The Portland daily press., 1882-04-25
DOWN TOWN.
Financial Fish-White Lead and Paints
Lime and Cement-A General Review

The Portland money market yesterday was
very quiet, with bank rates at 6 per cent ana
call loans ranging from 81 to per cent Ihere
was tendency to further ease, and the demand
was steady and moderate. There was no trans
actions in local railroad or municipal securities
reported. Foreign exchange was higher.
The man who, twenty years ago, spoke de-
risiyely of Portland as "a fishing village" was
prophetic without intending to be; for the
"village" has reached the dignity OF town,
and become pretty we'll known as one of the
most important fish markets on the Atlantic
coast; and the aggregate of business done in
this line yearly has already reached millions,
| requiring a large capital, employing very
large number of men and keeping active more
than one connectin gindustry. The packing
and exporting of fish and the management OF
thefishing fleet of this port is represented chief
| ly by IA firms in the city; though there is
much larger number of concerns that contine
| themselves more especially to some branch OF
the business; and the aggregate has already
given Portland decided position in this par
ticular industry, and each year is witnessing
an enlargement of business. The market for
fish at this time is quiet, it being just between
the winter and summer catches. The last of
the vessels engaged in winter fishing has ar
rived and the mackerelmen are off the Della
ware and New Jersey coasts, following the fish
north. Portland has about rs vessels either
owned or fitted out here, in this feet. Nearly
twenty arrivals were reported at New York the
latter part of last week with fair quality of
feb vvbs oh +ab ov bra1 ohf unnd prirpa
Int he fleet were the ElizabethaW. Smith, the
Titmouse and Bartie Pierce, belonging here.
They were among the later arrivals and their
fares are said to have weakened the prices
which ruled earlier. 1t is noticed that the fish
fatten rapidly this year, and ii is thought that
the quality Of the seasons catch will be very
good. The home market is completely bare of
packed mackerel, the few in store here being
all sold and only wait orders for delivering.
About the last of May or first of June tie fleet
will begin to arrive off our coast, and packing
will commence in earnest New salt cod is be-
ginning to arrive again; one vessel. the j. W.
Sawyer. bringing $4,000 pounds from the Wes-
tern Bank. The arrivals of fresh fish this
week have not been large, the weather being
unfayorable for the shore fishing. One
fare Of 10000 pounds halibut arrived last
week and the j. w. Sawyer yesterday brought
5000 pounds more, and also 1900 pounds had
dock. Her captain reported fish scarce. The
Martha D. McClain came in yesterday from
shore fishing with a good fare, the precise
amount of which could not be ascertained.
She stocked $40 for the trip, and her winters
work aggregated $500. The vessel claims to
be "high line." The lobster trade, which has
languished, is looking up and the receipts are
improving in amount. A scarcity is reported by
the fishermen. The demand is fully up to the
supply, but prices are low. The weekly ship
ment is about 200 barrels per week, which are
consumed in New York, Boston, Canada and
Chicago. The lobster men anticipate an aver
age business for the season. Cod liyers and
cod liver oil form quite an item in the fish
business of this port one firm using this year
1000 barrels of livers against HOO last year.
Crude oil brings So cents per gallon and clari-
fed from 50 cents to S1.25. During the winter
quite large business was done in exporting
clans, but the season is now about over The
fish dealers of Portland have organized Fish
Exchange and in a short time it will be in full
operation, to the advantage of catchers, dealers
and consumers.
Portland white lead, paints and varnishes
are quite brisk, and the trade is very much
larger than last year. Liquid paints, which
have been manufactured here but few years,
have taken long stride in popular favor, and
are erowding their rivals in the distant mar |
kets The demand is fully up to the produc- |
ton. Maine, Northern New Hampshire and
Northern Vermont buys largely sof Portland
white lead, and the orders ara coming from
those States most literally this spring. Var
nishes of Portland manufacture share in the |
general activity anu popularity.
The trade in lime and cement, which has |
been backward, is now improving, and the |
nealers say the outlook is good. The demand |
for drain pipe is increasing, particularly at |
the watering places and summer hotels, when |
the necessity for good drainage has become
better recognized than formerly Orders are
coming in freely.
Concerning the general aspect of trade the
New York Bulletin of yesterday says:
The aspect of trade last week was uniformly
quiet at the leading business centres. Through
out the Northwest there was fair activity in
merchandise and at the Southwest the des-
pendent feeling created by the damaging
effects of the Mississippi freshets is gradually
passing away, in view of the fact that the in
jury to the crops will not be as serious as was
apprehended. In other sections of the South
trade is rather sluggish.
In the Eastern States the situation is charac-
terized as follows by thu Boston Price Current:
ssThe spring trade is gradually increasing in
the interior and the call for goods is becoming
more frequent, but buyers continue to operate
in cautious way, and conservative tone
runs through almost every department of
manufactured wares. Leading raw materials
are also more or less affected by the cautious
policy, and while in the aggregate sales sum up
quite largely, the movements are nearly all in
small lots for immediate use. Outside of the
leading Western food products there is an en-
tire absence of speculation