The morning call., 1890-12-31
CONDITION OF TRADE.
The Characteristic Features Of
:. the Close of the Year.
A Review Of the Coal Trade Produce Very
Dull-Merchandise Has Holiday Quiet
.ness-Cereals Firm.

This being holiday week, trade is dull.
1t always is at the close Of the year. But it
usually picks up after the turn of the year,
and it is not probable that the beginning of
1891 will prove an exception to the rule.
The past year has been highly prosperous,
and if 1891 keeps abreast Of it nobody ought
to complain.
The close of the year has two. character
istics. One is close money market, though
funds are not sufficiently tight to produce
any material advance in rates Of interest.
The ether is general dizziness in all lines
of. produce which are dependent on New
York and other Eastern purchasing centers.
The financial panic in the East is practically
over, but its effects are yet visible in wide
spread trade stagnation which seriously in
terferes with the distribution of cur hides,
hops, wool, dried and canned fruits, raisins,
ETC.. This condition will work itself right
again in due course Of time, and as it Is
merely transitory. our people need have but
a little patience. Our staples are needed in
the. East, and when the Eastern people get
in funds again they will resume purchasing.
THE GRAIN MARKET.
Cereals show no pronounced change from
last week. Wheat, barley, oats and corn
have all moved up about 2R cents per
CtHials anu dIt III ldit ictucSl. hyc ID llt-
elected at slight decline. Bran and mid
dlingS have not been changed, and are re-
ported ia steady demand at firm prices.
Flour meets with a fair inquiry at the old
quotations.
GENERAL COUNTRY PRODUCE.
Produce shows a number OF changes this
week.
Potatoes continue shaky, under heavy
supplies Buyers hold off, and trade is ac-
cordingly dull, Onions keep steady.
Beans have made general decline. The
market is not very heavily stocked, but the
demand is slack.
Butter has ruled firm during the week.
with moderate supplies. Firkin and picked
roll butter are we'll nigh exhausted. Cheese
is steady, and choice mild new is not over
abundant.
Both Eastern and California eggs have
try Is in abundant supply, at least twenty
five carloads having arrived from the East
during the past fortnight.
Raisins are dull at a marked decline and
the New York dealers continue to make
wholesale reflections of our shipments of
various preteXtS
Dried fruits and nuts continue very dull.
IN fact, there is no motion in any descrip-
ton and prices have not changed for some
lime.
Honey has made material advance dur
ing the past fortnigl t. Stocks here are con-
siderably reduced and free shipments to
Liverpool are being made.
Hops are dull and no sales of any conse-
ouence are reported.
Wool is quiet at the recent decline. Hides
continue depressed and are about as cheap
as they were ever known to be.
The meat market shows little change
Large calves are abundant and lower, and
mutton is firm.
GROCERIES AND PROVISIONS.
Groceries OF all kinds are quiet, chiefly be-
cause stock-taking has engrossed the atten-
ton of the trade. Sugar is in fair demand
at last weeks prices. The Oxnard Beet
Sugar Company, which now has large aud
successful beet sugar refinery in operation
at Grand Island, Nebr., will erect in time
Tor the beet harvest of this year on the Chino
Ranch, San Bernardino County. refinery
OF capacity Of 500 tons of beets daily, or
fifty tons of sugar. Que million dollars will
be spent In this enterprise and the factory
Will be one OF the largest and best equipped
in the United States. The owner of the
CHINO Ranch has contracted for the planting
OF 5000 acres in beets, 250Q acres OF which
will be Immediately sown.
Coffee is dull ana featureless.
kice has made general decline.
PROVISIONS are quiet, with continued
weak tendency in hang, bacon and lard.
Barreled pork has been marked down.
Scanned fruits are still quiet, though there
has been some little inquiry from Missouri
River and Territorial points
GENERAL MERCHANDISE.
Merchandise, like produce, is dull. The
past fortnight has been devoted to stock
taking, and less attention has therefore been
paid to selling gods. Metals are quiet at
about last weeks prices. Tobacco is dull
Dry goods are not exempt from the prevail
Ing lull. Coal is about the most active
artiae in the market. Prices show no
fufSDer change. but their general tendency
is downward. as the winter is half gone and
increased supplies are on the way. The re-
ceip:s for the week were is, $40 tons Coast
and 1867 tons English. A local circular to
the trade, after noting the recent decline in
Coast descriptions, says:
Tie British Columbia shipments show no
change, as The merits oil the coal warrant the
lar grade from Australia and Great Britain come
TO band more freely. they will Liz ewise be marked
down. The railroad strike in Scotland win stop
all coal shipments from that section during lis
continuance. Latest cabled freight rates from
Ausiralia VIII not permit any contracts to be
made Tor future delivery, at low figures; owners
are nnains more profitable business for vessels
In oiher directions. This will have tendency
to delay any great decline later in the season..
The labor troubles at the Wollongong collieries
are not yet settled, hence no vessels are being
loaded in Sydney. There are over 1000 tons
OF coal now en- route IRON Newcastle Australia,
all OF which viii come TO a good market, as there
is absolutely none i'll stock, and every cargo en-
route has already passed out Of first hands.
The same authority gives the receipts of
coal at this port during the year at 1,l97, $50
tons, against ,351 1857 in 1889, and 1856, 1853
In 1888: OF this years receipts, 440. 81 tons
came from British Columbia, 1874, 725 tons
from Australia against 409, 032 tons in 1880,
and 4S2.0S0 tons from coast mines. The
sharp falling off in the receipts from Aus
tralia were the chief cause of the recent
and current high prices, though the Well
ington strike was an important factor.
Cordage has been marked down half