New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-16
MONEY md BUSINESS.

Financial. commercial and industrial statistics
.,iu indicate. ON the whole, considerable decrease
in the volume of business this year compared with
l,.t hut there is a curious irrc.ulariy IN tie
cborge Some cities and sections gain; also some
hr,pchcs Of trade and manufactures; while others
fail behind. Ncw-York, Boston, Philadelphia
baltimore. Pittsburg, St Louis and Kansas Oiy
are falling behind last years trade, but CHICAGO
and generally the cities OF the region between '"c
>Ilegbanies and the Mississippi north oil the ono
are gaining largely and the gam on the l"ci"0
Coast is large Part OF the Southern cites s'il'
INIT mart lose Among branches OF industry ana
trade iron and steel fall much behind last year,
while the woollen manufacture gains hrscN' coz
TON and boots and shoes show some GAM an"
,or< packing increases heavily, but the slIh h'Hu
facturc is much depressed. AS general r.s"lU
shinuents of merchandise Westward from New
York are in quantity slightly more IMAM i'sV So",
in January ll6,442 tons against llI''lo' WIN
cast-bound shipments have been but l,lVo''o'
tons arainst 1854 1898 last year, showing " liSc
decrease In aggregate tonnage Inc eaIhlhbS VI
-, railroads for January were indeed S2l6O,ooV
marc than last year, but the mileage was aiSo
,,root.r and the earnings per mile S4OS against
Sqos n oain of per cent. As the rates charged
arc certainly more than per cent hlShcr IMAM
year aro this also indicates decrease IN quaint
,ies moved The exchanges for the irSt week ol
February included heavy monthly payments on
business Of last year, and yet showed an lhcIcose
of only 9 per cent at all clearing houses OUTSIDE
<ewYork. although the average OF prices was
fully 10 per cent higher.
The review of facts, therefore, indicates n ue
ercase of about 10 per cent in quantities moved
ar transferred. Considering the large shrlhkaBe
which would naturally result from scarcity oi
,roin crops and the heavy reduction in iron ana
steel manufacture resulting from the over RAPID
deyelopmcnt last year, the chief surprise is that
,b. decrease is not greater. The weekly output of
nio.iron February was but ll6,0jO tons against
az $40 January and 1861 year ago, de-
ore,sc of g per cent, but the loss in part due
~ the stoppage of Alabama furnaces because of the
etrilc. which has since ceased. On the other
hand the great Conncllsvile strike of coke workers
will probably cause stOppage Of furnaces Of even
more producing capacity in the Plttsburg region.
The stocks of unsOld iron appear from reports OF
" The Iron Age to have been especially heavy,
$40 furnaces reporting 56l,J3l tons on hand the
weekly capacity of the same furnaces being
1850.
The grain movement is retarded in part by the
scarcity of corn and oats, corn receipts at West
ern ports being hardly third of last years thus
far and in part by speculation which suppresses
exports of wheat. In January, Atlantic exports Of
wheat were but 962 53l bushels, against 1885,
Os3 last year. and for the first week of February
only s0,4jS bushels against 463,5iS last year
Yet the receipts at the interior points show an
increase over last year Of more than third for the
latest week. and were 9,2s3,223 bushels in six
weeks. against 7,3GO,500 for the same weeks last
wear Instead OF deficiency there is a large in
crease Of actual supply. But spectators are sus-
tanning prices Just as If there were bound to be a
scarcity The advance during the last week has
been one cent, while corn has declined a half a
cent oats not changing. Pork. lard aud hogs are