Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1940-01-04

1889. l do not foresee any big
gains in butter, cheese, eggs, milk,
poultry or fruits. Cotton exports
are rising sharply and demand is
tremendous. This indicates that
King Cotton is getting a new lease
en- life. Consequently, farm in
come ought to be 10 per cent high
er than in the same months last
year.
The drought in the West is a
very serious factor. The moisture
situation is the worst on record at
this season. If it gets no drier,
however, it could easily lift, rather
than lower, total farm income.
Barring a continuation of the
drought, total production on all
farms in 1910 may be close to the
1889 figure. The increase in prices
will not be all gravy for the farm
ers, however. Their costs will go
up, though perhaps not so much as
their prices. With farm profits a
bit better, farm land values should
continue to edge up a little.
In addition to higher farm
prices, industrial raw materials
should also push upward in early
1910. War, high industrial activity
and rising buying power will put
the 'oomph" in the price picture.
Hides, cocoa, gasoline and paint
materials can have the sharpest
boosts. Increases in wool, rayon,
sugar, steel, lumber and non-fer-
rous metals are a good bet assum-
ing business activity holds up.
Coffee, hard coal, cement and glass
will do we'll to hold their own. One
I'of the interesting points about this
current boom is the remarkable
stability of prices of all kinds.
This desire to keep the lid on
prices is good news for consumers.
Their living expenses are not 60
ing to change much in early 1910.
Food is the only hot spot. 1 will
be surprised, however, if your
weekly market bill next June is
more than five per cent higher than
it is now. Clothing will not ad-
vance more than five per cent.
There is no reason to forecast seri-
Gus advances in fuel, coal or rents
for the first half of 1910. Rising
lumber and labor costs will make
furniture a little more expensive.
The sum total of all this means
that living expenses should stiffen
by only two or three per cent dur
ing the first six months of 1910.
Brisk Gains In Trade
With only modest step-up in
living expenses and an increase in
consumer "intake", retail trade will
be better. A gain of eight per
cent sounds about right to me, if
the increase is measured in dollars.
Only about four per cent more
goods will be sold, however, = the
other four per cent being accounted
fol by mark-ups on price tags.
Luxury and semi-luxury lines
should register the biggest step-up
il sales if this past three months
is any barometer.
Store profits ought to be salts
factory with inventories in fairly
good shape. The successful merch-
ants will be those who take advant-
age of the big opportunities of
early 1910 by initiating their adver-
Using budgets. Promotion out
lays should be upped at least Is
per cent. These statesmen who
have been faithfully doing their
missionary work the last two years
will cash in with the biggest COM
mission checks since 1929!
Another key industry which
should see big things in the next
six months is construction. Build
ing commissioners will be busy
okaying 10 to Is per cent more
contracts than in the same period
of 1889. Public building will be
shaken down about 10 per cent;
but this drop will be more than off
set by big jumps in industrial and
residential contracts. With factor
les straining every nerve to meet
delivery dates, industrial building
plans, shelved since 1887, are be-
ing trotted out. This type of con-
struction should chalk up 40 per
cent gain over early 1889.
FILA 'tinstallment" loans arc
ready to give home building an
other shot in the arm. Costs may
inch up, but they are not scheduled
for any sharp advances So it
looks like busy period ahead fol
building workers, contractors
architects and the 26 allied indus
tries which supply the building
trades. Real estate men special