The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-07-17
nuSINEss pnospECIa.
What an old New York lIou.e rhlnLs Of
Them.

| Tnem.
Aconservative firm In New York, who's
opinions on trade, especially luetalS, Il
considered Of value, writes as follows
The condition Of trade in 1870 has beer
one OF uninterrupted improvement, aud
Its volume will average over 80 per cent
greater than for the same period OF 1878
This condition OF business IA also verified
by the greatly improved traffic OH all the
leading railway lines In January and
February last, we called attention 10 the
promising outlook OF affairs, aud ventured
70 predict n year Of unusual activity and oil
hardening prices, OF tho present time, II
may be said that stocks are low; that the
demand from consumption Is healthily in.
creasing and has overtaken production /;
and that the most conservative admit that
business Is permanently advancing In all
directions, Labor so long idle and badly
paid is now In full employment, aud with
Its millions OF consumers spending It's
earnings, trade Is gradually becoming pro.
ftable and secure. In Europe, though
dullness and disaster have been general,
still the undercurrent runs strongly 10.
wards the return OF prosperity; enter.
prise Is reviving, capital Is freely
offered at low rates, the political stu.
alton is more assured-and, though
English crops are again apparently
Q failure, still the cheapness Of
food from the United States will,
In q measure, compensate; and serve again
to circulate the plethora of English capital
in tructifying American manufactures and
commerce; and in stimulating the best
kind Of emigration 10 these happy shores.
The silver question, so vexed and threat
ening TO American finances, il rapidly
solving itself. The return OF commercial
activity 70 India, and the increasing pub
lie works in Asia, point to an immense
absorption in the future OF silver coinage,
and restoration of the equilibrium be.
tween the metal and gold. Beyond all
doubt the necessities OF certain nations
will compel them II not officially, yet I'M
officially, to re.adOpt silver coinage.
The annual reportfor 1878 Of the British
Iron Trade Association, while it repre-
sents the losses Of both fixed and free cap
ital, the absolute annihilatiOn OF SOME
great iron Industries, the lowest of wages,
the enforced idleness of labor, the want
and misery and ruin resulting, still looks
upon the returns, official and otherwise,
OF English revenue, and the volume OF
English trade in 1878 as decidedly hopeful
and encouraging. The revenue returns
for the year ending with December, 1878,
were ESQ, ,0O0, 900 as against E7S,000,00O in
1877.
The railway traffic returns Of the king
dom prove that during even the last half
OF 1873 there was marked decrease Of
receipts in only four Of them, the largest be-
ing in the Northeastern, which, however,
made dividend OF seven per cent; but
the total decrease OF ES0000 was scattered
among twenty-five OF the leading rail-
ways, thus indicating that the volume of
business was not badly diminished in that
year OF eliminating trouble. English i'm
ports during that period decreased G2S,-
100000, but exports decreased on
ly E60O0,000. In 1879 the busi-
ness Of Europe, bad as it is, shows
still more encouraging figures than those
Of 1873.
This report also shows the nuTber OF
labor strikes in England during 1878, to
have been 277, viz: IS among coal miuers;
20 among puddlers and moulders; 6
among iron ship builders; 4among boiler
makers; II among building trades; ll2
among various trades. In four cases out
OF 2T the strikers were suCcessful; in II
cases a compromise resulted; In $50 cases
the men went back to work on employers
terms.