Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-09-17

No Place for Gloom
CONTINUED from Page ons)

product. This is the reason why the
mill continues in operation and
small orders continue to come in so
that there is work ahead at present
until the last of October.
This has been the situation for
some time" explained Mr.. Dean.
Manufacturers and jobbers have
been living for the most part on a
hand to- mouth policy. They order
only what they need Immediately.
We are getting orders of this kind
when some other places are not.
There is no reason to doubt that
more orders of the same kind will
come in before the mill has finished
on the prese mt work"
Cotton has been rising in price
lately and along with the increased
cost of raw material has come an
increase in the price of the finished
product
Cotton will probably not be any
where near as low as 1t has been
and of course there can be no drop
in the price of mill products" is Mr..
Deans explanation.
While recent announcements have
been to the effect that the paper
mills have been in some financial
difficulty, the two shoe factories of
the city are in immensely better
shape than they we're last year.
indications are that business is
slowly but steadily improving" said
Ernest A. Gray in speaking of the
work of the Capital Shoe Corpora
ton. Our factory is doing better
than 25 per cent. more business than
it did a year ago. No large orders
are being received. but we are run
ming on full time with two-thirds of
the usual crew. A year ago. we were
! running with about 40 per cent. of
J our force and that. too, on part
time"
w. G. Webster of the L. A. Cros-
sett shoe factory is especially
| pleased over the outlook. I'VE are
easily doing so per cent. more bust
ness now than we were last year at
! this time" he told a Journal report
err. "Two-t thirds of our usual force
! is being employed on full time. We
ore just finishing up one seasons
product and shall start at once on
, the next seasons goods. The bust
! ness promises to be bigger than
ever"
Frequent reports from the Augusta
Lumber Co, have shown a healthy
demand for dimension stuff and the
fact that much building and altering
are going on is proof that there u
no great slackening in construction
work. Painters and paper hangers
report the biggest rush on business
| in years with lots more to do.
A canvas Of the stores of the city
! affairs. In spite of the greatly low
cred prices. one store reports bust
ness % per cent. better than a. year
| ago and another places its figures at
Is per cent. larger. Practically
everyone shows a steady increase in
sales.
| I'VE watched the market closely"
said one of the city's biggest mer-
! chants in discussing the subject.
when the drop in prices came, we
met them. We suffered our loss in
/ OTuST SSt iiu VI thC pAiSCu
goods. 1t was the only sensible
thing to do and we did it. Mer-
chants in other cities who failed to
! do this, have been hard hit. We
have even kept ahead of some of the
price dropping and have been put to
none of the financial inconvenience
that some cities have"
This merchant, too, pointed out a
situation peculiar to Augusta, con-
p, dition that has done much to stabil-
ize industrial and trade conditions.
The force employed at the State
House. the Central Maine Power Co.
and the Internal Revenue depart
ment, probably aggregates 700 in
| dividuals. Their trade has been
steady at all times, something that
could be depended upon. No other
city in Maine has had this desirable
state of affairs
From many conversations held
with merchants of Augusta, there
has been a singular agreement
among the dealers. no matter what
line they have carried and it is that,
while there has been no boom, there
has been no depression but a steady,
decent trade all during the past few
months, a trade that is advancing
steadily.