothing-until / hav,
to buy more-and there are many VIII,
feel the same way. When | see customer
turning in their Liberty bonds and buy
ing high priced clothing and shoes jus
Tor style, / am convinced that we ar,
coming to a sudden end of extravaganza,
one Of these days" A drygoods merchan
with typical country patronage say
that there is falling off in sales of higl
priced goods and while his sales since TN,
first Of the year have been somewhat in
creased in money values, the amount soil
has decreased Folks say they won
pay the prices he explained, and ",
have to wait or cut down our stock il
special sales
The tendency to prepare for the rain
day also is noted in the savings account
Of the interior communities While 70
business purposes loans continue to keel
mace with the growing deposits of tin
banks. individuals are cannilv putin;
considerable sums into securities The
country banks are sending orders for Lib
erty bonds at the low price and men witt
larger sums are buying treasury certificate
to carry over their unused capital at tn,
attractive interest rate The postal saw
ings accounts that were showing sncl
large figures all through the pre-war per
iod are shrinking to almost nothing il
most of the smaller towns as the say
ings 90 into bonds and securities tina
olive larger returns However the banker
declare that there is much cashing o
bonds that were subscribed for but neve
fully said the money going into Ink
uries or into stocks that promise to max
the owners rich quickly
There is a ouieter. tone Of the lan'
movement. While sales are made a
higher prices. they are on far les
speculative basis than six months ago
1.-The increase in land values since the frs