The morning call., 1891-09-03
CONDITION OF TRADE.
A Fair Demand for Both Produce
aud Merchandise.
Wheat Continues Stiff and Active-Coal Pros
pects-Bank Clearings-GEoceries and
Provisions-Etc

Business is called brisk by some and slow
by others. The latter appear to be in The
majority. 1t is of average seasonable pro-
portions, however There is some COM
plant about collections. but failures are
neither numerous nor large. The local
bank clearingS last week showed the US ual
increase, being SIS, ,442, 900, against Sl7 ,S54,-
400 for the same week last year. The clear
ings in August were S76.7T7. 191, against
| S75. .S27. 1854 in August, 1892 For the first
eight months of 1891 they were S576, $50, 537.
against $3.50. So, $50 during the same period
in 1890. With gains of $4,000, 600 in bank
cearings thus far this year. and the hne
| Custom-h0use showing at the end Of this
article, and with good prices for most kinds
OF grain, who shall say that business IS dull?
THE GRAIN MARKET.
Wheat is very unsettled and the oldest
| operators cannot fix definite prices In the
face of the daily sharp fluctuations abroad.
| Yesterdays quotation for No. l shipping
| was 81 10 but it was nominal as very little
! trading was done. The general tendency of
| wheat, however, is upward. Tonnage on
| the way TO this port has reached the enor-
nous total of 100000 tons, SO we shall nave
ships enough without doubt by and by.
Barley Is quiet and easy and offering
| freely. The same remark applies to oats.
Corn continues neglected and weak at tie
rive is at present more prominent than
ever before as far as the United States is
| concerned. The Cincinnati Price Current
| says:
The rye crop Is never large one In the United
! States. the maximum heretofore being about
3O,0oO,0O0 bushels. The indications are mat
this years crop is about 33 oOo, ,oo0 9usneis,
produced on about 100000 acres. Ordinarily
| this grain has been chiefly consumed in this
country for bread purposes and dlstllllns: Fig ndg
ures show a total expectation OF 17,153,O0O
bushels IN eleven years-an average OF 1,6lO,ooo
| bushels yearly for this peilod-qulte an lllpor-
tant quantity. The exports have been chiefly TO
| Germany Belgium and Holland. During the
eleven years there was exported $4,000 barrels
| OF rye huur-averaging slightly over 1000 bar
res yearly. 1t is not unllkeiy that 1O,OOo,ooo
| bushels OF rye can be supplied for expectation
the ensuing year.
Flour is strong and selling well.
Bran and middlings are in quick demand
at the nigh prices
Grain bags are steady at S1a cents and So
cents.
GENERAL COUNTRY PRODUCE.
TIE receipts of hay last week reached the
high total Of 5174 tons, and on Monday of
| this week there were l4j carloads awaiting
purchasers on the hay tracks. No market
can stand such a torrent OF receipts day
| after day, and prices have gone down about
81 per ton since last review, with fine
chances for another dollar being Topped off
if the receipts keep up to their recent vol
ume. The deliveries at this point this year
| are Unprecedented, and if the farmers tried
| 10 smash their own market they could not
! follow surer course.
! Beans, too, are demoralized at a marked
decline. almost all varieties being quoted
lower. New whites, pinks, Bayos and black
| eyes have. app -ared during the week. The
market is very dull.
The potato market continues overstocked
! and very low. Onions have ruled firmer,
| and a small advance has been established.
The butter market has gone up rather
sharply, as iue butter has suddenly become
| scarce. Fine eggs are firm, but the market
is heavily supplied with the Eastern article.
| Cheese is in free supply and easy.
Dealers report q fair inquiry for honey at
| unchanged prices.
The fruit market is less interesting now
The glut is over, as the season has passed
its full, and from now on receipts will stead
| ily diminish, with the exception of grapes.
Dried fruits continue dem0ralZed and
neglected. Peaches and prunes have again
| declined and nectarlnes are practically un-
salable There are no buyers in sight and
the trade is getting discouraged. Raisins
are equally neglected, though freely offered
at liberal concessions from the prices asked
at the opening OF the season.
Wool is quiet and unchanged. Hides are
inactive aud weak. Hops are again lower
and dealers repor; utter stagnatiOn in the
Boef is firm. Otherwise the meat market
is featureless.
GROCERIES AND PROVISIONS.
The imports of sugar, c0ff-e. rice and tea
at san Francisco by water for the first
seven months of the year were as follows
compared with the same period iu 1890:
Sugar, 257, 116,200 pounds. against 200, 166,-
500 pounds ccffee, 10 6SS,G00 pounds, against
17.OS2 200 pounds; rice, 80, ,437, 600 pounds,
against %, S62, 700 pounds; tea, 1861, 100
pounds, against !, ,S32, 240 pounds The total
value of:.these imports this year was Sl5,-
637.S $50.
changed prices; coffee is steady at rates
quoted last week. Prices of rice show no
variation worthy OF note. Provisions are
quiet but frm.
Canned fruits continue excessively weak
and Gamers are more than willing TO re-
duce quotations to sell. Prices afe much
lower now than at the beginning of the sea-
son, ana the tendency is still downward
The Eastern buyers still fight shy of this
market, which is duh and getting demoral-
ized
Canned salmon is dull and weak. The
recent auction sales in Great Britain have
demoralzed the foreign markets.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Tin-plate continues scarce and firm at
81 to 81 10 per box.
Tobacco is in fair demand, though there
is considerable complaint about collections
i Foreign imports at this port during the
FIRST seven months Of 1891 were S33, sos 600,
against S26,6l1;0O0 during the same period
in 1880. AS will be noticed, we are nearly
$1,000, 600 ahead of last year. Nearly S1,000-
coo is to be credited to the Hawaiian Isl
andS, due to the early marketing of the
bulk of the sugar crop in order to get the
benefit Of contracts based on dutiable
sugars, which became free April 1st.
Coal on tile spot Is more or less scarce.
but there is plenty on the way, If all signs
are not false. The weeks receipts were
| %, ,Oj0 tons coast and 2997 tons foreign. The
tons, against 6GG, 100 tons during the same
period in 1880. Tho impression that we are
to havo reasonably cheap coal next winter
is gaining ground On this point local
trade circular has this to say:
The arrivals for thirty DAYS have not kept pace
| with our consumption, so that the outlook Is, we
| shall not have surplus on hand to open our
| winter trade With, which should Insure m;,in-
! quantity OF foreign Goals to arrive here from En-
gland, Scotland and Australia within the next
three months. but 1uly seveniy.hye per cent OF
| this amount has been contracted for delivery on
| arrival 10 large consumers, at a small advance
!. over cost This has been, aud Will continue to
| be, a favorable year for manufacturers to secure
their fuel at low figures, and nearly all have con.
4 trtcied already for their years requirements.
| Although freights on coal aie quoted low from
| Great Britain, which, under ordinary circum-
/ stances. should affect the prices OF British Col
| umbia products, all The domestic grades which
| they are shipping are thls year sold from ships
side, none of 1t being yalded. Several cargoes
OF Australian were sold this week. in transit,
and early loading, at full figures
Custom. house returns just to hand show
that during July the. value of imports at
this port was S3,6l2, ,6S3, and exports 81 2S4, :
070. The imports for the firstseven months
of the present year we're valued at 33.571,-
l 0S4, against S2S, .204 for same time in
1890; and exports at S25, ,144, against
Sl9,372626 in 1890 Such an increase in
both exports and imports does not sustain
the dull times reports so prevalent