Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-18
BRADSTREET AND DUNN.
Business Improving, But Mighty sio"
About II.
nv tolepraph 80 Dispatch.)

NEW YORK. November 17-Brad-
streets tomorrow Will say: General tIhuS
has been irregular and without actual
increase in volume. Al the south I'M
provement In demand Is noted In Tennes-
see and Texas cities. Heavy sales OF
southern pig-iron are the most prominent
feature The Atlantic SeabOard cltles,
with few exceptions, report tfaae very
quiet, funds scarce at interior towns, ana
country merchants permitting stocks, . Io
run steadily down. Improved cOllsctohs
In Georgia warrant special notice.
The cold wave has stimulated dSHaihi
for scasonable goods at Cincinnati, LOUIS
Vile. Chicago. ST. Louis, and Omaha;
where unseasonably mild weather mao
caused a depression.
The demand for rails is checked because
OF the cut from S29 10 S2l in price, ana the
outlook for a further reduction.
At eastern cities there Is more hopeIui
feeling, but no improvement IN demahu'
except within u day or two Tor clOthlns'
woOllens, and shoes. ,-..,.-
Charleston iObbers report interior STOCKS
Of merchandise running down, and con
tinued disposition on the part OF CONNER
cisl travellers to select customers ne
volume OF general trade at NnsnNlle i
satisfactory and collections are better
and sale Of 5000 tons OF pig-ron Is re-
garded as encouraging. There u a galI
IN the movement of merchandise az Mem
phis. whore dry goods ana COLLECTIONS ar
easier: but there is little Improvement re-
ported from .AuEASLat 'shNHRN ~ N~''H
tions though receipts Of cotton there con
tinue free.
Trade Is dull in Atlanta. and without
feature but with few complaints OF cor
lections. There IS only moderate busi-
ness at Savannah, where cotton prices
are DEPRESSED by heavy receipts Country
merchants in the vicinity Of birmingham
are buying more freely, and appear able
10 pay more promptly.
The recent tendency to activity among
1 Tg1.t &c "a mi a
volume Of business at New Orleans has
declined somewhat because of inability
10 export, owing 10 lack OF tonnage
The outlook now. In Wow Of better feel
ing IS for Improvement.
4 heavier business is reported iron
Houston. where merchants arr feeling
more encouraged, although cold weather
has checked the Improvement. Like con
ditions prevail mt Galveston, where tn
bankers and merchants have tak6n a holl
day to celebrate the completion OF new
and important communication with th'
mainland.
At Baltimore iobbing IS light and thr
volume falls behind that Of 1902.
Y. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review OF
trade tomorrow will say: Business Is
gaining but II IS a constant complaint
that the improvement is slow. This Il
because very few realize how heavy q
climbing up again. Legislative uncer
taintics weigh heavily. but other loads
may be overlooked. The past depression
with trading and manufacturing failures
months besides banking failures Of enOr
nous liabilities and failure Of railway
and other firms. involve continual EN-
barrassments which men are prone tC
forget.
There has been great announcement dur
ing the past week i'm the fact that pay
ments are far more satisfactory than Il
was feared they would be. The larges
failure Of the week-that Of the Thurber
Whyland Company. ILLUSTRATES embarrass
mcnts which cannot be- terminated I'm Z
week or "A month.
Monetary difficulties no longer hinder
j is true the treasury cash has faller
to s97 3SS 59i. Of which only sS $50, Sl wa!
gold. but there Is no such alarm as ther'
was when the gold reserve at one time
went below $l00O0,0oe. Business is no
leaning on the treasury, and II Is wei
il is not But while the imports In Oc
tOber were only $5t ,7S2. and the eX
ports Of products sS4GS.S5. yet the enor
nous balance on merchandise accoun
brings in net import OF only N.VN~
The condition Of the industries I'm
proves but they will surely walt the r.
ViVal Of purchases by consumers. Twenty
four works Of al kinds have wholly o.
II part resumed against fourteen clos
! ing. Yet less than half the iron -worklnl
| power is active. and out Of ninety-nin
woollcn works at the East, forty only ar
working fun time. State factory-inSpec
tors report that out Of 5000 persons en-
nlovel fin textile mills in Philadelphia
| only LOO are at work.
The great change in steel rails, which
are said TO be selling at Pittsburg 10
| $50 instead Of so, as n fow weeks ago
| has given much stimulus 10 ihc deman'
| for materials. and western mills hav
! also taken some structural contracts !
| little better. tone is seen I'm pig-irOn. Bu
! the whole business is still small
| The decrease in the volume OF bushes
| through the clcaring-houses continue
| lust the same. and for the past week wa
| fe.G per cent. The failures for the week hay
| been 32i in the United States, against =
| last year. and 80 in Canada, against 8
| last year.