Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-24
BY BYRON SELLER
fspectai Correspondent Of The TribuneI
IHanurinnf 1909 Nv Ernat Ea1la ItrihIinal

E 4SpEflAl OtfTeSpUH1tzlL vi ~ AiU0bu 1919
tcopyricht. Ia22. BY Great Falls 1rtbune)
New York, Dec. 23.-In accord with
the holiday spirit a moreGheerful feel
ing peryades the financial and COM
mercial world at present. F~undament-
al conditions remain about the same,
but faith is stronger and faith is the
! basis Of all credit. All the week there
were confusing and contradictory re-
| ports about what was to be done to
save Europe. First a loan was to be
made to Germany. That was denied.
Mr.. Lamont explained that under the
i conditions. American investors would
| not buy German securities. Then
America was to act as referee in the
| reparations dispute. This too, Sec
rotary Hughes denied. Finally, SEN
ator Borah, long chief Of the isolation
lists, proposed that the President In
! vite the nations of the world to a
| conference to considers the economic
problems and 10 arrive at a conclusion
| that would restore international trade.
This proposal remains to be settled,
| but out Of all the talk, confidence
grows that someway, somehow, some
| thing will be done toward removing
| the one great obstacle which stands in
the way Of continuing world wide pros
perity.
Aid for Farmers
Washington is busy with many
schemes to aid the farmer. The dog
| tors are not agreed as to remedy, but
all are sure f8at some sort of treat
ment is required. Some of the con-
| gressional agriculturists insist that
the farmers need more credit. Others
say they must have lower railroad
rates. Meanwhile, there is a slow but
| steady improvement in the prices OF
farm products. World wide require
ments are said to be larger than was
expected earlier in the season. Italy.
Germany and France must import
bread grains. And nothing removes
pessimism faster than rising prices for
the commodities the pessimist has to
sell. So even about the agricultural
situation. more hopeful views are ex-
pressed.
There remains the problem of the
railroads. In the middle west rau ex-
ecutives are apologizing for lack of
cars to carry grain; in the east they
are apologizing for lack Of locomotives
to pull coal trains. In the west the
| trouble is ascribed to TOO much gov
eminent regulations depressing the
credit of the railroads and so hamper
ing their supplying themselves with
adequate equipment: In the east the
trouble is due to the cumulative eff
~fectiye of the shopmen's strike. al
though this is not SO readily admitted.
It becomes more and more evident ey-
cry day nevertheless that this strike
was far more serious than the general
public even understood. Also there
are continued ~rumblings from Wash
ington as to what the next congress
win do to the transportation act. But
against all this traffic is >evidenced by
car Ioadings, practically of merchandise
keeps remarkably well for this time of
year. November earnings reports, now
beginning to appear, are expected to
/ make more pleasant reading than did
those of October. The Southern Pa
cifie statement is an example. And so
even about the railroads are silver lin
ings to the clouds.
Stocks Affected
The stock market has been more
ready to sense this improvement than
the bond market. Spectators are more
easily moved by the feelings than in