New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-23
mnNEI ND RTNLNLSN.


when one brave and cicar-hcad"d man stopped
, ,,,,c while railroad traffic was arrested over
bol> tho Continent il has been sort ~ axiom
! in ~. street that strikes need not DO regarded
rs, anvhodv History sometimes repeats b"'
much more often supplements ana completes
ltself and when strikes are only tn outcome ~
continuing conditions. Il nay not bc safe 20 ignore
them The great coke strike. which Is IN
mo sure suppressed. the strike Of Nh" SHY work
.rs and during the past week 81 Woi"'I' 4l
many ether textile mills the strike Us Wh'h
traffic on the Great Northern road Is arrested
tn. numerous strikes in the building trades I'm
various cities which hay" b"'n EXTENSIVE" enough
- affect tho demand Tor structural forms ~ ir"n
and steel and the tar greater strike ot bl-
luminous coal miners. said - be 100" IN num-
hcr are an the natural result q conditions
which existed ever since business was Frustrated
by change IN the policy of the Government
with that change stll in progress. employers
DO not dare to restore tn rate ~ wages formerly
paid but the same ignorance and spirit which
have caused thoae contests are liable 20 produc"
others in great number. as industries are gradn-
nll forced downward toward the free trade level
How far these will affect the business transacted
10 one can judge AZ set. ANY one ~ the strikes
may be- settled in a day. but neither tho down
ward tendency Of wages nor the disposition to
resist that tendency viii be clear away NJ once
Stocks have yielded very uttlr for the last
week railroad stocks only 81 cents per 500 in
the general average while trust stocks have adj
yauccd 81 cents and 1t is claimed that this IS
altogether because money is SO abundant and
nobody can find other profitable ms" FOR l.. But
men would sc very quickly. and let their money
lie idle. II they worr satisfied that prices We're
going 10 decline. The truth IL that Wall Street
has fixed idea that the passage Of any tariff
BIN will bring better prices AT least for time.
and every body Is calculating that he can then
sell the rise. 1t is an old story that an ex-
pected rise under such circumstances rarely
arrivu. The whole theory that business must
improve with any settlement 'remoying present
uncertainties" IL open To question. The pend
ing bill would substitute nfty new uncertainties
for one that now eNls = Nobody could tell. I'm
many branches Of business what he could manu-
facturc. buy or sell with profit, and It would
take some months to find ont. The general dis
position. particularly with labor controversies
threatening on every side. would be To take as
little risk possible until the new conditions
Of manufacture and trade had been determined
by experience. Much Of the Improvement since
January has been due 10 assurance that a sea-
sons work could be- done before new duties
~
then be lost cannot now be determined
Accounts from all parts OF the country show
that there has been actual increase in solos Of
goods 10 consumers. that Is. the distribution ~
goods ordered one two or three months ago IS !
In progress. But there appears no such Increase |
In the orders given for production Of other !
goods. ON the contrary, the number Of works |
closing has been unusually large during the last
week. In cotton and woolcn manufactures clearly !
exceeding the number resuming work or IN |
creasing force Orders for the spring trade are !
being filed rapidly. but orders for the fall trade |
are as yet far below the usual mark and do not !
expand. 1t is evident that many mills are iust
now hesitating whether 10 go on with orders as
yet insufficient for a profitable season trusting
to good fortune for more. To stop at once until
the situation is clearer. The impression pre-
vaillng week two ago that the pending
Tariff bill would not be passed has apparently
weakened. and this. with the likelihood of labor
troubles checks Improvement
In metal manufactures no advance appears
but some weakness. and heavy sales Of Bessemer
iron at about so at Pittsburg II evidence that
some think prices will go no lower. are equally
evidence that much has been produced in the
expectation OF a demand which does not appear
The extreme economy OF railways such as is
shown by the reduction Of operating expenses on
ST. Paul to 51.7 per cent. stops purchases Of
railway and other material and building strikes
check demand for structural work. while the
sudden activity In wire rods. nails and barbed
wire. appears 10 have filled up the market In
cotton goods there Is no advance In price but
In print cloths a slight yielding and I'm woollens
low prices offered to get rid OF
spring stocks remaining. while new prices On
ilannels are to 10 per cent below last year
Sales OF wool are slightly larger than last year
without any advance In price To bring more wool
forward. The decrease In shipments Of boots and
shoes was but per cent for the week. owing
to decrease last year. but about l6 per o.nt
Of the force Is unemployed.
Exports Of gold last week were sS,645,SOs.
though t7lI.so+ arrived from abroad In transit,
Ind exports Of silver were se57.3H Over $780,.