The Washington times., 1922-12-30
TRADE BETTER,
.SAYSDUN'S
: REVIEW
Business Enters New Year in
Stronger Position, Following
Substantial Recovery.

With hardly an exception, COM
mercial reports are Of an increasing
favorable tenor and business will
enter upon the new year in strong
position. says Dun's weekly review
Of trade reports. 1t adds:
annual reviews stress the sub
stantial recovery from previous de-
preston that has occurred in most
markets, and the results Of 1922, in
various respects, were better than
had been generally anticipated. De-
spite the contraction In export
trade, the point has been reached in
different basic industries where pro-
duction is at a high level, while
orders already booked insure active
operations for some time ahead.
Even at this holiday season,
which traditionally Is a quiet period.
new demand has been Of sizable di-
mensions in certain important in.
stances, and shut downs at mills
and factories have been Of much
shorter duration than usual. Exist
Ing conditions in iron and steel af-
ford convincing evidence Of the de-
revival. and more frequent reports
are heard of a shortage of workers
In that quarter and in some other
branches Of manufacture. With the
fuller employment Of available labor,
the public purchasing capacity nat.
urally has been appreciably aug.
mented and this phase, found re-
Election In the heavy Christmas
turnover.
The improved situation in agri-
cultural communities that has re-
suited from the sharp rise in prices
or leading farm staples Is entering
more largely into calculations of
future buying power. but there is
still noticeable resistance to high
er prices In retail channels. In some
cases the advanced wholesale prices
have not yet been passed on to the
counters, and II cannot now be
clearly foreseen to what extent the
prospective revisions will affect
consumption.
Generally quiet and somewhat
easy conditions prevailed in the
wholesale commodity markets this
week, price changes in the 33S quo.
tations received by Dun's Review
numbering only sixty.three Of
which thirty-eight were advances
and twenty-five declines. In last
weeks compilation thirty-nine gains
were recorded. as against twenty
four recessions. while in similar
comparison for the corresponding
week year ago fifty-nine increases
contrasted with thirtv-one losses.
Considerable irregularity pre-.
vailed In the grain markets, wheat
showing a moderate gain on active
short covering. while corn and oats
developed weakness on speculativ'
liquidation. Live meats, eSpec'all''
beef and hogs, were strong. mainly
rejecting some falling off in mar.
ketings, while provisions improved
In response to the upward tendency
OF raw material Dairy proHlo..,
experienced considerable curtail.
ment in demand, causing so"l
recessions in butter and very sharp
declines in eggs.
Although firmer feeling an.
pears to be developing in pig iron.
advances and declines arc h,inr
registered in the various forms Of
iron and steel, and the general
price situation remains uncertain,
very strong conditions continue m
rule In he cotton goods markets.
Tor which the high cost Of the raw.
material Is mainly responsible.
trading In leather and hides is
quiet. and. though no material
changes in prices have been made.
underlying sentiment Is hardly so
tTm as 1t was a week or two ago"