The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-23
KANSAS CITY.


has brought rejoicing to the wheat
belt, especially Kansas, where a
downpour early this week broke
the longest winter drought on rec
ord. In many sections high winds
have been blowing the dry un-
packed soil away with it the wheat.
The rain has stopped this and saved
millions of acres that were on the
verge of ruin.
Business generally in this sec
ton is marking time. The winter
sales have ended and the spring
business has not yet opened up,
but with the wheat outlook i'm
proved, an optimistic feeling pre-
walls among both wholesalers and
retailers.
Kansas oil refiners are protest
ing against present freight rates
which they assert discriminate in
favor of Wyoming products in the
Colorado markets and appeals have
been made from Wichita to the in
terstate commerce commission.
The oil industry is facing a long
period of prosperity according to a
statement today by Frank W.
Frueauff, vice president of the
Cities Service company, which with
its subsidiaries is one of the large
independent producers of the Mid
Continent field. He said he looked
for no decline in prices this spring
as the indications pointed to a
constantly increasing demand for
refined products.
SEATTLE.
Seattle, Feb. 23.-Lumber again
is moving freely from the Pacific
Northwest to the Orient. The
| orders from Japan fell off slightly
last month but FOR the week which
ended Feb. Is, tidewater mills in
this section booked orders for more
than 12,000, 900 feet for export
Thirty-four per cent of the new
business reported by the west coast
lumber mems association is for de-
livery by water. The total water
shipment will aggregate $4,000, ,00C
feet of which 100000 feet will
| move in coastal and intercoastal
! lanes. New rail orders amounted
to 800 cars.
Five buyers, from the largest de-
partment stores in this state left
for Europe today TO buy mems fur
| nishings, golf suits, house furnish
ingS, toys, leather goods, toilet ar
ticles, marble, brica brac, jewelry
china and glassware This is re-
garded as a fine indication of trade
betterment as Northwestern Pacific
stores have done little with for
teign goods since the armistice
Stocks of merchandise in this
section have been reduced near the
vanishing point on imported ar
ticles. General stocks of domestic
lines are about II per cent less
than were on the shelves a year
ago. The wholesale grocery trade
is active in all lines with condi-
tions reported good Bank clear
ings indicate a gradual upturn in
this territory.
CLEVELAND.
Cleveland. Ohio, Feb. 23.-Im-
provement in the rubber and steel
industries is apparent in this ter
Akron, the hub of the rubber in
uuStIy, luQlCdJSS ILdL SISdug III
crease in production has taken
place. The output now has reached
point equal to the peak of last
years production.
Steel ingot production in the
Mahoning Valley mills has increas-
ed slightly and now is running
between fifty and fifty-five per cent
of capacity. Prices generally are
firm but there has been some shad-
ing in bars and shapes with orders
closed at 1.30 cents Pittsburgh base
One OF Cleveland's automobile fac
tories has reached capacity pro-
duction, another reports business
fully equal to that of year ago
while two others report that orders
are increasing rapidly and already
are far ahead of those for a SINH
lar period of 1921 Still another
company is contemplating an in
crease in price early in March.
The Ohio Public Utilities commits
sion reports that there was an in
crease of 1.9S per cent in the cleo
trio power used in Cleveland IL
January, compared with the cor