Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-08-04
MECHANTS BOOK
MANY NEW ORDERS
Good Business Ahead Unless
Some Are Cancelled.
Trend in Trade World.
BY j. G. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, August 4.-Years ago a
political campaigner in a western
state defined an honest man as one
who would stay bought Today
Wholesalers and manufacturers define
a good customer as one who will stay
sold. The makers and merchants
have booked a most satisfactory vol
ume of orders in the last fortnight.
Last year they were perturbed about
whether the railroads could carry
their goods to customers This year
some of them worry about whether
che transportation companies will be
asked TO carry them back to the
shippers.
The volume of dry goods and cloth
Ing ordered the last few days has
been fully up to expectations. Stocks
of retailers are known to be low. and
their buying has been so conservative
that the majority of wholesalers and
producers believe cancellation will
be small
Wooden Men Encouraged.
The buying response to lightweight
rlces Of the American Wooden Com
Iany has served to encourage other
Nooien manufacturers and the trad
ng in raw wool has taken a slight
brace, although buying has not been
sufficient to lift prices.
Curtailment of operations by. cot
ton goods manufacturers continues
% be the outstanding feature of the
textile situation. The largest New
england mills are running four days
A week and in New Bedford and Fall
RIVER Drndncfinn laG
cent of capacity. Southern mills
have begun to be affected to a lesser
degree. Half million spindles may
be idle during August.
Cotton Goods Sales Drop.
Sales of cotton goods have declined
Bedford district of about 100000
pieces a week as compafed with the
,irst of this year The late advance
IN f cot o3ion st c1nth ha
There seems TO be d general feel
ing among silk dealers and maui
iucturers that prices iroJapan have
reached bottom and the local raw
of the week
In this district" according TO Will
lam a. Law, chairman of the board
Of the First National Bank of Phila
lelphia, there has been lull in new
ouying. and activity in textile lines
has been materially reduced. This
does not mean, however. that business
is bad or that the people of this COM
munity are taking gloomy view of
tie situation"
Corn Crop Tremendous Help.
Farm communities more optimistic.
Business men generally are beginning
TO believe that perhaps too great en-
phasis has been laid on the effect of
the present wheat prices on business
as whole. The corn crop gives in
location of splendid returns. and other
agricultural products are bringing
ready cash to the farmers.
The coal markets are showing some
Improvement. The householders of
the north and east are laying in sup
plies in preparation for a possible
strike in the anthracite fields. but
there are still heavy offerings of spot
bituminous coal at cut prices. There
is no question that the bituminous
operators. without opening another
mine. could turn out enough coal to
supply the country indefinitely.
1t Is estimated that they have a sur
plus of 200, 900 men on their pay rolls.
considering present demand. and many
mines, therefore, are working three
days or less a week.