| Show I titll H TRADEiEYLE Duns Agency Reports General Im t provemeut In Conditions 4 j AWANCE OP INDUSTRIES GENERAL TRADE SHOWS A JUG JJ1 mctEASE LocnJ Jobb r Now Have Control of the Field In Some LinesGnod 1lecord as to FailuresLiabillties t Less Than During Any Year Since 1892 fl I + f The fo11ov1ng cvIew oC Utah busl f ncss c ndltlons has been prepared by George Osmond managerof the mer r cantlie agency of R G Dun Co The definite knowledge of results fon the year muSt await final accountin F hut the conditions prevallln present the fulfillment ot a highly prospero year although the increase In Dusi r ness IS not so marked when compared with the preceding year While excep 1 i tional individual instances show occasional occa-sional heavy galn3 in the volume of trade the average indicates a healthy legitimate Improvement fully as large as could be expected for a year succeeding suc-ceeding a period that marked a commercial com-mercial epoch in the state The revival among representative mercantile shares of stock from halting values to a position of stable strength offers the strongest testimony to established con 1 1ldence The banks with few exceptions excep-tions have paid dividends throughout the year and have had a satisfactory although not brilliant business Large 4 balances have been carried but the 1 commercIal demand for money has not i been as large a < anticipated and call t loans are not in vogue locallY An Improvement however has manifested itself during the latter part of the year and savings institutions have been en j abled to keop their money at Interest although compelled to meet cut rates Commercial stocks throughout the state have paid average dividends of 8 per rent without material diminution of surplus Large deposits are to some extent accounted for by heavy mining I sales increased and acc1jp1ulated dlI e dends both mining ana commercial and the centralIzation of vested inter < sts into this city In these particularn I the year has been unusual while the fact that transactions in shares have trebled in volume is entitled to due consideration Industrial Interests The Industrial interests of the state have received an impetus that places experimental investments upon an established I es-tablished basis as strong and permanent perma-nent supports of the commercial fabric Experience has benefited the canners i of fruits tomatoes etc whose inabll ity to secure cans at a critical period reduced the output about 25 per cent nevertheless the pack was increased fully 30 per cent as against the previous pre-vious year amounting to 115000 cases for 1899 Plants for the manufacture or cans are being established and two other extensive canneries are being promoted which will probably result in the output belrob doubled Another industry that Is closely allied al-lied to the producer consists In creamer cream-er products butter and cheese and bas built up rapidly about twelve new creameries representing an investment of 50000 have been constructed in thQ state Thus far the supply of thee products has not always equaled tho demand Prices have ruled higher than for several ears and the business has gained 25 per cent this year The manufacture of refined sugar continues to grow apace and is being 2dded 10 by the erection of auxiliary plants The output fot the year ha been 2COOOOOO pounds With a prospect of doubling It in the near future prices have ruled unusually stead and wIthout any disturbing influences The local maflufactories of shoes have operated to full capacity and show an increase of 30 per cent with large orders In hand for the coming I yeir The output of woolen mills has increased in-creased fully 13 per cent running overtime I over-time steadily The product ot local raw materials finds a market not only in Utah but in adjoining states with the exception of flour the consumption of I which is chiefly local Several trial shipments have been made to China but the returns have not been encouraging I encour-aging However for the past seen months a fair margin on IDeal sales has been established and altogether I the volume or business has been fully satisfactory as in 1898 although this conmodity for the first half of the year was subject to I fluctuations in price which at times ranged below the cost of roductlon General Trade General trade in groceries hardware house furnishings notions etc etc has been cause for congratulation In some lines a point has practically arl rived where the local jobbers control the field and in groceries it is estimated esti-mated that the wholesale trade of the state will approximate 5000000 for tho year Different houses claim a vary lug percentage of increase in gross sales but a safe average is believed to be from 20 to 25 per cent The agricultural i agri-cultural