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Show EUSINESS AND TRADE. Tho milder went her of tlio-wcek .just pnst has afforded better opportunities for communication and transportation. The farmers can cotno in moro freely and business is dn a moro easy basis. The bank clearances of this city show a gain of 15 per cent, tho week just past, over the. corresponding week last year, and that week in turif showed n remarkable gain over tho clearances of the week of tho year before. Every indication is that, the astonishing aston-ishing building activity of last year will be. repeated again tho coming season. Work is being nctivoly prosecuted on tho Utah holel at tho head of Main street, on the Nowhousc hotel on iMaiu and Fourth South, and tin? foundation is being put in for the big Kcnrns skyscraper sky-scraper on the west sido of Main between be-tween First and Second South. Other building activity is also much' in evidence, evi-dence, and everything- iudicntes a record re-cord building year. -The real estate market is strong and firm. Thcro is much inquiry for realty, and tho owners, appreciating tho value of what they have, exact fa.ir-prices for it. At thp same time, tho prices of Salt Lake aro astonishiilgly low as compared with realty in other cities of Salt Lake s grade. All of the traders report good business, busi-ness, although thcro has boon a seasonable season-able lull since tho big holiday trade. That trado was remarkable for its volume vol-ume and tho wide and big demand in ovory direction. Sales 'are greater than ever before aud moro .Varied in character. char-acter. This by reason of the largo accessions ac-cessions to our population during the past, two. years, accessions which aro full' proven by tho fact that although hundreds hun-dreds of jiew residences havo boon put up, very nxtonsivo nnd commodious, all aro taken immediately upon completion and tho older houses still remain full. Tho mining situation is excellent. The ore bodies aro well blocked out in the mines, and the ore reserves aro in such shape as to bo dependable for months to come. Tho ore-reducing facilities in tho vallc) arc very extensive and those at Garfield add tremendously to the ability of this region to handle all ores offered. " ' Tho railroad situation is-an interesting interest-ing ono, with abundant promise for the presont year. The Moffat road is assured as-sured of activo building, with the promise prom-ise of tho beginning of tho harder work in the Utah part of the line. This tra'ck when completed will be tho shortest short-est botwocn Salt Lake and Denver. Tho Western Pacific, although full- complct ed, is still a little delayed in putting on regular train service. It is being equipped, however, with rolling stock ns rapidly as possible, and the installation installa-tion of regular freight and passenger sorvico will not be delayod any longer than is absolutely necessary. Tho washout wash-out on tho Snlt Lako .Routo is being promptly taken caro of by the authorities authori-ties of that road. Tho search for the best route to avoid that down the Meadow Valley wash is now being mado with energy. Thero is a strong influence influ-ence in favor of building down by St. Georgo, but a perhaps stronger ono is active in favor of tho route through near Pioche. The decision- as between these routes will probably not be long delayed, but it will tnko some months before through traffic between this city and Los Angeles can bo re-established. The outlook general!' for tho State the coming season is excellent. Much, depends upon th"o water supply, and this is assured by reason of tho great precipitation pre-cipitation we have already had in tho hills. Thi is likely to bemadded to, so that we, aro more likely to be troubled trou-bled with an-overabundanco of water than to face any shortage. This abundanco of water will permit of the opening of moro farms and of (the thorough, thor-ough, irrigation of all tho land under tillage. The wintor is reported ns "being "be-ing favorable to sheep in Utah, although al-though complaint has been made of unfavorable un-favorable feed conditions in Wyoming and in part of tho Idaho winter ranges. A littlo complaint is heard from the promontory ranges in Utah; but the general account of tho wintering of the sheep "on tho desert" is satisfactory. Tho disturbances in Wall street caused, by tho recent failures has had no general effect, and neither have thoso failures disturbod tho industrial and- trade situations; both continuing in a healthy, nctivo condition. There is a perceptiblo broadening of the demand for pig iron in many leading centers, although the demand for finished steel is loss activo, tho orders from railroads being apparently held back. , Sales aro progressing satisfactorily in tho dry goods markets for 'the spring trade. Tho break in cotton, though an unsettling feature, has made no change in jobbbg prices. Buyers of cotton blankets and other napped goods of a stap'lo characlor aro operating freely, and stocks in all parts of tho country aro reported to bo well cleaned up. In woolen goods a slight reduction is made on heavy serge, but the demand for overcoatings is satisfactory. v Supplementary Sup-plementary spring orders for footwear are fair in volume, and tho manufactories manufac-tories are still at work 01 Bpring goods, shipments going forward in good volume. vol-ume. In tho metals, the copper price is fairly fair-ly maintained, although tho market is reported dull and woakor in tone. Lead remains about firm, and 1 silver is a triflo advanced.' Tho stock markol reports the houso-cleaning houso-cleaning in tho way of purging and roctifying processes ns helpful to tho market Tho reaction nftor tho "shako up" .is reported as having a good ef-fept, ef-fept, with a gradual, steady riso in many of tho investment stocks. Thcro is an improvement in the money market also, and (lie situation is reported as encouraging. Ftvory evidence favors tho continuance of prosperous conditions for months to come, and if the crop yields tho ensuing season como up to those of last year, thcro will .certainly be n veritable boom in the business prosperity of tho United States. |
