St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-19
GENERAL REVIEW OF TRADE.
Mi1dWeather Interfering with BUSH
ness in the West and Southwest.
Pig Iron Reported Higher--Marked
Decrease in Failures,

New YORK, Dec. 18.-Special kilograms
to Bradstreet's from leading business CEN
tiers this week report in portions of the
West and Southwest unseasonably mild
weather, which has resulted in bad roads.
and of necessity at various points in whole
sale lines there has been no special activity,
but none has been expected at this time.
Merchants generally feel confident that the
new year will bring better demand, which
fact imparts q firm tone to most markets
At Chicago business is now quiet and the
weather is bad. The distribution of woolens
and other seasonable articles has felt the
declining demand most. The request for
holiday goods there is said to be the
heaviest for three years past. There are
no features from st. Louis except the in
creased firmness for pig iron, which is be-
lieved to promise an early advance in price.
In the Northwest
AT MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL
the wholesale movement is in good volume.
In the South dry goods have been pushed
with fair degree of success. In the East
there are no developments of note beyond
the advance in Glendon and Andover brands
OF pig iron. 1t is in part attributable to the
fart that they have always commanded 81
per ton more than other varieties of iron.
The demand for dry goods is for nearby
wants only, jobbers and agents reporting
small volume OF business. 1t is, however,
better than year ago and about equal to
the volume disposed of in December, 1888.
Cotton goods stocks at the East are rela-
lively small. Print cloths are less active.
but firm. There is no special change in the
markets for raw woods. Prices are as firm
as ever and holders expect them to be main
tanned or advanced. More wooden machin-
cry is at work than heretofore. The bread
stuff market is weak and declining. An
export demand of any amount for wheat
may hardly be said to exist.
TIDE-WATER PRICES
are about IL cents Dushel higher than
yearsago, while English wheat is selling but
l cent higher. India and Russia are there
fore making contracts to deliver wheat in
the United Kingdom next spring and sum-
mer without serious competition from the
United States. Hog products are dull and
lower Petroleum is quiet and featureless.
Eastern pig iron is unchanged in price and
demand Rails are firm at $35 at the mills.
The movement of grocery staples in re-
spouse to a demand for consumption is be-
low that of last year. Dairy products have
slightly improved. Anthracite coal is be-
ing cut in price to some extent and is only
fairly active. The production already
equals that of 1884. The total number of
failures in the United States reported to
Bradstreet this week is 217, against 221 last
week, decline of 4, and as compared with
800 in the like week of December, 1884, 236
in 1882 and 165 in 1881. Thus continues
the marked decline in the total number of
failures weekly during the last quarter of
the year as against 1884. The grand total
of failures in the United States from Jan. 1
to Dec. IS is 10TH. against II, OsS in a like
portion of 1884. a deduction of 316. The
totals for 50 weeks of 1888, 1882 and 1881
respectively were 1851, 7,761 and 1891.