Evening star., 1922-02-11
BY J. c. BOYLE,


Especial Dispatch to The Star.
!: NEW YORK. February 1.-THE
sscales of business are commencing to
balance. Prices in the United States
Shave ceased to swing in unison. They
Fare neither being depressed nor In
sfiSted In various commodities. They
2are swinging both up and down and
sare being Influenced less by condi-
stions as whole than by conditions
peculiar to each separate industry
This tendency. revealed plainly by
business dispatches received within
fhe last twenty-four hours. Is taken
to indicate still further approach to
normal conditions.
1t is only when prices and costs are
swayed irresistibly upward or down.
ward, irrespective of conditions In
ch separate product that business
sAanger become imminent. Normal con-
sEhen they become abnormal or sub
normal that business as whole is In
danger. =
/; Trend of Prices.
y 1t is normal that special conditions
n individual industries should be
i3ubject to varying demand. supply
And competition. In business, one
js natural that prices should follow
the trend OF each commodity as regu-
lated by supply and demand.
Il In proof of this. the smoke goes
up the chimneys just the same-the
Factory chimneys. That is the test
Industrial plants are increasing their
output; they are hiring more men;
they are using more raw materials
I: The cotton manufacturers Of New
England are in the midst of read
auent lack of stabilization which has
Checked buying to some extent. while
ahe southern spinners are talking OF
restricting production. But the
Woolen mills are running full blast
With assurance from the largest pro-
.Season.
+ Cotton Growers ClamOr.
:. Cotton growers in the south are
Glamoring for higher prices. rain
growers, however. are finding higher
prices and with them, assisted by In
creased foreign demand, wider
market for their crops. If crops
section farmers in other sections
stand to profit by q smaller total pro-
duction.
1. Coal operators in rcertaiuzseeti
are facing the possibility Of a strike.
On the other hand, in the great nom
Union fields Of the Somerset and west
Virginia districts orders approach
Ing wartime size are being received.
the mines are being groomed for
capacity production and record ship
ments are being made.
= Automobile men are whetting their
knives in anticipation of the keenest
POSSIBLE competition and all are pre-
pairing to meet price cuts with cost
cuts. Consultations and mergers
are in prospect. Loggers and ium-
Der manufacturers are rapidly bring
ing their operations up to capacity
production. More men are being en-
gagged in all the timber districts.
i. Railroad buying of equipment and
materials is better at present than it
has been for many months. Heavy
orders are being placed in almost
every section of the country. Rates
are showing q downward tendency
and plans for heavy tourist and colo
mist travel are in course of prepara-
tion.
4 Building Preparations.
II Preparations for new building con-
Struction are almost unprecedented.
Much of this construction is. getting
under way, but. the full flood of the
renewed activity is being held in
check temporarily in anticipation of
wage readjustments. as yet uncom-
prices.
. The five-cent loaf of bread is be-
ginning to make it's appearance in
many cities after an absence of years.
Flour demand is excellent and a con-
siderable tonnage is being booked for
export. Wool buyers for the first
time since the boom days after the
war. are out on the ranges buying the
wool off the Sleeps back in response
TO demand for material to put coat
on mans back. Prices are strong
and many growers expect them to 60
higher.
The retail merchants are struggling
In the grip of seasonal dullness and
are making strenuous efforts to break
that grip by means of vigorous ad-
Sertising and bargain sales Cuts in
Oil and gasoline prices are believed
by many oil men to be merely an in