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Show Business Recovery in Spring Is Consensus of Opinion Nationwide Poll of Situation Is Taken by the Literary Digest ' PIE current number of the Literary Digest contains the following results of a nationwide poll of the eeneral business situation : Why bualnesa ahould be depreased. I In a land overflowing with supplies thst the real ef the world la suffering suffer-ing for. with ships lying Idle that' could carry them, will puxsle future , generationa. and to aav that such a depreaalon cannot last long. In the face of the whole world'a need of our prod- ! nets. Is very much like saying thati one and one make two. It la beat atated. perhpe. by John H. Patterson, j president of the National Caah ltegia- j ter company, who haa been In Kurope , atudylng business conditions snd at- I tending the sessions of the assembly of the league of nations at Geneva. He asya In a cable message which we received a few daya ago: "The world's business is In trouble. Pome nations cannot aell their surplus sur-plus of agriculture. Industries and minerals, other nations greatly need them. TTenty of Idle ahlpa to carry them. Millions of people out of employment. em-ployment. "Nationals are still spending money for war like drunken sailors. The world'a business haa no directing head. It needs sn sssociatlon of nations whose object It is to do good to all the people; to atop war and fight with bralna. not with bullets: to extend International In-ternational credit and to prevent disease. dis-ease. Civilisation Is st stake. Wake up, America, before It Is too late." We had written Mr. I'atteraon for his opinion on the business situation and the proapeet of prosperity's return, re-turn, in a poll of hundreds of authorities authori-ties on th" auhject. covering the entire en-tire "rotintryTromprtatng Tuistnes reaft ers. professors of economics and financial finan-cial editors of dally papera. People who can see nothing but gloom all around the business norixon may revise re-vise thejr Ideas when they glance over the returns. Of course. It Is very much like a survey of a battlefield, but It Is s battlefield where the forces are already rearming and reforming, and are here and there beginning to advance again. Moreover, the American Ameri-can bualn-H army la one that has never known defeat, and the reason why Is evident In the tone of unconquerable cptlmtsm that rune through even the caaualty reports. "Conditions must Improve, Im-prove, because they couldn't beworse," is a frequent reply that sounde like extrsctlng sunshine, from cucumbers; but it shows the old time American spirit that "never knowa when It's licked." So much for the spota where buainess la worst. Rut better yet is the fact thst we keep finding places where the business slowdown haa not even been felt. Pessimists may think this Incredible, but. without the slightest desire to Indulge In any unwarranted un-warranted optimism or rosy delusions. ther depressions, though I believe there will and should be further decreases de-creases In the selling prices of certain cer-tain commodities, particularly In re-tnl! re-tnl! departmenta. There should be a decided Improvement within four months. ... . . A K Huston, president I.ukens Rteel company, Ceatesvllle. Pa., answers: "Present conditions exceedingly dull. Not Improving much. If any. KxPjet buslneaa recovery to begin probably '"Turning to seversl food IndUBtrles, a confidential report for sugar refining re-fining says thst the present condition Is the "worst known, largely raueed by repudiation of contracts. Improvs-ment Improvs-ment will be gradual." IMXtCBMOVNTAIM KK PORTS. Wyoming "Probably no worse will Improve In spring." Is the fore-t-aat of conditions from Cheyenne by the editor of the Rtete Tribune and the 8tate Leader. People eTpect business busi-ness recovery In March. April or May. Locally, conditions of Industries, railroads, rail-roads, creamery saddle and harness making are "quiet." Nevada At Caraon City, mining and farming are reported "In very food condition." The Carson City News men think "things will Improvs very soon." nnd find people expect bual-nss bual-nss ieioery "within the next w montha" Idaho At Boiae. agricultural conditions condi-tions of artlsity are called "not very good." The" Capital News forecasts that condltlona "will probably Improve." Im-prove." Business recovery expected "early in spring." ALT LAKE UVBftTOCK. Cattle Receipts, none. Market, steady, flood dsn-.md. Choice weighty eteera, IT l; sood steers. a.BT.B: feeder steers. $r.0oeT0S: choles eows and heavy belfera, &.ee.ke: fslr to soed eows and heifers. 