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Show BUSINESS AND TRADE. The past week has been ono of remarkably re-markably fine weather, admitting of tho opening of spring work freely and without .restriction. Accordingly, building operations havo beon pushod with a vigor nnd energy quite remarkable remark-able for the time so early in the year. The work on the two great hotels, the Ncwhouso hotel at the corner of Fourth South and Main, and the Utah- hotel on upper Main street, has been advancing ad-vancing strongly during tho week. The construction is being put up rapidly, every day marking n noteworthy' advancement. ad-vancement. ' Tho. foundation for tho Kearns skyscraper is .being rushed as fast as possible; the steel work is here and under contract. The other business busi-ness construction is also being pushed with corresponding energy, and is taking tak-ing form with a speed ver' seldom sel-dom seen. The building programme for llio year will undoubtedly eclipse the construction of any year in the history his-tory of Salt Lake. Places for residence this year, as heretofore, largely take tho form of apartments and flats, and tho fact that, theso arc all applied for beforo completed and tho old ones remaining re-maining occupied, shows the remark-ablo remark-ablo growth of the city. The real estato market shows corresponding corre-sponding strength and activity. There is a full realization .both upon tho part of the seller and the Inrycr, that it is a good thing to hold Salt Lake real estate. es-tate. Accordingly, the prices aro firmly firm-ly held; and 'ct, compared with corresponding corre-sponding property of othor cities of the importance of Salt Lake, prices of realty hero range low. Many instances arc given of enormous profits in buying real estate in Salt Lake; and ono who gets in at low figures in a location whero a sudden demand arises is fortunate; for-tunate; and theso localities prove so numerous as to offer amplo chances for the buyer. Tho general' business of the city shows a very strong increase for the wcok over that, of tho corresponding week, last yoar. This incroase for the past week was HG.O por cent, a ratio of gain which puts this city in the lead for tho week. The slock carried by the merchants is much in excess of that a year ago, both in quantity and variety. va-riety. The demand for better quality is also noticeable, and the transactions are livelier' and larger. The great del inand of tho city at the present timo ts roliof from tho excessive prices charged by tho dealers' combination, for meat, butter, eggs and other articles ar-ticles of necessarv food. It is to be hoped that some of the movements now projected will take form in this direction, direc-tion, and so .be a blcssiwr to tho people peo-ple A supply concorn strong enough to moot the domands of this city, which could break the combination, would bo the most welcome for Salt Lake of anything any-thing that could bo proffered. Tho mines of Iho State arc in good condition with a monthly average provided pro-vided for the year, probably of ;?2,o00,-000. ;?2,o00,-000. The excellence of Utah mi no management man-agement as well as the rich and con-slant con-slant supply pf ores, makes them favorites favor-ites in tho mining and financial world. Tho reduction works in this vail 03" ar equal lo tho demand on them, and by the addition of every useful nnd economical eco-nomical improvement, nrc equal to any in tho world. Tho railroad situation has been cn livunod b3 tho resuming of traffic where washouts prevailed a week ago. Reconstruction Re-construction work has been completed, and breaks havo beon repaired on the Southern Pacific and tho Western Pacific, Pa-cific, and repair work is now boiug pushed on the Salt Lake .Houtc in the Meadow Valley Wash, whore (he most destructive floods of the year occurred. The officials of tho road arc encouraged by the public demand for tho opening of their road, and aro uping all their energj- and every practical science lo advance tho day when through trains .between this city and Los Angeles will be. again in oporation. If tho present Bunii3" weather is any indication, wo are liable to havo ouo of tho earliest springs on record; but in this mountain countrj' the belief in nn oarl3' spring cannot be taken altogether on trust, and tho fruit growers will havo lo bo cautious so ns to preservo thoir trees from any sudden nipping frost. There is an abundance- of snow in the hills, and there will be no lack of irrigation water for Utah this year. The various reclamation projects aro faking on new lifo with the coining of spring, and those will form an important import-ant economic factor in this State, both this 3-car and the years to come. In tho county- at largo trade reports are irregular, as was to bo expected by reason of tho grcnl floods which have been widespread. On the whole, however, how-ever, .gain is reported, and confidence' is increased. The complaint against high prices cauBos a cortain unccrtaint3-as unccrtaint3-as to the pormanenco of the high price scales that aro now iu voguo, and conservatism con-servatism is provalent in all business and manufacturing circles. Reports from largo trado centers in ncarl ovco' place show transactions well above last year, with a bright outlook for the now season. Financial conditions condi-tions arc strengthened and a better sentiment sen-timent provaila. Uneasiness, however, is felt in some quarters on account of the labor strikes, and in particular becauso of tho big strike in Philadelphia, and the efforts to create 83'mpathotic strikes elsewhere in its aid. . Tho railroads aro active purchasers of rolling stock and new equipment, nnd it is an important development. Iron and steel construction work also aro purchased freely and the situation, is decidedly' improved. Thcro is a .better feeling in copper, and a raise of electrolytic to 13 cents is reported. Good exnorts of copper aro report od, with easy markets in England. Eng-land. Silver shows a slight gain, indicating indi-cating that those who expected tho increased in-creased tax on India imports of silver to be adjusted quickly were right. Tho report of grain in the hands of farmers made during the week by the Department of Agriculture show unusual un-usual holdings 1)3' tho farmers, and although al-though it is too early to make any definite forecast of the crops, the reports re-ports from tho winter wheat Slates in-dicato in-dicato that the- planting has wintered well. With good crops, and an abundance of money, and activity .in industry and manufacture, thcro would seem to bo a certaintv of a great and prosperous year forUhe people of the Republic. |