Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-04

dealings.
Produce is still moving down. Note
changes.
A very large industry has grown in
Germany in product politely termed
artificial wool. The raw material of
which it is manufactured is old hosiery,
flannel, wooden goods, tailors' mungo,
old clothes and rags. From this knowl
edge as to the origin of ''artiheial
wool, we may safely call it genuine
and unqualified shoddy. For the last
eight or nine years Germany openly
acknowledges in her statistics that she
has imported on an average over 6 900 900
kilogrammes Of this commodity, and
further that she has exported yearly
average Of the same article of IL 900 600
kilogrammes, that Is to say, I40 900 tons
Of shoddy year. The import duties
levied on the importation of eheviots into
Germany in 1890 have TO great extent
stopped the trade between Great Britain
and Germany i'll this so-called 'tartifeial
wool, which was formerly used in
making water-proofs, etc. Berlin and
SaXony are the only surviving strong
holds of the industry II Kuhlow.
Tile official agricultural returns of
Great Britain, issued December II j, 1888,
show, as compared with 1887: Wheat,
1888, II 1893 CAT bushels; 1887, "a ,322,-
TAI bushels; acreage, 1888, 3 ,5G4 ,237;
1887, 2,$l7 324; yield per acre, % 05
bushels; 1887, 80 .o7 bushels.
The financial circular OF Henry Clews &
Co. for the last week OF the year, in sum
ming mp the business of the preceding
twelve months, says:
~ IL.
ness situation in all parts of the country
has been the extraordinary keenesS of
competition. This has been not only nc
ticeable i'll railroad affairs, but also in al
most every branch of business; the result
being greatly diminished profits and in
many cases no profits whatever This
has led to totally new phenomena, such
as the formation of innumerable trusts,
consultations and combinations of yari-
Gus kinds, nearly all of which have had
the purpose of regulating or suppressng
competition and placing business upon a
paying basis. Some of these schemes
have been well ana legitimately organ
lied, while others have unfortunately
displayed such q monopolistic flavor that
they must inevitably invite attack and
provoke sort of public sentiment that it
is Gnwise to excite.
Another satisfactory feature is the al
most complete absence of ali forms of Ia
Dor agitation Labor is well employed
and a good wages; il short, the year of
1888 has been good one for the laboring
classes, though poor one for the en-
pIoyers; the former benefiting from the
rivalry among the latter The agricul-
tural situation has had its drawbacks;
still, we were favored with an unprece-
dented corn crop, and the deficiencies in
other crops were partly compensated for
by better prices. Altogether, therefore,
we are entering upon the threshold of
new year as auspiciously as could be de-
sired. What 1889 viii bring forth is yet
too early to anticipate. We are sadly in
need Of some intelligent legislation upon
the great railroad aud financial questions
of the day: but unfortunately the pros
pect for such during this session of con-
gress is not very encouraging. European
complications are thickening, and
threaten disturbance unless something
happens TO lessen the present tension be-
tween the great powers.