The morning call., 1890-04-09
CONDITION OF TRADE.
Importers and Jobbers Report a
Fair Average Business.
Increased Exports-The Influx Of Potatoes
The Coffee Trade-Advaucs in Grain.
Dairy Products Lower.

| responding week last year. The 10bbers
report pretty good interior demand Tor
general merchandise. The grain trade was
| cut into by Good Friday. which led the Pro-
duce Exchange to follow the example OF all
other large commercial cities Of the world
and adjourn. Money is fairly firm. there
being satisfactory inquiry on commercial
| and private account.
Despite the remarkable rains in January
and February, which so retarded business,
our exports from this port for the first quar-
ter of 1890 were more than 81, 600, 600 greater
than for the same quarter in 1889, the
amounts being respectively SO, 743. 100 and
| S9,717,6
THE GRAIN MARKET
Cereals are doing very well at present.
| There has been some excitement in barley
| dnring the last day or two and prices have
risen TO 80 and 92B cents for feed and 95
cents to 81 OH for brewing. These prices
are 81 80 per ton higher than those ruling
last week. Offerings are not large and the
demand is good.
Wheat is firm and in fair demand at a
! fractional advance. The millers report q
| satisfactory trade in -four, though the mar
| ket is not as active as it has been. The ex-
| ports of wheat and -four reduced to wheat
basis thus far this crop year amount to 49,
G63, 600 centas, valued at 81, 922, 600, against
1856 300 centals, valued at 9,477, 900, dur
| ing the same period last crop year.
Oats have been concentrated into strong
hands and prices have been marked up
| about 81 80 per ton during the week. They
are very firm at the close with slender offer
| ingS.
Corn is steadily held and meets with a
fair demand. The market Is sufficiently
| supplied.
10 IL oOI/ NJ
per Genital and offerings are less numerous.
Bran, middlings and ground barley nave
been marked up during the week. Oil
cake meal is lower.
GENERAL COUNTRY PRODUCE.
Potatoes continue the feature of the prod
uce market. The receipts from the East
| for the past four weeks amount to several
| hundred carloads and the market is now
| heavily stocked. Prices have declined from
81 % and 81 80, the ruling quotations for
| California several weeks ago, to 81 % and
| 81 80 for the same descriptions. Nothing
saves the potato market from real demorali-
| cation but the remarkable lateness OF
| new potatoes, which will not arrive suffi-
| GENTLY to affect old stock for some little
time yet. Still, as it Is, the market is very
| shaky.
| Onions are stiff at sharp recovery, ar
| rivals having been meager of late, and
! choice are now selling up to So per GENITAL.
| Good onions are scarce and mostly in the
|
| mentS from Australia are expected on Sat-
| urday's steamer.
Beans show no further change of conse-
| quence. Llmas are strong at advanced
| prices, whites are duh and colored firmly
| held, but not over active.
Dried fruits are now so well cleaned up
that there is hardly any market to quote.
| Prices for the struggling lots and odds and
ends left here are high and stiff, however.
| California raisins and prunes are reported
| bought up and concentrated in New York
and Chicago, where they are scarce and
! wanted at high prices.
Hops are neglected in sympathy with a
| depressed market at New York, where a
| decline has recently occurred.
There is nothing new in wool. The
spring clip is coming forward steadily and
meets a fair demand at unchanged prices.
Butter drags along in a dead-and-alive
| way, the market being weak and heavily
! stocked. 1t is hard TO keep stocks down to
manageable point even by free packing
Eggs have been going down nearly all
| the week. As soon as the Easter demand
was satisfied the inquiry abruptly ceased,
but receipts did not, and as renewed ship
ments from the East are looked for daily
the market has broken from II to 10 cents
to 10 to II cents per dozen and is dull.
Cheese is weak at a decline.
Wine is very firm and steady advances
are reported from the various wine dis
| trictS.
All classes of meats are in free supply
and weak, and beef, lamb and hogs are
lower.
GROCERIES AND PROVISIONS
There is net great deal to say of these
| lines this week. Salt provisions rule firm,
| in sympathy with strong markets at East
| ern packing centers, and hams are slowly
! advancing. Bacon is no higher. but firm.
| A local trade contemporary mentions as 4
| curious feature of the provision trade the
| present season the great scarcity of light
| meats. This IS accounted for in the low
prices which corn has fetched in the East;
farmers in consequence fed it plentifully to
hogs, thus rendering the meat much heavier
on the average.
Sugar has exhibited no change during the
week, and a fairly active inquiry is re-
| ported. Large quantities Of raw island
sugar have recently been sent to New Or
| leans by rail. This is sending Goals to New
castle with vengeance.
OF coffee, the private circular of r. Hoch-
kofler says:
Notwithstanding the partial recovery of the
| article In New York our market has continued
| in very sluggish condition. Tie late decline
| there has shaken the confidence OF local buyers
| IN The permanency OF present values, and they
| appear more tnau ever disposed to buy only The
| absolutely needful for daily wants. The major
lily OF Importers remain firm, guided by the high
prices ruling IN Central America, although in
few cases holders have pushed business, grant
Ing concessions on present nominal quotations.
Sales for local consumption since the 20th nit.
have been limited TO 2200 bags of all kinds,
While 1890 bags were sold for overland ship
ment The demand for The central markets Is
well sustained, particularly Tor good washed
GuatemalaS, which have been readily taken on
arrival, thus keeping stocks of this description
very much reduced. 1t is probable that the short
crops OF Java and CeylOn Will have the tendency
10 maintain relatively high values during the
year for washed Central Americans
According to the above authority the re-
ceipts OF coffee at this port in March were
31,962 bags, against SAP in March, 1889
For the first three months of 1890 they were
50,227 bags, against 47,033 in 1889, 50, 53S In
1888 and 1929 in 1887. Thus it appears
that receipts from Central America have
steadily fallen off Of late years. The sales
from first hands in March were II, 239 bags,
and the stock of Central American in first
hands April 1st was Is, 43S bags.
Rice has shown no further variations
worthy of remark.
Canned goods are quiet. A few Eastern
orders, enough to redeem the market from
stagnation, are coming in. The Gamers
generally expect to go into the coming sea-
son with very light carry-over stock, and
1t is hoped that the expected light fruit
yield East will help this market.
Canned salmon has moved off more freely
of late and dealers now report the cheaper
grades well cleaned up. Prices are low.
but speculation is dead and there is little or
no talk about futures.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Metals show no particular variation. Tin
plate and pig tin are weak Iron rules dull.
Quicksilver continues scarce and firm.
The private circular of l. Steuart gives re-
ceipts of coal In March at 81, 210 tons, the
smallest March showing for several years.
OF this total $40 tons from Australia and
1910 tons from Great Britain comprised all
the foreign coal. The receipts for the first
quarter of the year were 229.500 tons,
against 277,498 during the same period in
1889 and 257,693 in 1888. The circular goes
on to say:
An unprecedented scarcity OF coal tonnage in
Australia for present aud near iutuie loading has
enhanced the value OF all Australian coal now on
the way 10 this port, Affecting OF course spot
/ prices also, While the deliveries In port during
The past month OF all kinds OF coal have been un-
usually light, being about 80 per cent below the
average. AT the same time the market shows no
indication OF scarcity OF coal for the present.
This arises In a great measure from the dimin-