implement trade of the intermountain inter-mountain region is controlled from this city and has been generally satISl factory In view of the fact that 189S was remarkable 1YJr its Increase an average gain ot only about 15 per cent is noted over last year but collections are hardly in proportion to the sales The partial failure of the grain crop coupled with low prices and poor quality qual-ity forces the carrying over of much paper The lumber trade has been very healthy with an average increase of 20 per cent The only drawback has been the delay in filling orders as mills have been from sixty to ninety days behind since August Short Crops I WJ1l1e commercial and manufacturing affairs hare evIdenxEd a steady and moderate growth indicating genuine I improvement the YrJcultural interests I have not beCn atagether free from unfavorable un-favorable features the wheat crop is I reportro to be only 60 per cent ot the harvest ot 1 S1S the Shortag being caused by drought and unseasonable cold with resulting impairment of quality The fruit crop was la16e1y destroyed in some sections with consequent con-SeQuent distress In seeds the crop this year has not beets as heivy as usual but tIle advanced prices have been obtained und the net proceeds are larger The fOreign shipment of seeds has fallen off on account of the heavy domestic demand and high prices Probably 100 cars of seeds have been shipped ot which German formerly a liberal buyer has received but a fmv i cars i The activity in the sheep interest cbtitinues but the business fso said to be steadily centering into the control of the larger operators The supply a Jambs for the market has been in sufficiem and t is said that ewes are frecIy5hipped with n resulting decline in the increase Prices of wool rule much higher than any period sine 1892 and altogether the industIT np pears to have reached the summit oft of-t prosperit The recordfor the yinr fn some par tlculars basbeen retna1able anti 2 many tae tHItl10riUes entertain san guiDO vIews orth future Others more Conscn3tie think that it would do more harm than good to exaggerate ii i the baprovemeat and regardwith some i > alarm bounding markets with prices ot J coa tan upward tendency and jZ I premtse Increase of xallWay tariffs ThWnl theend or the year the tU1om ah pf5havy bank balaxasand sow collections is seen with a local strtn gency lit some sections that may be only temporary or otherwise iIowever the buslne for the put year or two justifies confidence in a cOntinuation of existing cOn itions especially when considered in connection witit the natural nat-ural resources of this section and the industrial development inaugurated by the conversion or formerly unprofitable raw material into marketable commodities commod-ities or widespread use Failures The foflowing authentic record or the failures in Utah The niqt reliable extant ex-tant furnishes by meana of comparison compari-son an instructive COIlmentary upon I the memntlle history of theyear The fret that liabilities aggregate less than for any year since 1892 shows that the year has been decidedly nrorefaorabl as a email excess in number ot the fall ures represented by iI19isnit1cant defaults de-faults LJ unimportant aso compared with therelatlve liabilities of the years The proportion of the failures are indicated by the following details and tables viz 2 failures with UablllUes between 5OOO and roooo 2 failures With llabiiities between 15000 and 25000 3 failures with liabilitIes between 10ond 15000 8 failures with ilablllUes between Ji < J and 10000 I iS failures with liabilities between 2000 and 5000 Z5 failureS with liabilities between 1000 and 2000 7S rallures with IIabllitieS ot less than 1000 The following table prepared It G Dun Co furnishes a comparison oC the failures for the past elghtears Quarter Assets Liabilities lb i e First 4 SSOO 1C40 Z1 Second 5570J 118500 31 Third 4t0 146W 25 Fourth 131300 1 238311 25 Total 33OGOO 5 218011 iii 1S93 First 316t9 39S3t5 40 Second 232125 31S71O 50 Third 1145443 111297 < 61 Fourth 206550 20203 48 Total 100737 l2S5St 199 1894 First 23tm 257125 58 Second 231435 Wl SS Third 7317 486til6 76 Fourth 2US2i 39765l 51 Total 553902 1750900 iG 1193 First 119GOO 211136 47 Second 93520 184450 4S Third 2S6l0 58100 37 Fourth 1393 258189 39 Total 38313 1l2li5 111 IS9 First 5t70 12250 42 Second 163325 482442 58 Third 16t3S 3 l2S 41 Fourth 4685 93014 32 Total 450250 1009949 181 1S97 First 326250 612158 59 S con1 i7lo Mh 31 Third 86175 16S6 41 Fourth 47000 96451 31 Total 114475 9S6919 162 1595 First 118812 OI8G 46 Second27475 61477 32 Third It310 25173 28 Fourth 29100 65706 21 Total 189691 468152 11 1599 First 59162 131126 46 Second 30252 3563 > 35 Third 20525 54555 1 44 Fourth 21590 59750 21 Total 1439 = Ire 149 |
