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Show BUSINESS AND TRADE. The week has had mild, ptonsant weather, with snow, and its business has been marked by a groat number of special spe-cial sales by t ho stores. Trade has been extremely aclivo in thcie sales. Money appears to bo plentiful and collections arc good. The bank clearances clear-ances of the week show a gain of 8.4 per cent over those of tho corresponding week last year. General trade is said to bo except! onallj' good for this season of tho year, which is commouh' designated desig-nated tho off season, or botwixfi and between. be-tween. Snow and slush in tho outlv-ing districts havo interfered with tho coming com-ing of many women into tho business district to do thoir trading. Home selling and renting continue brisk. Prospects for a considerable increase in-crease iu population next spring are considered good. Secretary D. F. Collett. of tho Manufacturers' Manu-facturers' association, reports that many inquiries have come from Eastern manufacturers who contemplate various vari-ous industries iu Utah. Tho roalt3 markot has been inactive during the week, as is natural in the winter season, but tho outlook is bright for good business in the near future. Tho most important matter pressing in tho local railroad field is the effort of tho National Education Association to got hotter rates for holding their annual meeting nest summer in this city. The proposition is under consideration by tho passenger association. Officials of tho Oregon Short Line returned re-turned from trips over tho lines of the company in Idaho, -reporting everything woll. E. L. Brown, vico president of the Denver & Rio Grande, being hero on a business; trip, tells of the progress of improvements on that system. A great order has been made by the Oregon Short Line of new engines and cars for tho season of 1913. Tho Salt Lake Route established a new Tccord during tho weok iu running a train to Loa Angeles from this city in twonty-ono hours and six minutes. A pronounced weakness in tho London Lon-don copper market, and the almost complete com-plete absence of tho consumer from tho metal counters of tho United States, hnvo resulted in a considerable amount of uncertainty, and the demoralization of tho market during the past wook has been romnrkablo. Domestio producers have boon acting in concord to a more or less extent in regard to keeping tho price of copper at 17 cents per pound, but tho broak has occurred, and it now appears as if it is each fellow for himself. him-self. A still further reduction in price is anticipated, and if anything will encourage en-courage tho consumer to bu3' metal it is this break in tho price. Weather conditions for several days havo been vastly improved over what they were at tho beginning of tho month, and operations in tho majority of the camps of the State aro back to ns nearly normal as could be expected. Tho shortago of railroad cars ia being felt severe' by the oro producers, ono drawback to tho car supply being freezing freez-ing oro and the difficulty experienced in unloading shipments a.t the samplers and smelters. An effort is being made b3' tho officials offi-cials of the local stock exchange to organize or-ganize a bureau supported 1)3- tho business busi-ness men of tho State, tho purpose of which will' bo to gather and publish accurate ac-curate mine data for tho benefit, of the public, and to encourage tho investment of Eastern capital iu Utah mining properties. prop-erties. Tho purpose of this bureau is commendable, as it is Eastern capital that is especially needed for this purpose pur-pose iu Utah. Outside of the weakness in coppor, metal market conditions remain practically prac-tically unchanged. Lead seems to. be pegged at its present point until more definite action tariff-wise is taken 03' Congress. . Tho general commercial agcucios of flic country report tho sentiment conservative,' con-servative,' but vcr3; confident of continued contin-ued progress and prosperity. Business is up to. the mark, although conservatism conserva-tism is seen in tho orders as made, and 'thero is an oyo kept always to Washington Washing-ton in fear that, tariff revision may hurt. . Trade iu ij.? most; important branches continues to show a satisfactory gain over last. year. A notable development is the marked increaso in railroad activity. While track construction is at a low ebb,-tho railroads aro adding to their rolling slock and" extending thoir terminals aud other facilities in an uuusualh- active degree. Railroad earnings for tho first week of January show a gain of 11. (i per cont, tlio largest increase in ovor a 3'ear. Tho great strike of garment workers in New York. shows u dark side to tho industrial outlook. Money is plentiful for mercantile purposes, pur-poses, and thoro is good demand for it. Rates are easier, and tho withdrawal of gold for export causes no uneasiness. The stock market, is weak, as it has I been right along for the most part since ; JU07. I The Boston wool mnrkpt reports small lot transactions, principally bj- mills that wero obligc'd to picco out on orders. or-ders. There is no weakening in prices. Altogether, tho outlook is satifnctor-for satifnctor-for the opening of tho year, and with tho aband'inoe of money in our financial markets -,o can e-isilv afford to make the loaif. that are reported which call for tho shipments of gold to L'tiropc. |