Omaha daily bee., 1889-03-17
THE CONDITION OF TRADE.
The Money Market Continues Very
Easy.
BORROWERS GET GOOD RATES.
Trust and Investment Companies
Find Difficulty in Placing Their
Funds-General Business
Still Improving.
BORROWERS GET GOOD RATES.
The Local Outlook.


nThe money market continues very easy,
and bankers report an abundance Of funds
on hand with which to meet all legitimate
wants. Trust and investment companies
find difficulty in placing their funds and rates
and upon oasis of security entirely salts
factory, the competition in their line being
so great as TO enable borrowers TO obtain
terms better than they should have If thor
oughly conservative methods prevailed. Ex-
change is steady at the usual rate of 81 per
1000 premium General trade continues to
improve, and while the volume of business
is not entirely satisfactory, obbers
generally are feeling cheerful, and
when they. come to compare footings are
ready TO admit that the totals to date are
equal to, if not IN excess of those of 1888, and
the indications are plain that the spring busi-
mes, will be much larger than was thought
possible six weeks since. Collections are
fair, though not so good as they should be,
and great many country traders are be-
h ind in settlements TO date, but there have
been fewer failures, and with bright, settled
weather the outlook in this respect will, it is
thought, materially improve. City trade is
in pretty good shape all around ana an
average business is doing.
Prices are. as a rule, steady with an ad-
vancing tendency in most lines. Sugars are
ers' actions and accepting orders only sub
ject to confirmation. Standard granulated
is nearly 1c per pound higher than q week
SINCE Coffees, dried fruits, oils and green
teas are very steady while flour is lower, in
sympathy with wheat. Lumber, hardware
and building material, as class, is moving
under an active demand. Dry goods are in
good demand for all varieties OF spring goods
and prices are very firm at quotations.
A statement of the money circulation of
the United States on the 1st of the present
month"; issued by the treasury department,
gives the aggregate as 81 ,4O4, 2O0, OOO thus
showing contraction of "a 900 900 during
the month of February, but an expansion OF
$50, ,0OO, 900 as compared with one year ago.
The gold com and bullion in the treasury
amounts TO S8264S0,0l4; silver dollars and
bullion, S26s, 791, ,Os7; legal tenders, s44,436,
O45; gold certificates in circulation, sl2S, $685.
go: silver certificates in circulation, $247,-
s66, 459; currency certificates, S15, $4,000.
The Nebraska state farmers alliance esti-
mates the amount Of farm mortgages in that
state as Sl5O,000,000. which ut per cent
drains the state to the extent of $40, 500, 600
per annum.
According to statistics compiled by the de-
partment of agriculture. the number of hogs
in the United States in January last was 5O,
301, ,5O2, against A, 346, ,525 in the same month
last year, and A. 612, ,S36 at a similar time in
1887. In the twelve western packing states
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee-the
supply in the month mentioned was 1885,,
S5S this year, 26 953 261 in 1888 and 27,316, ,95S
in 1TST Iowa with 6,750,000 leads all her
sister states in the number of hogs reported.
Next to Iowa comes Illinois with 5,215, 900,
and then Missouri, Ohio and Kansas. Eight
of the twelve western packing states re-
turn over 1000, 900 hogs, and fifteen states of
/ the union over 100000 each.
II ls rumored that the sugar trust IS con-
sidering the policy of forcing sharp advarce
i,,t, ,-ic fn Mi u yno
refinery at Philadelphia is opened. The two
leading features of the statistical situation
are, first, the reduction in the stock of raw
sugar in importers hands, and second, the
very slow marketing of Cuban sugar. 1t is
stated that the stocks of raw sugar are fully
81, 900 tons less than at this time last year,
while the crop of Cuba is fully 100000 tons
less than the previous crop. Moreover, the
crop of the British West Indies IS consider
ably short of last year, and no known crop is
any larger than last year, excepting that of
the Philippine islands, which may show
moderate excess compared with last year.
The imports into this country since January
/ from Cuba have only been 40, 900 tons, as
against 7903S tons last year, a difference of
3J.O36 TONS There is deficiency of about
40, 900 tons in the Louisiana crop, and this
and the natural increase in the consumption
will cause an increased consumption of for
elgn raw sugar of about 10 per cent.
Coffee Is held firmly on account of the bad
crop prospect. Present supplies are large,
however, the visible supply at the American
seaboard and afloat for our shores embrac-
ing 410,i2l bags of Rio and Santos cotfees,
against 402 366bags a year ago. There are
800, 600 bags at RIO de Janeiro and 252, 900
bags at Santos. At Havre the coffee supply
reaches 455, 900 bags, of which 100000 bags
are Brazilian. The official figures of the
|, movement of the world for eight months
ending March /, 1889, show the total visible
supply to 3250,9 bags, against 3,O77, ,429
bags February /, 1889, an increase of 173, ,524
bags Compared with March /, 1888, the
supply is 100000 bags more. Compared with
March 1, 1887 the supply is now 905, 600 bags
less. The consumption of the world for
eight months to March /. 1885, was {, 239 S14
bags against 4, ,905, 293 for the same period Of
1SS7-Ss, and 6,G95,Sl2 for the same period of
1SS6-S7.
Dried fruits are doing better and prices
are stronger. California fine halved peaches
show decided improvement and are ad-
vancing; as they are not so plentiful as was
first supposed. Raspberries are in good de-
mand at firm prices. Blackberries are sell
ing in very large quantities at the price, now
offered. Cherries are also improving.
Green teas are becoming stronger, as the
disposition to pick up the ''outside" lots has
pretty well reduced the unconcentrated sup
ply and left the principal second hand ac.
cumulations IN better form.