Morning journal and courier., 1890-02-22
WEEKLY REVIEW OF TRADE.

Lsss Confidence in BusIness Circles
 Dull In Bssten-A Dsarth In the Dry
 Goeas Trade at Philadelphia-Large
 Grain Receipts at Chicaxo-Fair Re
 ports From Western and Southern
 Points-Exp0rts During February
 Fabflcs-Business Failures for the
 Week.
 NEW YoRK, Feb. 21.-The weekly review of R. 0. Dun dt Go. says: The prevailing inn pression in business circles is rather less con- ddeat than it was week ago. There are several signs of improvement. Cold weather has caused little more activity in some lines of trade. Wheat is little stronger, andswithout clearly defined reason there is q frmsr tone in the eastern iron markets, while the reduction in the Bank of England rate from to per cent. with its large gain of $4,S15, 600 in gold during the past week di- ninishes the chance of inconvsnient de- mands from abroad.
 Business at Boston is rather quiet, dull as to wool, with prices fsvoring buyers; more active in dry goods, with cottons very firm. but moderate in woolens; hides are dull and domestic weaker, and the shoe factories are not all fully employed
 At Philadelphia the dry goods trade Is not what it should be for the season, conserva- tism prevailing, though the retail trade is better and good spring trade is expected. Wool sells slowly, coal is very dull, hardware dull, tobacco quiet, with slow collections and the grocery trade generally depressed, collections very poor.
 and receipts of beef products and lard are nearly if not quite doubled, with gain of per cent. in cheese and some improvement in hides and wool, but no change is seen in clothing, though the dry goods trade eom- pares fairly with last years, and the shoe trade is only fair. Cleveland notes fairly good trade. Detroit observes fewer failures than were apprehended from the mild weather, but at Milwaukee extended time has been given on many large accounts and cold weather has come too late to clear the stocks in many country stores.
 Fair reports come from Omaha, St. Paul and Denver and indeed from most western and southern points, but at Kansas City the trade is rather inactive, and at Pittsburg iro1 Is weaker, because of the increased southern competition, with duller coal trade but good business in glass. The foreign trade ol the country is not as favorable as it was two months ago. The extraordinary outgo o1 cotton has passed, and exports in January show an increase in that item of $1, ,5O0, ,O00 and in all the principal items of about 8, COG, 900, which indicates an excess of exports over imports of about $10, ,000, ,00O.
 In three weeks of February the exports from New York show scarcely any increas, and the imports an increase of only pel cent, indicating thus far an excess of i'm ports. It is difficult to account for better tone which clearly exists in the iron marke and at Philadelphia unless it be due to hop that R0ntharn iron which ia y.0u poovef l from Sheffield at 2.5O per ton to Pittsbur, 1 and selling there somewhat largely, ma, hereafter affect western rather than easterl markets. The production has been so larg that serious question exists as to the adsquac of the demand, and yet the resumption o work at the old wages by the striking coa miners in Alabama will put three large ney furnaces into operation speedily. Fo Bessenaer pig there is no demand at Phila delphia, the bar market Is not satisfactory the plate and structural mills are still bus on old orders, but doing little new bushes
 and there are reports of steel rails offered g less than $85 per ten.
 The woolen manufacture has not percep
 ibly gained and sales of raw wool at Bosto
 were <, 370, 900 pounds with weakness excsr
 for Australian and some qualities ( domestic. The cotton manufacture is activ'
 but must soon feel the high cost of materia
 Tho business failures occurring throughor
 the country during the last seven days
 reported to R. G. Dun & Go. and E. Russo
 & Oo. of the mercantile agency number ft
 the United States 230 and for Canada fort. one, or total of 271 as combared with 3(
 last week, and 321 the week previous to u
 last. For the corresponding week of Ia year the figures were 270, representing 2s failures in the United States and forty -one
 Canada.