The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-03-21

'Business conditions in the East are really much better and showing more signs of improvement than anywhere else in the country" said Joseph T. partment of M. Steinert & Sons, Bos- ton, Mass, who has been in town re- gently on the return from a two months business trip throughout the middle and far west and Canada
 With the exception of California, which he characterizes as "an empire within itself, which cannot be com pared with any other part of the country" he believes that business is in a much more optimistic condition in the east than in other parts of the country.
 Bad Western Conditions.
 In the far west, particularly Butte. Mont, and Spokane, Wash. where they are dependent upon the mining and numbering industries. conditions, according to Mir Sayward, are really very bad. There has been so little building that the numbering industry has been affected and the price of copper has been so low that it hasn't paid the companies to operate their mines.
 Throughout the great middle west. MT. Sayward said, the low price of grains, particularly of corn, has been the agent stagnating business. Last year the farmer was getting 19 cents a bushel for his corn, the result was that he had to borrow from his bank ana these small banks nad m turn to borrow from larger city banks with the result that the entire part of the country was affected. Conditions are now much more hopeful there as corn is now bringing 60 cents a busheL
 Canada About the Same.
 Canada, reflects so closely the business conditions of this country, that practically all her cities are in about the same predicament as those in the United States said MT. Say ward.
 When you go into California" he things are entirely differ ing. picture business in Hollywood which has been especially hard hit don't think California has felt the de- pression at all.''
 East Is Cheerful.
 There is just this difference in the way in which the East and the West are meeting business reverses," con- MT. Sayward- ''The West, while really more hard hit than the East, is bringing into play that won- derful big, free optimistic spirit of which we hear so much and is keep ing cheerful. They are not even ad- really are and they are making the best of them. As one man said to whom went to sell pianos:
 Well, things are pretty bad but then it's something to sell to 50 per cent. of the people who come into your store. I've been here two weeks l and in that time two people have come 1 into my store and I've sold to one of them.'
 No Good Word Here.
 ''In the East. on the other hand" l continued Mir. Sayward, particularly 1 in Bridgeport you hear quite the op- posite. As a. stranger coming into your town I have been told Business has gone. to the dogs This town is done for Things are rotten People won't say a good word flor the town or business
 "As a matter of fact what Bridge | now with the war boom times which were abnormal and probably never will be again.
 \ Fine Movement.
 Your Speedily Business cam l paign is a splendid movement. One 1 Of the first things, though, that should 1 be done is to educate the travelling l men to boost Bridgeport. All over the 1 country I met trayeling men who | said Keep away from Bridgeport 1 Things are rotten there.' Of course l during the war they were all rushing | to Bridgeport so that the contrast in l their minds is now more vivid than if | Bridgeport had only been an ordinary | think that they do the city a great | 1eal of harm in speaking of it in this | way throughout the country.
 There is business. only you have. .o go aINer II now AS one man Tn | Omaha, Neb., said to me after giving 1 ne a S4,O0o order, Well, you wouldn't nave got that if you hadn't come ifter it. That is true all over the If you go out and dig for business you will find it. only it's true hat you have to dig harder than in times.
 X Good Barometer. |
 -T think the piano business is cry good barometer of conditions certainly q piano is about the last |