New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-09-09
ENCOURAGING SIGNS.

The imDrOyemcnt III business, oil whIch we
have noted many signs, evidently continues.
Better prices larger demand, and more
boprful feeling are noticed ut Boston. Com
parison of grain receipts and shipments shows
a very remarkable gain at Baltimore, and,
with improvement in other branches OF trade,
encourages the business men OF that city.
Philadelphia rcjOices III traffic which Is stil,
"a il has been for months, somewhat larger
than that of corresponding periods last year.
Buffalo reports a marked improvement toward
the close of August in grain rates by lake and
canal, although the receipts for the month were
small Pittsburgh reports sudden upward
start in bank clearings, which is attributed III
part TO the rapid advance in oil, bat is in part
unexplained. New-Orleans, notwithstanding
considerable loss in grain receipts, rejoices
in very large crops of cotton and sugar. St.
Louis closes the cotton year with receipts
nearly double those of any year preceding, and
has gained fairly in cattle and III quantity OF
grain moved this year, though in some other
branches of business loss is noted. Chicago is
moving a very large grain crop, though at low
prices.
Tn this city there is n slow but unmistak-
able Improvement. Transactions are larger
dealers more hopeful and in some cases a
slight improvement in price already answers
the increased demand. The Clearinghouse ex-
changes since August /, have approached
more nearly to those of 1875 than in any pre-
ceding period this year. In view OF the fact
that prices are still more than ten per cent
lower than in August, 1875, the fact that the
clearings are only 7l2 per cent smaller indl-
Gates an increase in the quantities exchanged.
The same indication, which has the pecu-
liar merit of showing not what men
hone in one branch of trade or
another, but what they have actually
done, points to still greater Improvement Mt
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where the clear
jnes for August, 1876, are larger than for
August, 1875, and to an improvement in
quantities exchanged at Boston, where the de-
cline in clearings is only 4i2 per cent. In
each of the Western cities the decrease has
been much greater; in Cincinnati 14l2, in St.
Louis Is, aud in Chicago over 20 per cent,
compared with the transactions of August last
year. This may in part be due to the very
low price OF grain, but 1t is very probable
that the exceedingly low rates of westward
freight have enabled dealers in this city,
Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore to capture
considerable part of the business usually
done at this season through tho chief dis
tributing cities of the West.
When the coal combination broke down it
was generally predicted that more confident
feeling would be likely to appear, not III the
Stock Exchange, but in the many branches Of
manufacture which depend so largely upon
anthracite for power or fuel, and upon which,
in turn, the prosperity of Eastern cities so
largely depends. This anticipation has been
fully justified The low prices realized in the
great coal sale were disheartening to opera
tors and miners, who had become used to the
fictitious rates maintained by the monop-
oily. But the news was cheering to
hundreds of manufacturers and thou
sands Of operatives, and this change
has doubtless contributed materially to the
marked improvement in manufactures and
trade reported by the New-England papers. 1t
is important to observe, however, thst there
IA no reason to look for O speculative rise OF