14 . ; cotters. II eeeM.se; eennera. II HSI U: good bells. ! II: fcoloens bulls, II ; light veal calves. Is. ltd IB IS. Hobs Receipts, III. Msrkst. steady. Oood d-maod. Top grade boss, ITB to 101 pounds, HtailM; others, Hl". feeders. Illlwiee. Hheeii Receipts, I1TI. Market, stesdy. Fslr demsnd only. Choice fst lamae. Brain I fed. lierejIM; choice yearlings, xrsin fed. It. Mvl.le: fst wethers, grain fed. i flat l 10; fst grsla fed. !. II; feeder lambe.ll I It must b recorded that ws have re- t reived report after report saying: "We, have not felt any slump." "No slump here." "Conditions normal or hel-ter." hel-ter." "Better than normal." "Run-njng "Run-njng full time." "Best In many '-Working day and night." HKPORT1 ARE VARIED. Then take the many localities where the slump has been felt. Home are naturally feeling very blue. The overwhelming majority expect recovery recov-ery to begin any time now trom March to June, but word comes from catterlng points all over the country coun-try that Improvement "has already begun." business has "already commenced com-menced to pick up," "conditions improving," im-proving," "on the mend," "Improving steadily," "thousands of laid off employes em-ployes reemployed." Perhaps the general gen-eral trend of the replies Is best summarised sum-marised by two financial editors in different parts of the country who , picture industry aa an Invalid. One remarks, "The severe surgical opera-t opera-t tion is over; it Is now merely a uues-lion uues-lion of the patient's recovery." while the other editor, aa if looking over 1 the first one's shoulder, adds: "Within "With-in three months patient will take aome olid food: it will take an entire year to regain normal atrength." One town la evidently ready fof the atorma of adversity, when it reports all Industries Indus-tries "inactive, except umhrellaa. ' Our inquiry went to the financial editors of hundreds of dally papers In all parts of the United States who know the conditiona of local business, to the leaders in all our great national na-tional industries, and to professors of economics In our leading universities, who study the situation with a full knowledge of many similar business crises to guide them snd who reply with that frankness and sincerity we may expect from spectators "above the battle." That "conditions are likely to be worse, before they are better" think forty -si a financial edi'ors, appro i- mately one In five of the whole number num-ber who reply. Ho alpo think one-fifth one-fifth of the number of heads of great businesses who answer. More than half of all the professors of economlca who answer express the same opinion. This Indicates the existence of a conservative con-servative temper throughout the country, coun-try, further emphaalzed by many reports re-ports of qualified opinion In more than lfit renters of population concerning the probable date when actual buaineaa recovery is expected to begin. SPRING RMOVKRV PRKDICTKD. An overwhelming majority of editors report expectation that actual business busi-ness recovery where not already under un-der way, will begin "in the spring." March and April dates predominate. Prominent buainee leaders divide In much the same proportion. V. I. rnderwood, p res Went of the Krie railroad, nays: "Seasonable reduction re-duction is inevitable under any conditions. con-ditions. In addition, there Is a reduction reduc-tion that may be termed unusual, amounting to about 15 per cent, below be-low one year ago. Kxpect actual husi-nes husi-nes recovery to begin about April 1." K. J. Pearson, president of the Sew j York. New Haven A Hartford railroad, I re porta a condition of activity "prob-I "prob-I ably not less than 20 to ; per cent. ! helow normal. Our best judgment is i the bottom haa been reached. Kx-pect Kx-pect gradual improvement from now forward." H. K. Ttyram. president of the Chicago. Chi-cago. Milwaukee A St. Paul railway-"Riti railway-"Riti I road business in suffering from the general business depression tn this country. Naturally, the railroad business busi-ness is affected rtirec.tlv In an increase or decrease tn the volume of general business. 1 think the bottom has been rrar-het fn business depression snd I hut from now on there will he an Improvement. I look for an improvement improve-ment nf hue in ens within the next three montha but expect It will he gradual and much less ranid than the sudden stoppage of business about sixty days ago." J. Kruttsrhnitt. chairman of the executive ex-ecutive committee of the Southern Pacific Pa-cific company, writelr "There has been a slackening In reneral business con-tilt con-tilt ions. Since November traf ftc baa fnllen to a point about 10 ner cent e)ow fb"t of nrevlous vear. Not much . improvement In conditions as yet. as ! producers ere holding hark crops for , I etter markets and merchants are buy-i buy-i Ing only what is necearv for 1 mm e-: e-: riiate reun'rements. Business recov- : ery depends upon Improved markets I for farm nroducta nnd more nerma- j nent readjustment of prices and wage conditiona now going on. after which there should be revival of business upn s sounder basis." The locomotive business Is natural! v sssocfated wth railway developments. Samuel M. Vauclain, president of the Raid win locomotive works replies Innuiris very heavv ordra very light. Conditions are Improving. Kx-oect Kx-oect business recovery rmdually until In'ig"ra on. then rapid! v." K. H. Oarv. chairman VnMed Htas Pteel corporation answers for his Industry: In-dustry: "I consider conditions verv god. We are hook in r new business daily for ahhut o-half full canacltv. Are ahipping twice murh on ac-rount ac-rount of large unfilled orders on band. I fhnk. a'l In all. conditions are Improving. The general feeling haa Improved. IV not look for fur |