The Washington herald., 1922-02-13
NORTHWEST AREA
NOTES INDICATIONS
OF NORMAL Times
Farmers, Bankers, and
Business Men Face Fu-
ture With Confidence.
SEE BUILDING RUSH
One More Crop Necessary,
However, Before Farm Debts
Can Be Fully Liquidated.
SEE BUILDING RUSH

ST. PAUL Feb. I2.-whne IL
would be premature to suggest
that the Northwest is out of the
woods. in so far as complete set
tlement OF our postwar financial
and Sopmercial problems is con-
cernsd. ut we can see light ahead
Our farmers. bankers. and business
men all face real and serious dim
culties. but the plans they are max
ing for the future are OF such a
character as to Indicate pIainly
that the present is only a tempo
rary phase and that they expect.
in fact. to enter soon upon a new
era OF growth and achievement
which will transcend anything that
has gone before. Their confident
outlook is in reality more signin-
cant than the existing slackness of
trade and tightness of credit.
One very healthy sign is that no
element OF the population counts
upon having prosperity again hand
ed II on silver platter. as hap
pened. for example. during the
great war. Men in office and fac
tory, in mill and on the farm. are
sucking to their tasks more close
ly than for many years, and in ad-
dition they are economizing rather
notlceably both in business as
wen as in personal way. This is
true particularly among the farm
ers. whose expenditures are on an
exceedingly small scale in compari-
son with recent years. A good deal
OF this economizing is enforced, for
most agriculturists are short or
FUNDS. Yet those familiar with the
situation assert that the farmers
even of North Dakota and Montana
nave more actual money in their
possession this winter than a year
ago They simply aren't spending
II. nor. on the other hand. are they
hurrying around to the bank TO
pay OF their loans. They assume
that they will need some ready
money in the spring for seeding
operations. and they are taking no
chances on being able to get a new
loan from the bank at that time.
Building Activity Predicted.
or even greater significance. IL
possible. than the voluntary or en-
forced economizing among all
classes at the present time are the
big plans on foot for enterprises
of various kinds. Reference has
already been made in these dis
patches to the large building oper-
ations which only await the righ,
moment 10 be released. Even this
year. vita all its problems of credit
and slack trade and uncertain for
eign outlook. will witness great
building activity in the Northwest
both for residence and business
purposes.
The railroads. given half
chance. will carry on improvements
on such an extensive scale as to
prove immensely stimulating TO tine
iron and steel trade and related in
dustries. short of funds as they
are. the transportation companies
of the Northwest are letting orders
for new equipment on an encourag-
ing scale. and they really have
hardly begun to expand. as they
will as soon as some OF their main
difficulties are met.
Railway. Aid Revival.
The railways are determined to
leave no stone unturnedx in an ef-
fort to restore trade and traffic. In
the past immigration from the older
centers of population. as we'll as
from Europe. has helped to bring
prosperity to the railroads of the
Northwest and it is expected that
the principal rail systems will soon
renew efforts toward colonizing the
vast stretches OF cheap land which
still flank their lines. Publicity
plus cheap rates for homeseekers
is expected to attract many settlers
to the Northwest this year ana
next.
In these and other ways evil
dences multiply that we are on the
road back to normslcy. though no
one Is losing sight Of the fact that
another crop and possibly yet an
other must be raised before that
degree of liquidation and trade ac-
tivity will have been reached
which spells true prosperity.