St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-24

!, tion Available = Decreasing
80 shipments of Merchandise to
- Other Countries = Domestic
Trade Does Not Increase.
NEW YORK, Feb. 23.-R. &. Dun &
Co.'S weekly review: A waiting conai-
ti0n OF business is one IN which weekly
fluctuations mean nothing. Business of
all kinds is hesitating until more can be
! determined about the future, and mean
0wliile orders which will keep hands at
/ work for a time are given and accepted,
this week increasing as in some others
decreasing, without affording reasona-
bie indications OF the future. Prices
are again greatly depressed as, low or
lower than ever, having been made in
wheat, silver anu some manufactured
products, and neither cotton. wool nor
raw iron have advanced. The glutted
money markets continue to show that
the volume OF business is still made
Quate to employ the circulation availa-
BILE. Il the withdrawal of about $780,
600. 600 from the New York market by
the sale OF. government bonds does not
S"NS~ e"S SAPSStSA tiCliiS VI
rates. With gradually decreasing ship
ments of merchandise to other countries
fereign exchange rises, and some eX-
ports of gold are expected.
The volume of domestic trade does
not seem to increase. In all clearing
house payments the decrease is 44.6 per
cent for the week, against 37.S for the
previous week. and about 37.5 for the
month thus far.
Industrial changes have been few, but
a little better demand for some textile
goods has started more mills than have
stopped. There is a better feeling in
fancy notions. though some goods are a
shade lower. WOODEN dress goods are
steady with fair demand, and though.
orders for heavy woolenS and worsteds
are light. they are a little better, some
agents having made fair progress. En-
enlargement is felt by some in the cal
culatlOn that clothiers have done about
60 per cent of the usual spring business
while manufacturers have done about
329, so that clotllerS' stocks must be re-
duced.
Shipments of boots and shoes for the
week show a decrease of 24.S per cent,
ouu IOl tIc uuOltH ~ per cents against
20.2 in January, and buyers are doing
very little, but in cheaper goods most
factories are at work, though not with
the full number of hands. A little i'm
prOvement is seen in women's light
and medium-priced calf goods. A
larger demand gives encourag ement in
the iron and steel manufacture, and
increases the output of mills. though it
is yet only SO to 60 per cent of their
capacity. Hence fierce competition
continues to depress prices, and while
the recent slight advance in steel billets
and pig iron has been lost, some of the
other products are still lower than ever.
Prices of commodities now average
about Las per cent higher than a month
ago. but ILL., per cent lower than a year
ago.. and, excepting this year. have
never been as low on the whole as they
are now. The failures during the past
week numbered, in the United States,
2SS against 1913 last year, and in Canada
81 against 81 last year. Both in number
and magnitude commercial disa sters
have diminished, and in the first half of
February the liabilities thus far report
ed OF all firms failing amounted to only
S~S.3l9,69S, OF which S3.679. S45 were of
manufacturing and S4,559, 375 of trading
concerns. The aggregate of liabilities
was 50, GAG, 252 in two weeks of January.