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Show Consumer Income Continues Rise I ..Salle Map of Business Condition?) By L. G. ELLIOTT President, LaSalle Extension University More people are at work in factories fac-tories and are earning more money than at any time in this country's history. Incomes of consumers are steadily rising, and the larger amounts of money in circulation keep the products of Industry and agriculture moving at a more rapid rate. Retail trade In all parts of the country is from 12 to 14 per cent higher than it was last year at this time. Volume of sales is increasing In rural districts and small towns. ditions abroad change considerably these trends are likely to continue for some time. Larger domestic demand de-mand and the government farm program pro-gram will do much, to keep up farm prices even though surpluses in many products are large. Prospects for 1941 crops are good because precipitation in most parts of the country was above average during the winter. Exact estimates of the probable harvest cannot be made this early in the season, but the outlook now appears favorable. Farmers are planning to have about the same total acreage in cash and feed crops as they planted a year ago. Government payments are expected ex-pected to be about the same In 1941 as they were last year. Good crops and rising prices will probably push farm income to the highest level in many years. as well as in the larger cities. Prices of many farm products have continued to rise. Even those prices that have declined recently are, for the most part, higher than they were a year ago. Prospects are that the increased purchasing power of consumers will keep prices and cash farm income above the average of last year. Many farm products are being used in increasing volume. Production of milk and dairy products prod-ucts has made a new record and indications in-dications point toward a continued high level as long as consumer demand de-mand remains steady or increases. Farm prices of dairy products have been the highest in four years, and Income from dairying is expected to be the largest in a decade. Prices for poultry and eggs are also higher this year than they were last year. Exports of industrial products, especially es-pecially war materials, are large, while those of agricultural products continue to be small. Unless con- |