St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-23

90 6S@5oAA Va
tomorrow, Dec. %, Will say: The feat
ures of the business week are the uni
formity in reports that general trade is
quite as much or more depressed than
previously; that holiday trading has
been unsatisfactory and far below that
or a year ago.: and continued closing
down of important industrial establish
nents, reductions of wages and in
creased instances where short time is
being enforced. Nearly all staple mar
kets are quiet almost to stagnation, the
exception having been cotton, the price
OF which was stimulated late in the
the week by revival of confidence In
low crop reports. Wheat, too. was
higher for a time, but reacted. On
the other hand, pig ron never was
lower than at present. Commercial
travellers are on the road to a very linz
tied extent. as is usual at this season.
n stock-taking is beginning at many
points, which tends to emphasize the
lack of business activity. With the ex-
ception of Augusta, Ga, and possibly
one other point, absolutely no claim to
even a slight improvement in line
or business is made at any point this
week. Exports of wheat from both
coasts of the United States are not as
large as last week, amounting to only
z.605, 600 bushels, about go per cent of
the total a year ago, and three-QuarterS
or the aggregate SO shipped in the week
two years ago. Special kilograms to
Bradstreet's from 119 important cities
throughout the country indicate the
total number Of employees in industrial
and other lines out of work at this time
from all causes. together with the total
number of people directly dependent
for support upon those so rendered idle,
is nearly 5000. 900.
BUSINESS FAILURES
in the United States number 953 this
week, against 337 last week, 293 a rear
ago, 3l3 two years ago and $40 three
years ago. Transactions in lumber,
leather, wool, dry goods, and in fact
almost all staple lines, are for actual
wants only, aud the outlook is not for a
material revival during the next sixty
days. There is an Improvement in
Christmas trade among retailers at a
few Western cities. This is true at
Cleveland, where business in other re-
speets is unchanged. At Cincinnati
trade is very quiet. Transactions in
staple goods at Toledo are reported
fair, but in other lines busine So is very
dull. The holiday trade at Detroit is
less than anticipated, and Industrial
lines continue inactive. All depart
ments of business are reported
dull at indianapolis and Louis
vile. The volume of Christmas
trade at Chicago is only fair, and
in other lines there is comparatively
little doing, travellers being off the road
and merchants receiving relatively few
orders by mail. This is the beginning
of the season for inventories. which
emphasizes the dizziness. Jobbers in
hats and shoes at ST. Louis report busi-
ness restricted to actual rants and the
movement of iron as slow as ever. There
is no activity in business circles at
Kansas City. aside from Christmas spe-
c~ialties, except in lines of cheap goods.
Trade remains steady at Omaha.
though smaller than a year ago, and
dizziness characterizes the situation at
Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Duluth aud
St. Paul, as for weeks past. On the
Pacific coast the feature is the San
Francisco Traffic associations contract
with the North American Navigation
company for 500. 600 for another years
competing steamer service via Panama
to New York city. Wholesale trade Is
seasonably quiet in the province of
Ontario, which is true also i'll Quebec,
commercial travellers being at home
over the holidays.