The Washington times., 1924-03-22
TRADE REVIEWS
SHOW 'SPOTTY
CONDITION
Spring Weather Awaited as
Furnishing Guide to Buying
in Apparel Trades.
BY CosmopOlitan News Service.

NEW YORK, March 22-Brad.
streets weekly Review Of Bust.
ness" said today:
TRADE and industry are still
spotty in a high degree, with re.
ports still bearing their former full
burden Of complaints as to slow
opening Of spring trade, piecemeal
buying, bad weather, bad roads and
bad politics. Trading is cautious at
best, and the wide variations in
active as between different indus
tries and parts Of Industries still
serve to render generalization diff.
cult.
WARN, spring.like weather is still
anxiously awaited as furnishing a
guide to the real proportions Of
buying in the apparel trades, and
as to the claims in some quarters
Of overproduction Of staple lines Of
textiles.
Among the industries, building Is
expanding where weather permits,
and the steel and automobile indus
tries Of the West still lead in &C.
tivity. There Is, however, rather
more talk of ease in prices of steel
and Of pig iron, with eastern cen.
ters sending least buoyant reports.
The apparel and footwear trades
still Send the least satisfactory re.
ports. That a great year in build.
ing impends seems evident from the
enormous value permitted for in
February.
There are a few reports Of un.
employment, these dealing especially
with the coal mining industry, but
other centers, especially automobile
centers, speak Of increasing demand
for skilled and unskilled labor. The
notable easing Of money and the
strength Of the bond market are
considered evidences that trade
operations are not taking up the
slack in the money supply to the
extent expected. Foreign trade
seems rather slow to expand, but
the situation in Europe seems to
have elements of hopefulness not
witnessed for some years past.
Lack Of foreign demand is especially
noticeable in the grain markets,
wheat dropping to close to the low
of the season.
Massachusetts shoe centers still
report the outlook for shoe manufac.
turing uncertain.
Detroit reports automobile output
about a third larger than a year ago
to date and big year in auto
truck manufacturing is looked for,
with prices tending higher. Some
auto manufacturers, however, are
reported aiming at smaller output
in the second quarter than in the
first
Dunn'S Review
Dunn's weekly review Of business
said today:
The action Of prices in different
quarters shows that the general
buying policy has not changed.
Lacking the stimulus of vigorous
demand, various markets are easing
and there Is wider excess Of de.
clines in wholesale quotations. The
current trend not only reflects the
continued Discrimination Of many
interests to extend purchases beyond
immediate or nearby needs, but it
also indicates that more sellers are
making concessions in an effort to
get new orders. Competition is
sharper in several directions, includ.
ing some branches of steel manu-.
facture.
More Is now heard of the res.
trictive effect Of political uncertain
ties on business generally. A num-
Der OF favorable features mark the
situation, yet the high rate of steel
output, the activity in the building
industry, the record carloadings and
the large bank clearings do not
obscure the fact that there is hest.
tation and that commitments are be-
ing made with caution. Progress
has come in different channels this
year. but there has been much ir.
regularity and advance spring de-
mands have not developed the
breadth that was hoped for, AS
nothing suggests an early reversal
Of buyers attitude. the present un.
even commercial movement seems
likely to continue"