Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-14
MINNEAPOLIS
NEAR NORMAL
IN BUSINESS
Federal Reserve Bank
Head Looks for Quick
Comeback
FLOUR MILLS BUSY
Retail Business Fairly
Good, but Implement
Trade Is Slow.
Special TO Indians Daily Times
and Philadelphia Public Ledger.
lMu THIIaUVI F7IIIa- I -VI--
BY RICHARD K. SPlLLANE.

By RICHARD K. sPlLLANE.
MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi. Sept. IA
At a gathering of bankers, mer-
chants, manufacturers and other
prominent citizens Of the Flour City
held in the Minneapolis Club and
called to give to your correspondent
a report as to conditions, Joseph
Chapman, vice president and general
manager of the L. s. Donaldson Com
pany, the biggest department store
in the city, summed up the local sit
uation pretty well as follows:
I'VE here in Minneapolis are nearer .
FORMAL basis, I believe, than in any
other section Of America. We have no
cause for feeling blue. The times, OF
course. are unusual We are living in
period when everybody knows and talks
about the state Of everybody else's bust
ness
There probably is a lot of talk Of
profteering. There can be no prohteer-
lag today. Competition IS too keen. So
far as the department store trade is con-
eerned I can report a large increase in
volume of sales Last December we took
eur losses, charging of % per cent at
one time.
PROHIBITION IS
AID TO BUSINESS.
$50 far as the country outside Mime
apoHs is concerned, I think it has bet
ter crop, In money. than for some time
back and a better crop in bushels. Pro
hibition has proved beneficial. You sec
the people better dressed today than
formerly. They retain more Of their
earnings. The passing Of four hundred
saloons in M1nnea polls has been of great
benefit.
Roy c. Young of the Federal Reserve
Bank said the purchases By the farmers
would not be much tins fall and winter
but he looked for the Northwest TO come
back quicker than any other section Of
the country. The farmer had economized,
had buckled down TO his hard task under
the changed conditions and While the
agriculturist needed assistance and must
have it that assistance would be lessened
II the crops moved in orderly manner
W. c. Edgar, editor Of the Northwest
ern Miller, said the present wheat crop.
while it might be lower in quantity than
expected was superior in quality. The
milling business early this year was as
duh as ever he had seen it. Improve
ment began in June. Now 1t was good
indeed even IL there was much hand-to-
mouth buying. Some establishments had
sixty to ninety day orders ahead. Com
petition was keen Exports were poor
and he feared the FOrdney tariff would
r.striet the business An enormous mar
kst awaited the American -four me1
9broad. The millers were suffering from
a financial Inconvenience and there had
been few failures.
E. J. Fairfield. president Of the Civic
ana Commerce Association and general
manager Of Lindsey Bros dealers in
agricultural implements. said he was not
the least bit discouraged even If his
a4sranch Of business was in 2 bad poCition
The farmers would buy food and clothes.
yes. but they would not BUY wagons and
rang pIows now. Collections. he found
not so difficult as it was TO make sales
That was healthy and promising
F. r. Chamberlain, vice president Of
the First National Bank, said country
bank loans were near the top now.
HOME BUILDING
ON INCREASE.
Thomas wallace, treasurer of the
Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank
said deposits reached their top April y
Withdrawals of money since then, he
had found, had been for investments,
promising large returns or for the build
ing of small homes. OF $4,000 with
drawn one day he found that S3g 600 was
for home building. He, like Mr.. Chap
man, said prohibition has been bene-
TT Men, women and children were bet
ter dressed, lived better than in the days
of open sale of liquor.
Seweu A Andrews. of Doerr Andrews
& Doerr, drugs and specialties, said his
house was doing between 20 and so per
cent of its 1920 business with expenses
the same as last year. Fall prospects
were good. There was a fine demand
for staples but no demand for phono-
~-arhs.
Mr.. Andrews is chairman of the
Jobbers committee of the Commerce As
sociation. The reports to this commit
tee, he said, showed collections which
had been slow. were getting easter. The
hardware business was excellent.
NJ think" said Mr.. Andrews, I'VE had
this slump coming and it's going to be
good for us. We used to do nothing at
one time but sit still and the business
came to us. That's not merchandising
That could not last, 1t got us into
hdDuy stdIe HehtdLy anu pHSslcally
Why we couldn't dodge the orders. Now
we have to hustle. That will be bene-
fetal and it is proving beneficial Our
sales are increasing because we are
hustling. We are on our way up"
The Munsingyvear people, employing g.
900 operatives, are running their plant
to capacity production.
BUYING FORCED
BY DEPLETED STOCKS
George c. Partridge of Wyman Part
ridge & Co., manufactures of mems and
women's ready-to-wear clothes, said the
stocks Of retailers and jobbers were low
and warehouses practically empty and
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