Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-01-08

There was not a dollar in fine silver shipped 10 the Orient from San Fran cisco during the months of March, June, July, August, September, No vember and December. The ship ments for May were $641, 800, and for October S1, 230,000. The coinage of trade dollars having ceased Tn April, 1878, there has beeu no alternative but Mexican dollars. The Chinese prefer trade dollars, even at s higher price. Fine silver does not come into competition with coin. IL was a great mistake to have stopped the coinage of trade dollars. Congress can greatly help the silver market by insisting On the resumption of coin age of trade dollars, under such stipulations as will prevent them from ever coming into domestic circulation.
 The price of fine silver has been re- markedly steady during the past year. The London rate has not varied 2d per ounce for 12 months. In 1879, there was variation of 511d. This steadiness of value is regarded as an indication of permanent change for the better in the market for fine silver. But we fancy this will depend much cn what action Congress takes in the matter. Should the Government stop coining standard dollars, the Amer ican demand would at once cease, and there would be S20, 900, 900 clamoring for market elsewhere. At the be- ginning of this year, the London quo taiion per British standard ounces was 52I5d. The rate to-day is 5113d. The highest price for the year, we believe, was 52 Ed, and the lowest a fraction over J1d. Germany has neither been 8 buyer nor seller of silver during the year though it has been frequently rumored that she was gong to do both
 Despite the great falling of in the silver product during the past four years. the article is a long way from it's normal condition prior to the great break in July, 1876, when it fell to 491%d, the lowest in at leas. 50 years. That condition of things, as is well known, was brought about by the de- monetiZation operations of Germany and the heavy output of the Nevada mines, in connection with some rldic- ulous estimates, official and semi. official, touching the fabulous and nevcr-to- -be-exhausted deposits of the California and Consolidated Virginia mines. To reach its former normal price silver ought 10 be worth 59d per British standard ounce. This is equivalent to S1 2929 per American ounce 1000 fiGe, and puts the metal on a par with gold at its present ratio of valuation.
 Private East India advices of recent date and from authentic sources, pre- dict an active business in the spring, and consequently an improved de- maud for silver. This was expected outside of such information. Tea and silk buyers will be gathering in the markets of China and Japan in the course of n few months, and these purchases for American and European account, in tho absence of other more favorable remittances, will bo covered by silver shipments from San Fran cisco and London. In proportion to the volume of this business will be the demand for silver. Parties famil- lar with the course of exchange, and who are on the spot, and, therefore, we'll able to judge, inform us that the movement in silver in the spring is likely to be large This will be good news 10 the producers and dealers IE the metal here, where the stock at present is considerably in excess of cOnsumptive wants.