Show r iness Conditions Are Fine a By Ira C. C Tichenor barometer indicating the trade con conditions ons the the present presenta a in III connection with business mortality plainly shows a fair JJ According to figures collected by Duns Dun's the he insolvency exhibit for the first quarter of the present the most favorable for the period in number of oJ defaults in four Ed and In the liabilities are the smallest In ln a ecore score of years ing the first three months of 1920 there thre were were 1627 failures exclusive Ing and nd other noncommercial reverses with an aggregate of indebted- indebted while In the opening quarter of 1919 which was wa a time of ot business mortality there were 1904 insolvencies in Iii the States Involving It thus thug appears according to the Review years ears defaults are per cent fewer in number and per cent amount of indebtedness than those of last year while declines of ot 50 3 per er cent respectively po iro shown in comparison with th the J for of the first first quarter of 1918 Carrying the analysis 1915 when hen the failures for represented the high r r the the quarter It s seen that the present returns disclose a a. reduction ion per per cen cent In number of failures and per cent in liabilities and three other occasions in the the last forty-five forty years years years-in in 1919 1019 1881 and andI ls the e number of insolvencies fallen below the 2000 mark in the first firste I t there e has been further contraction in the country's business mor- mor shown by an ana analysis of the first q quarters quarter's a insolvencies by In all instances excepting exceptIng ng in the South So t Atlantic section S Sn in n number of failures in the thO eight separate gr groups upS of states as d with last last years year's fl figures ures while only In the South Sout Atlantic t states lIa liabilities above those of othe the three month period of 1919 Western section in which Utah is Included makes a particularly owing LOWIng for the first qu quarter quarter of the year During this period there were eight Ight failures as compared with three ninety-three during the same or a decrease of ot per cent while the liabilities amounted 93 as compared compared with during the first quarter of 19 1919 9 or a 3 t. t per cent i tIe e business throughout t the country may not be booming In the strict word the general situation certainly offers full Ja a spirit of optimism |