ARHIVELE OLTENIEI - Universitatea din Craiova

The development of the internal market in south-east Romania during the interwar period 319Oltenian trade has been subjected to a continuous development, reaching itspeak from 1936 to 1938.The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Corporation of StockMarket, and the Merchants’ Union have had an important role in theregularization of trade. The above-mentioned institutions were meant to help theState in its economical policy in general, and in its commercial policy inparticular. In Oltenia, as well as in the other regions, there has been an increaseof the commercial enterprises in the period of the research; 67.4% of the total oftrade enterprises in Oltenia in 1941 have developed within the years: 1919-1930,the national report being of 66.1% 8 . The majority of these had the premises inurbane areas. They have also led their commercial activities in rural areas, bothin moving and in periodical markets and fares.In rural areas and villages, trade has preponderantly made at periodicalmarkets, cattle markets, fares and cereal markets. World War I affected theregularity of those real markets of goods’ sales, thus, the commercial activitypresenting a regressive pace. For a long period of time, in the years ofreconstruction, most of the markets and cattle markets in Oltenia have workedwithout the necessary legal approvals. After 1918, they have been managedunder the strict supervision of The Chambers of Trade and Industry, under theStock Law. The process of re-organization and development of the markets andcattle markets owed to the new structure of estates and to the pressure made bysmall manufacturers that “cannot align to large trade other than by creating someeconomical centers in their surroundings” 9 .In 1918, there were 187 periodical markets and cattle markets in the fivecounties of Oltenia, held in 69 communes 10 . Besides these, at certain dates, twoor three times a year, there have been fares held in the most importantcommunes of the region. Thus, in March, there have been important commercialexchanges of goods (from cereals to cattle and industrial and domestic industry)in Bălăneşti (Gorj) and Vaideni (Vâlcea). In April, these were held in Slatina,Caracal, Lupoaia (Mehedinţi), Polovragi, Prejba (Gorj), and in May, again inVaideni (Vâlcea), Negoieşti (Dolj). The fares from Cărbuneşti, Broşteni(Mehedinţi) were held in June, and those from Argintoaia (Mehedinţi) andVaideni (Vâlcea) in July. In August, there had been held the fare from Loliu(Mehedinţi) and in September those from Râureni (Vâlcea, for 25 days),Căbuneşti (Gorj) and Drăgăneşti (Olt). The fares from Târgu Jiu and Lupoaiawere held in October 11 .8 Cezar Avram, Dinică Ciobotea, Virgil Joiţa, Vladimir Osiac, The History of Trade inSouth-Western Romania, 8 th -20 th centuries, Craiova, South Publishing House, 1999, p. 328-329.9 Paul Emanoil Barbu, Dinică Ciobotea, …, op. cit., p. 165.10 Dolj National Archives, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Craiova, dossier43/1918.11 Ibidem, dossier 11/1919; dossier 2/1920; dossier 17/1922.