The Washington times., 1923-10-26
BUS|NESSNEN|N
WEST ON UP
GRADE
Forbes Finds Conditions En-
couraging With No Danger
Of Setback.
By B. G. FORBES.

CHICAGO, Oct. 25.-How do the
majority of Chicago's leading busi-
ness men and bankers feel?.
Fundamental conditions are en-
couraging and there seems little
danger of any serious decline this
winter"
That, concluding sentence in a
statement i received from Louis
F.; Swift sums UP fairly accurately
the prevailing opinion in this
great city, with its signs, at every
turn. of vigorous growth.
Louis Swift, by the way, is one
instance Of a rich mans son who
chose life OF llnremitting IN.
dustry in preference to a life d
costly, unproductive ease and ex-
travagance. Gustavus Swift, found
er OF this mammoth enterprise,
which knows what it is to do
1000, OO0,000 worth of business q
year, had six sons, and it Is O
rather remarkable fact that prac-
tically all OF them. put their shout
der to the wheel to make the
family business go and grow.
"I returned from Europe not
long ago, and believe" he said,
that, If the Ruhr conditions could
be adjusted properly the Cont
nent soon would he on a normal
basis and general conditions in
Europe would be on their way
to being cleared up. This, I think,
should go far toward improving
conditions in the United States.
Our agricultural Situation is show
ing Improvement; labor is well Gm-
ployed; stocks Of goods are nct
excessive; the money market is
fairly easy; and all business ac-
rivity seems to be moving along
careful lines"
The recently elected president OF
Armour and Company, find, is
making very favorable impression.
F. Edison White came up through
the ranks without a flying parental
start. He gave UP q good packing
job out West TO break into the
packing metropolis at half as much
salary. Now he is-or ought to be
one OF the higheEt-paid executives
in America, for he is running on
of the nations very largest enter.
prises, and one calling for constant
exercise Of quick judgment. You
may have noticed in the news
papers this week that Armour and
Company are to sell stock to their
workers on easy terms. That gives
a clue to the kind OF man Edison
White is.
1.-THE real condition Of the worlds
business" said Mr.. White, sis not
generally ecognized-proba be-
cause we are too prone to view il
in comparison with what We iondly
call normally We are q long
way from the conditions which pre-
vailed before the war, but certainly
we are not q long way from pros
perity. What does it matter IL we
never get back to prewar condi-
tons? The important thing is to
have the country prosperous"
How do things stack up now?
In the first place, we have been
blessed with good crops, the basis
of national wealth. Corn-the
biggest single wealth producer in
the country-recently went above
the dollar mark for the first
time In several years. Cotton is
going to the gins at record prices.
There has been a cash market
every day for the largest num-
by producers and while prices
were not as high as some would
have liked, they meant profits
for the producers in most cases.
Too much emphasis, from a
national viewpoint, has been
placed upon the woes OF the
wheat farmers. Since their plight
has turned many of them to
diversified farming, the situation
has not been without q good
result.
Agricultural affairs. on the
whole, are in pretty good condi-
ton considering the postwar
deflation. The records of the
country banks, and the big bust
ness being done by mail order
houses show, beyond doubt, that
the agricultural interests are
better off than some of their
professional and proverbially pes.
simistic friends would have hs
believe.
Labor is well employed in the
Industrial centerS at wages which
represent the great spread in our
history over the cost of a bare
living. AS a result, factories of
all sorts and descriptions are
busy. The record breaking rail-
road traffic proves this.
The meat industry, dependable
barometer of general business
conditions, has been very good
this year. We have handled the
unprecedented shipments coming
to market and the consuming pub
lie has absorbed them so freely
as to prevent undue accumula-
tions. In fact, in many lines the
: accumulations are subnornal.