Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-12-15

TRADE is DULL.
The Customary Falling OF in Business lust
Before the Holidays.

New York. Dec. 14.-BradstreetS, to-
morrow, will say: There is the expected
slackening in wholesale and iobbing lines
customary and immediately preceding the
Christmas holidays. All the large East
ern centers except Pittsburg and Buffalo,
report trade as quiet or dull. The first
named reports Unexpectedly numerous
general orders and better demand for iron
and steel Eastern wooden manufacturers
discounted the expected effects of changes
in wool tariff, Jan. /. Philadelphia shoe
dealers report trade as Unexpectedly ac-
tive.
Throughout the Northwest, including
Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee,, Minneapo-
lis, st. Paul and Duluth, the volume of
business has, with occasional exceptions,
been smaller than usual due TO the un-
seasonable weather. Cities throughout
Central West and further West report a
moderate volume of trade with no pros
pect of improvement this month. Re
striction is noticed in the distribution of
clothing shoes, rubber goods, pig iron and
light hardware.
General trade in the South is very
quiet, except for Christmas speeialties.
Mercantile collections in Central and
Southern cities is better than expected,
In staple lines of distribution, fancy
groceries, dry goods and clothing leads.
The feature at New Orleans is the revival
of exports of bulk grain. On the Pacific
coast general business is rather better than
previously. Portland, Oregon, announces
a good country demand, and San Fran
cisco that the recent rains have greatly
helped the outlook for California wheat,
though the exceptionally heavy stocks on
hand tend to depress quotations.
New York and Boston advices indicate
a prospect for higher rates for money in
the near future. At Providence the manu-
facturers of cheap woolens have had n
good season General trade at Philadel-
phia is quite dull, and at Pittsburg col
lections are unsatisfactory, notwithstand-
ing the improvement in volume. Four
teen Western and Northwestern cities
agree that general trade has continued
dull, quiet or of moderate proportions,
and at Chicago the admission is made of
a decreasing volume. Unfavorable weather
had something to do with the check to
the distribution of merchandise, and the
season is responsible for most of it. Mer-
camille collections are only fair at Cincin-
natl and Northwestern cities, slow at De
troit, seasonably good ut Louisville. Kan
sas City, st. Louis and Chicago, and inn
proved at Des Moines.
Among the Southern cities, Chatta-
nooga and Atlanta report a light volume
of business, and Memphis and New Or
leans each moderate gain. Trade is good
at jacksonville, where travel has stlmu-
lated it, but remains quiet and unchanged
at Charleston, Birmingham, Savannah,
| Nashville and Augusta, and dull at Cal
weston. Mercantile collections are sea
sonarly good at Jacksonville Atlanta ana
! Nashville, fair at Charleston, Birmingham
and Memphis, and better at Chattanooga,
/ Prices this week show the effect of trade
reaction incident to the close of the year,
with lower prices for cotton goods, pros
pectivcly for woolens, cotton, sugar, coffee,
I pork, oats, Indian corn, wheat and Bessc-
mer pig iron, and higher prices reported
/ for hogs at Western centers, owing to re
stricted receipts, and for pig tin and cop
per. There is a speculative Cnominal) ad-
vance in the pirce of petroleum, and some
/ low grades of leather, and a few varieties
of lumber at Western centers are higher
/ Steady quotations are maintained for lard
and cattle, crude and refined petroleum.
naval stores, coal, lumber and steel billets
! Australian wool continues to sell at less
/ than the cost Of importation, buyers
waiting to note the effect of the reduction
of duty.
| The aggregate bank clearings this week
/ in the United States was S1,0l9, 900, 600
a decrease of 1873 per cent. compared with
the week before, an increase of 1913 per
cent. compared with the second week OF
December 1898. and decrease of 24.6 per
/ cent compared with the like week two
years ago.
November gross earnings of 1876 rail
roads, having 100, 600 miles OF main line,
aggregate 1914, 567,7 a decrease from
/ November of last year of Ia per cent.
This is the smallest monthly falling OIL
for Is months, during which period In
only one month, August, 1894, was there
an increase over the like month OF the
year before. For II months, 133 com
panies, with 90, 1875 miles, earned sl32,
35S. $50, a decrease from 1893 of 1.9 per
cent.
Wheat stocks in the United States have
begun to decrease sharply earlier than
customary. Exports Of wheat tfiour in
cluded as wheat from both coasts of the
United States, tCaaada none), amount to
,. $50, 900 bushels, against 3,217, 900 in the
same week last year.
Three hundred and eighty-three failures
were reported throughout the United
States, this week, compared with 337 in
the second week of December, 1898 Re
ports from the South continue to show
double or more than double the usual
weekly totals at this season in that region,
and large increase is noted in the mum
Der reported from the Northwest.