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Show BUSINESS, TRADE, AND FINANCE. The seasonable dullness Is upon us in general trade. The reaction after tho very lively holiday buying, together with tho betwlxt-and-betwecn season, the winter trade having been measurably measur-ably satisfied and the spring trade not yet begun, contribute to make tho business bus-iness situation one chlefiy of routine. Clearing out sales arc the general order, or-der, so as to get rid of stock while there Is demand for It, preparatory fojr the stock that will bo -required with the coming of spring. Tho special feature of Interest hero at thl3 time has relation to tho agricultural agricul-tural and crop outlook. Wc had a good season last year, with top prices for products. But though tho scarcity of water was not felt to the degree that It had been the season before, there was still a scarcity. In order to do away with that shortage, and to euro It permanently, per-manently, the farmers of this valley arc moving to secure the Utah Lako reservoir reser-voir Improvement by the Federal Government, Gov-ernment, under the National Irrigation law. Chief Engineer Newell Is to be horc on Wednesday, to confer with tho fanners, and to receive their requests for the inauguration and carrying on of the Improvement. There Is every indication in-dication that they will meet this Government Gov-ernment representative In rue most harmonious and friendly spirit, and that the work will be undertaken and carried to a succct-aful and highly-beneficial conclusion. The Governmental examinations have shown that the project pro-ject is entirely feasible, at a moderate-cost, moderate-cost, and that the land to be benefited can well afford to repay in ton years tho cost of the work to be done. The conference with Mr. Newell Is to bo at the East Jordan schoolhouye on Wednesday. In this Issue of Tho Tribune Trib-une is a summary of this Utah Lako proposition with a statement of what has been done to date. The general outlook for the year is very cheerful for the farmer and the stock raiser. The snowfall began early, and a good foundation was laid In November No-vember for tho deposits which have since come. The mines of Utah continue their large output, and the smelters are doing do-ing excellent work In handling the ores. Tho mining Industry is the great lubricator lubri-cator of the wheels of trade and commerce, com-merce, and with an output of more than twenty million dollars last year, it was a powerful stimulant In every direction. di-rection. In this city, the week has shown lethargy leth-argy in trade, with a few deals worth mention, that have been reported as they occurred. The realty situation Is quiet, with considerable inquiry. The building operations, so conspicuous last year, bid fair to be well continued the ensuing season. In the country at large, there are manifest signs that tho financial disturbances dis-turbances are gradually being adjusted. The money market is easier, and many of the labor difiicultics are being settled. set-tled. But as to the latter, it Is noteworthy note-worthy that about as soon as one Is ad-Justed, ad-Justed, another begins. The Eastern war cloud has caused uncertainty In the markets, especially In the grain and provision trade. But there Is a decided. Improvement In the Iron and steel trade, and many furnaces are blowing in. Bradstreet reports a livening up of spring trade, with a large volume of clearances by the retailers; the industrial indus-trial situation Is Improved, particularly In Iron and aleel mill resumptions and putting more coke furnaces into operation. opera-tion. Little or no friction attend the numerous wage reductions, and an active ac-tive spring trade Is looked for. "While war talk and weather conditions condi-tions have operated to raise prices of food products, the unquestionable improvement im-provement In the tone of trade Is the mainspring of the upward 6Wlng In prlcea of Iron and steel." Failures are much more than normal. Dun reports an Irregular situation, but that reports of ' improvement in business outnumber the unfavorable dispatches. As the money market eases, postponed work Is more likely to be resumed. "Only fair reports are received regarding the leading lead-ing manufacturing lines. Many Iron and steel plants have resumed, re-sumed, but the prevailing curtailment curtail-ment is very severe. Textile fabrics are as badly unsettled as ever, lower prices for new lines of woolens proving a 'disagreeable surprise to many small operators, and speculation in cotton rendering forward contracts for goods an impossibility. Distribution of merchandise mer-chandise Increases with more normal weather, and clearing-houses report liberal lib-eral orders for spring goods from salesmen sales-men at the West and South." In the demand for Iron and steel products there has so far been but moderate Improvement, Im-provement, though this resumption by Idle plants has attained encouraging proportions. Tho International Mercantile agency reports the improved demand for pig Iron, wire nails, and steel products aa the event of the week, with brisk orders for goods from the West and Southwest. South-west. The bank clearances of the week, compared with the corresponding week last year, show a decrease of 27.8 per cent in New York, and an increase of six-tenths of one per cent in the cltlc3 outside of Now York. Tho weekly otatcment of the New York banks, Issued Is-sued yesterday, hIiowb very great ln-croaso ln-croaso In deposits. In specie, In reserve, In reserve required, In surplus, and In United States deposits; but tho largo Increase in loans, though only about half the amount of tho" increase In deposits, de-posits, destroyed tho effect on the street of the generally remarkably fa-vorablo fa-vorablo statement. It Is a time generally of waiting; tho stock-taking and business settlements of tho old year are mostly completed, and there la a. period of consideration and planning for the trade and operations opera-tions of the new year. That this can be undertaken with such a favorable outlook, and with the reasonable assurance assu-rance that tho business community has recovered from Its recent excesses and will engago in no more for a. while, Is the most encouraging thing that can bo said. |