The morning news., 1889-03-02
WINTER GOODS A DRUG.
HARDNESS IN COLLECTIONS A
CONSEQUENCE.

Last Months Business Larger as a
Whole Than in the Same Month
Last Year-A Feeling o. Confidence
in the Future Still Manifest-Cau-
tious Dealing in Dry Goods.
New YORK, March L.-R. G. Dun &
Co. IS weekly review of trade says:
Traders who Lave been waiting through
the belated season for the ex, ected winter
trade find that it does not come, and spring
has arrived. Hence there are on hand
large stocks Of unsold winter goods, which
account for the tardiness of collections in
many quarters, and for the general sense of
Disappointment Though the trade of Feb
ruary, like that of January, has been rather
larger on the whole than that of last year,
it is not forgotten that business was unus-
ualy interrupted last year by storms,
strikes and other impediments.
FEELING OF CONFIDENCE.
But the outlook for spring. and the feel
ing of confidence as to the future, are at
least as favorable as year ago, though in
some departments the state of trade Is at
pre:e1t ulsat!sfaetory At fully half the
interior points which report this week
OLGIe II uObcO AdIt ~ RODQ IIdOe vi SOlu3 llIl-
provement. Pi,tsburg observes an adva ce
of 25 cents in some kinds II pig iron, d
better inquiry for manufactured in many
forms. Greater Streagta IS also observed at
Cleveland, where the trade Of February is
reckoned better than usual.
CAUTIOUS DEALING IN DRY GOODS.
Philadelphia notes most cautious dealing
in dry goods, on account of stocks of heavy
goods carried over, no change in wool,
firmer mark t for leather, AMI slow market
with tardy collections for drugs and chemi-
Gals. As to c)llections, Omaha alone re-
ports Improvement. At all other points
hardness is noticed. The money markets
are everywhere amply supplied for legiti-
mae business, but the demand is moderate
or light.
While the trade in dry goods here is con-
sidered larger for February than that of
last year unusual caution of buyers con-
tiaues, and woolen cloths are without ac-
tivity, while staple cottons are compare
lively quiet.
PHILADELPHIA'S IRON MARKET
1t is thought at Philadelphia that the
iron market Is frmer, with better pros
pect of imrovenent. But the market for
bar iron Is very Unsatisfactory and scanty,
and no Improvement in rails is seen. At
New York No. 2 foundry continues to be
offered at very low figures and a pressure
to sell wire rods is noticed, but sales of 49,
600 tons of rails make that market firTrer,
and il is stated that the allotment will be
readjusted April l.
BREADSTUFFS UNCHANGED.
The breadstuffs market has changed but
little, wheat being half a cent lower, corn
unchanged, and oats an eighth stronger.
Pork is steady, lard a shade lower, aud
hogs II quarter of a cent higher. Lower
prices are noted for butter and cheese, but
oil Is three-fourth cents stronger, coffee
tnree-eignth cents higher, and colt IN a six
teenth of a cent higher at 1919 for mid
ding uplands.
EXPORTS FROM NEW YORK
In spite of speculative prices, which check
the outgo Of wheat, the exports of all mer-
chandise from Now York for February
show gain of 10 per cent. over last year
against an increase of 2 per cent. in I'M
ports. These figures indicate that the ex-
cess of imports for February may
be 100000 or more, against over
100000 last year In January the ex-
cess Of exports was s., 121 ,674, and $500, 900
in gold and 81, 500, 600 in silver went abroad.
But foreign exchange remains steady, and
unless tie movement or securities causes q
foreign demand for specie, no disturbance
for some time to come is indicated.
STOCKS AT A sTANDSTILL
During the past week the stock market
has virtually done nothing, and prices are,
on the whole, unchanged. Waiting for the
interstate agreement to get into working
order, traders have INDUCED hopes but de-
ferred purchases.
The business failures occurring through
out the country during last week number
for the United States 1S8 and for Canada
A, a total of 232, against 270 last week.