St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-22
COMMERCIAL.

ST. PAUL. Oct. 22-Another week of tropical
weather has not been very favorable to the in
crease of the jobbing trade, and yet the volume
of business transacted by the combined mercan-
tile houses OF this city for the past six days
considerably greater than that of the week ending
October IA. Aud this increase has been in the
face of increasing excitement
the political situation. 1t might
be reasonably expected that business
would decrease in inverse ratio TO the increase
of the political frenzy. and this result is found
to exist in every large mercantile city excepting
St. Paal. There is no doubt the weather, de-
lightfully pleasant though it has been, has had
very great effect upon trade, more particularly
On some particular branches, and there Is
doubt that if seasonable weather prevailed-a
good bracing cold snap, disagreeable
as it might be personally =
larger increase of business would have
been the result. 1t appears from the returns of
the common carriers, the railroads and steam
boats, that :, 155 cars Of goods by rail and 80
tons by boat brought into the city last week,
while the receipts from the week ending Tues
day, Oct. Il, were 1881 cars and $50 tons, which
gives an increase for the week under review OF
274 cars by rail and GOO tons by boat. The ship
ments for the same weeks were 1.242 cars and
165 tons, and 1854 cars and 35 tons, being
an increase of IS cars and 13O tons
of goods shipped out of the city,
which is just three times as great an increase as
that recorded last week of these gross re-
ceIpts and shipments, however, only minor part
were merchandise" ard these do not make so
good showing. The receipts indeed increased
greatly, but the shipments show falling OH, and
this state Of the stock account as shown last
week does not speak favora5ly. The figures are
500 cars of goods received for the week ending
October 81, and Az cars for the previous
week being an increase of 90 cars. The ship
ments were 527 and Goa cars for the same week,
being II cars less than the week before, that Is,
the jobbing houses sold q cars less Of goods
than they did during the week ending
October IA, allowing for the river uafic 81
cars less, and about half dozen cars less than
the week ending October Z. Now, the next point
is to determine in what lines Of trade the falling
off have been, and undoubtedly it
will be found in those businesses
most affected by the weather.
Grocery houses all report no dimunition in the
amount of business, but on the contrary assert
that the demand for goods is quite brisk and or
ders large. Judging from the piles of goods
daily drayed down to the freight yards by every
house in the trade, grocery houses not
sponsibie Tor the falling off in the weekly ship
ping account furnished by the railroads. There
will be found several chagnes in the published
price list, the most important being sugars which
are marked up. The market is frmer
and of better turn than it
has been for some time and seems
to point to continued better prices: there has
been an advance in Europe and that is strong
argument. Syrups of course will advance in
sympathy although they have not yet recorded
like sugars, their first step. Foreign fruits
steady; canned goods generally quiet and steady
although there are some few changes in the list.
Small fruits are firm and a shade higher Teas
and f.fa CO.
the former ST. Paul is even a better market than
New York as the the houses here import direct
via the Northern Pacific. Leather
tinues to improve, and manufactures and job
bers in boots and shoes have done
larger trade the past week and
report business at least equal to what it was the
same time last year. The leather market con
tinues very firm both in soles and upperS; sad
dlers' supplies and harness hardware also
firm, but business is quiet and dull, showing a
decrease as compared TO the previous week.
Heavy iron and steel goods, smiths and wheel
wrights supplies still continue depressed and
dull, with promise, however, of an improve
ment in the near future. Orders have been com
ing in more freely the last two days and of such
nature as to create the belief in a very much
better showing the ensuing week.
Cold weather would do wonders
for this branch of business Prices
steady simply because they cannot go lower.
General hardware has shown quite u marked i'm
provement in the activity of the market and bust
ness has very greatly increased all through the
entire line of seasonable goods. There are no
changes OF prices to record, but the market is
very weak. The demand for powder and sports
men'ssupplies has been quite large ana the ST.
Paul Shot works have been taxed to their utmost
capacity. Joobcrs in drugs and chemicals
have had good weeks trade
the market is steady and generally firm. The
demand for druggists sundrics, Including toilet
and fancy articles, has slightly Increased but
there has not been That picking up which would
indicate any great activity in this department.
On the contrary, buyers seem TO operate with
extreme caution and the outlook promises no
very heavy trade in this class OF holiday goods
There no changes IN quotations to record.
Paints, oils, glass, painters ana GLACIERS ma
tcrials quiet and steady. The
continued fine and summary weather has had
very depressing effect upon dry goods during the
past week and it is safe TO say that the jobbing
houses have not done one 1.-THE Of the business
they would have done if the somewhat cooler
weather of to-day had set in earlier last week
There has been nothing doing except very
small sorting up trade. Country merchants have
been doing but little and their stocks
consequently very slightly reduced-not
sufficiently so to need much, if any, replenishing
Cold weather would soon change all this. Ii
should, however, be stated that for the last two
days there has been increased inquiry for
blankets and rugs, especially those Of the North
made in the country, and they are most certainly
splendid goods, both in the quality OF the staple
and the manufacture. There are no changes In
prices, the market being quiet. No
tons, laces and white goods generally
have been quiet, and there has been
but little doing in millinery goods and the same
cause has kept manufactured furs duh and
quiet. According 10 the railroad returns there
has been some little improvement in the lumber
trade, but merchants here complain loudly OF
the unjust ard pernicious discrimination of rail
roads in their diferentals. The - to 10 system
acts terribly damagngly 20 this distrct-St. Paul
and Minneapolis. Gut many large firms have
been shipping by rcft down the river at
a saving of a. least 50 per Thousand
and in this way the railroads by their short
sighted policy have lost at least s., o0o 600 in
freight and il VIII not be so easy 20 get this lost
carrying trade back. The published lists show
some few reductions in prices. The following
tables have been carefully revised and corrected
up to date:
ST PAUL WI oEEsALE MARKETS.