OCR Text |
Show lar.t week In the lumber bislnc:s. wit'.i p. Flight fftUlrg off r.ppnre!it us the rcEuIt of recent storm?. At the department uteres clcsnui'; of doll6. baby carringf-s and toys a-e reported, the pale of thl3 line of goods having exceeded that of any other year. It Is expected there will be a good demand for drers pooJs and staple sta-ple line after the clearance sales. Cost of Living. The feeling Is still abroad that values val-ues generally are upon au Inllited basis. ThU may be true of commodities, commodi-ties, but not of securities, which are now' felling considerably below hbh levels. As to commodities, some reaction re-action has already set In, particularly In food products; and the recession there must ultimately result In a partially par-tially reduced cost of living. As yet however, these reduction-; have not reached the consumer, largely because be-cause middlemen are endeavoring to maintain their old scale of profit a3 long as possible. The most serious problem which producers hae to face Is the high erst elements How this la to be reduced Is a problem yet to be solved. Some reduction may be had In raw materials, but this will not be sufficient, and cannot offset the greatly Increased cost of wages and the advances In rents, taxes, etc. The best solution would appear to be In securing more efficiency In labor. Wages have risen, honrs have shortened short-ened and output restricted until these factors have been n very 3erious element ele-ment In Increased costs. Under present pres-ent conditions It Is almost Impossible to ask labor to accept lower wages. Ijibor, however, can materially relieve the situation to Its own advantage by encouraging a policy of grea'er cf-fclency cf-fclency and larger production. I-nbor is, nfter all. the chief consumer, and while Insisting upon advanced wages, has been unconsciously diminishing the purchasing power of its wares anJ Increasing Its own cost of livlne. COMMERCIAL MEN ARE VERYJPT1STIC SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 25. Although Al-though conditions in financial circles have been calm during the week, local bank clearings have come to the front with unexpected strength and commercial com-mercial men are optimistically looking look-ing forward to more flourishing times after the first of the year. Despite the fact tliaft in practically every avenue of trade business was dull last week, as is always the case at Christmas Christ-mas time, with the exception of ho sale of holiday geods, the bank clear-iugs clear-iugs show a gain over last year of ?1.-.54fi.363.50. ?1.-.54fi.363.50. Last year the clearings were ?6,074.941.13, while during the week just closed a clearing of $7,-4217104 $7,-4217104 63 was made. With six week days in the week before be-fore Christmas this year, merchants dealing In holiday wares, dry goods Bnd clothing report an advance iu the amount of business over last year. In contrast, the lumber, hardware and kindred lines of trade are suffering from the effects produced by the som-nlferlous som-nlferlous germ whose name Is "Nothing "Noth-ing Doing. ' Hardware men are, as usual, not busy this tlmo of the year. Most of the traveling salesmen have been called In plor to starting out with new- lines at the first of the year, and denlers are preparing to take lnven-tir'es. lnven-tir'es. Coudltlons are about the same Is |