The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-13
BY J. c. ROYLE.

Consolidated Press Correspondent
New York, N. Y, May 1s.-The
volume OF retail trade all over the
country is mounting with the Their
mometer. Every bright warm day
is bringing a swarm OF customers
to the stores. Merchants have
found little difficulty in leading
prospective customers TO their
aisles and show cases but It has
been a different matter to make
them buy. Whether or not more OF
them are from Missouri, they have
to be shown not only the goods but
equally, service and a reasonable
price. Salesmanship is more nee
essary in retail merchandising than
it has been for many years.
The day has gone by when mer-
chants find it is possible or prof
liable to tell prospective custom
ers, 'that is our price-take 1t or
leave it" They leave it. The
great body of buyers still is pre-
senting an unbroken front in op-
position to price advances. Basic
commodities are up. Manufactur-
ers cannot produce goods as cheap
" as they could some months ago,
but merchants and distributors
have not been able to advance re-
tail prices correspondingly.
Overhead Is Cut.
In order to keep their heads
above water, manufacturers and
distributors all along the line have
had to cut overhead and the fact
that many are doing it successfully
is one of the most encouraging in
dications in the business outlook.
Improved methods of production,
lowering of labor costs, increased
efficiency of working forces, more
economical distribution and better
craftsmanship are some Of the
means being employed to this end.
But If these have not been effectfye
they are preparing to cut overhead
by consultations and combinations.
Mergers of commercial as well as
industrial concerns are being ser
iously considered and some of these
plans are approaching completion.
New life, or rather new money, is
coming into the foreign trade of
the United States again. For a long
time this country was in a good
deal the position of the only win
ner in a poker game who has cap
tured all the money. Either the
winner has to loan money to the
other players or the game halts
xaf &c
and trade balances now have
swung in favor OF some of the for
eign countries, so that they once
again are entering the American
markets.
Fewer JObless.
Unemployment is rapidly lessen
ing and charitable and welfare or
CARNATIONS, besieged a few months
ago by applications for assistance,
are cutting down their forces and
closing their branches as the calls
upon them grow less. 1t is esti-
mated the number of workers hunt
ing jobs has decreased one-third in
the last four months. The charts
of the power companies offer con-
elusive evidence of the increase in
industrial activity. The curve of
power consumption has been stead
lily upward and many companies are
adding equipment and building new
units to carry the load.
Building construction is proceed
ing with an increase as labor trou-
bles and wage controversies are
being settled. Lumber mills are
operating above normal capacity,
but are unable to keep deliveries
abreast of orders. Cement. glass,
paint, brick and steel plants all are
busy.
Prices for raw wool continue to
advance and many well informed
dealers predict that they will in
crease until they reach a point
when it will pay to import foreign
woods I even with their present
and prospective tariff restrictions.
Prices for wooden goods also are
expected to advance but not in pro-
portion to the jump in the raw
staple. The raw cotton advance
also has been we'll maintained but
both buyers and sellers of cotton
goods have held off to some extent.
neither being willing to make COM