Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1921-01-20

The duIlness of many other lines
of business as 1921 opens causes in
many florists mind question as to
the prospects for the coming year IN
this trade. Consideration of present
conditions and the outlook for com
ing months establishes confidence OF
an excellent season for US aI-The
Florists Review.
From the day Henry Ford started
the price decline by reducing the
price of his automobiles last Octo-
Der until he closed his big factory
last week, there has been steadily
growing sentiment that has taken
concrete form in cancellations Of or
ders BY retailers and jobbers in nler-
camille and other lines, and in what
has been called buyers strike on
the part of the public. The price re-
auctions of Mr.. Ford and others con-
firmed in the public's mind the idea
long harbored there, that there was
a great deal Of water to be squeezed
out of the prices it had been paying:
So the consumers at large decided
that they would wait until gthlngs
had hit bottom before they resumed
purchases. After the Inauguration
Of the buyers strike, the retailer IN
general passed the buck to the manu-
facturer in the form of Cancelled or
ders, determining to liquidate his
own stock of goods before he would
buy more.
Downward Circle
Consequently, the manufacturer,
having no orders to fill in many cases
solved his problem temporarily by
closing down, either wholly or partly.
Unemployment and wage-reduction
were the results. Soon the retailers
learned that they could not liquidate
at high prices, and the extraordinary
spectacle presented itself Of shop
keepers cutting prices for Christmas
instead of putting them up notch.
Even then, there was less buying for
the holiday than is usual at that
time. This convinced retailers that
prices must be brought down in good
earnest if buyers were to be attract
ed into their shops again. So there
is a disposition now to believe that
prices in general are down to some
where near their proper level-one
cannot say normal, because the times
have so long been abnormal that no
one can tell what the ncSmal for to-
day should be.
A good many houses planned to be-
gin buying at the first of the year,
counting on cleaning out old stocks
during January. There are many
who must buy for their own needs,
because no one can continue indef-
initely without doing so. The buy
ers' strike cannot last long, but is
limited to the publIc's supply of ne
cessities. Once the resumption Of
buy is started by some, others will
follow, and before long business will
be as strong as before. 1t looks as
though that resumption were near.
Different Phenomena
One should remember that though
the decline in prices will end with
most of them remaining at the lower
level, the decline in business is a far
different Phenomenon. It's end will
be followed by a rapid rise in the
volume of general business. The in
crease will be back to the old level
in some cases, and in others to
point well above the former mark.
For instance, one can well believe
that the manufacture of automobiles
will not soon resume it's former
scale, but the manufacture of rail-
road equipment, building material
and such lines will far surpas sthe
marks of the last few years. The
country is in bad need of these
things, and the resumption of bust
ness at a lower price Ievel will be
marked by great demand for them.
AuspiciouS Omens
There is, indeed, reason for much
optimism in the outlook. Of course,
Republicans will say that the two
time-honored omens are suspicious,
bumper harvests last fall and a re-
turn of the G. o. P. to power at
Washington this spring. Democrats,
however, think the price decline is
at an end and find the country is
not in the hands Of the receivers.
Apropos of the latter point, one is,
to speak seriously, surprised at first
thought that the number of failures
during the last few months has been
so small. The number of real disas-
tiers in all lines has been remarkable
in view of the intensive readiust-
ment taking place. There has been
nothing approaching a panic, moth
ing like decentralization. The result
has been only a smaller volume Of
business. The richnes sof the coun-