The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1922-12-21
NORTHWEST BUS|-
NESS OUTLOOK IS
VERY PROMISING

By ROBERT E. SMITH. President
~Lumbermens Trust Co, Portland,
In an effort to gauge actual local
business conditions, our bank this
week made a fairly thorough canvass
of business men of Portland. Men
in many lines Of business, including
hardware, groceries, shoes, books and
stationery, jewelry, implements, auto
mobiles and department stores were
interviewed, as were also railroad
and street railway officials, managers
of the electric light and gas com-
panies, and a number of leading
bankers. The general conclusion
drawn from their reports is that
business is very satisfactory. AL
most every line reported an increase
over the business of last year, and
almost all are looking forward to at
least the beginning Of 1928 with hope,
if not with entire confidence.
The head of a large department
store reported the holiday trade as
opening up very well indeed. He
said that his business throughout
the store had shown a nice gain over
that of last year.
A Prominent jeweler reported that
if his sales continued to hold up
through December as they had start
ed, he would do 100 per cent more
business this month than he did in
December of last year, Business all
around with him has been the best
during the year just closing that it
has been for many a year.
A large book and stationery firm
reported about a fifteen per cent in
crease in its this years business over
that of last year. The wholesale end
of this business is better than it has
been for two years past, due to the
replenishment Of lowered stocks.
Collections are fair.
A wholesale grocer said that he
had had a very good fall trade indeed,
but that it had slackened as it always
does at this season of the year..
Hardware dealers are finding their
trade very good indeed for this time
of year. Ii fact, one dealer said that
compared with previous years his firm
is doing an excellent business and he
finds prospects bright for the first
six months of next year.
The manager of a large shoe store
finds business going along in a very
satisfactory manner, though buying
is still being done on a small scale.
He is anticipating a good increase in
the spring trade, but there still seems
to be a tendency to hold back, he says,
to see what is going to happen. The
eastern market shows a tendency to
advance prices.
In the implement line, business is
exceedingly dull. 1t is always quiet
at this season, but the financial con-
dition Of the farmers this year makes
the buying OF implements almost
impossible. Automobiles are having
a seasonal spell of quiet just now,
but throughout the year the business
has been excellent.
In the packing plants, business has
shown an increase over that of last
year. Cattle prices to the farmers are
Just about the same as last year, but
hogs are 25 per cent higher and sheep
and lambs are from rs to 30 per cent
higher. The outlook for the farmer
seems to be more hopeful than it was
a year ago.
The street railway company shows
an increase in traffic over last year,
and its business has been uniformly
good. All the public utility companies
report business as excellent. Many
new installations have been and are
still being made, and former consum-
ers are increasing their consumption
steadily.
The railroads, too, both from