The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-06
FINANCIAL and COMMERCIAL.
The Stock Market Active
and Irregular.
GOLD 100 IA A 100 1-8.
Government Bonds Firm, States Weak and
Railroads Irregular
GOLD 100 IA A 100 1-8.
MONEY ON CALL 3 A A 8 PER CENT.
WALL STREET.

THURSDAY, Dec. S6 p. NJ.
Abilities inferior to those vonchsafed to the
reverend. militant and forensic Talmage would
have found it difficult to grapple with the contra
ctory features presented by to-days stock market.
While we agree with the divine Williams" that there
IRE sermons in stones' not prepared to deny
That there may be sermons in stocks well. There
was certainly believe from todays Board
room history. There were two prominent texts
which engaged speculative attention. and upon
The relative importance of these expressed the
herent opinions of the street. The first referred to
The Northwestern stocks. their probable value and
lheir possible dividend The second referred to
The coal carriers their improbable value and
The chances of extension of the combine
hon In both all doubts settled
before the day out. The Northwestern
people held their meetingthe coal people held theirs
What they did in either may be told seriatm
md briefly. The directors of the Northwestern Rail-
road met to-day and declared dividend of 31s per
cent upon the preferred and Of per cont upon the
common stock. payable December %. The transfer
books will close December IA and reopen December
W Among various items given we learn that the
Increase OF net earnings for the current year. AZ COM
pared with 1877. amount to $177 A. The surplus
Of $685. 53 l6 remaining undistrbuted at the end Of
the last fiscal year ending May 81 1877 will be called
upon to contribute two per cent about $500. 900.
as q dividend upon the common stock There will
consequently remain something 5000, 900 to be
added to the surplus earned during the last half
year which amounts to $S16.283 IL. To be ex-
act the surplus for the year, after pay
Ing both dividends, amounts to $1.025.0S6 ~.
There is little likelihood that the dividends declared
will be enjoned as to payment by legal process It
is stated that protest in form has been filed with
the courts against the payment of the dividend but
no active opposition is apprehended. The second
text has been more or less ably handled to-day by
speculaors in the coal shares The Board Of Control
met according to appointment voted to increase the
output by million of tons. and decided to keep
the public dark to the rest of its proceedings This
very secrecy had bad look about il, and prospects
rendered when it leaked out that the diff
ferent interests at loggerheads to the dispo
tiou Of the several quotas and that the combination
was in imminent peril Prices in the share market
we're lower throughout the list Mr.. Gould still
hnued to hammer the Northwesterns and the coal
riers weakened from the unfavorable future which
eonfronts them. At the very end of business prices
were brushed up bit and the market closed with
look Of comparative frmness, although in the
orty of instances there fractional loss on the
quotations OF the day.
The opening. highest lowest and closing prices Of
stocks and gold at the New York Stock Exchange to-
day follows-