The herald., 1894-12-15
CONDITION OF TRADE.

Reports from all over the country in
dictate a revival OF trade and steady in.
crease of business. giving substantial
presage OF prosperous winter and a
booming spring. This improved conzi-
tion is largely due to the settlement OF
the tariff question and the relegation of
politics as q disturbing element to the
limbo OF congress. California is begin
ming to feel the eastern impetus-the
northern section in the money market
ard Southern California through on in
creasing influx of permanent population
intent upon making this section the
theater of their enterprise.
1t is reported by Bradstreet's sum-
mary OF special telegrams that in the
larger eastern cities retail trade has as
sumed characteristics Of the holiday
season. Demand from jobbers is mainly
to fiji out depleted stocks and activity
is mainly among retailers.
At the south there is a reasonable
activity in staple goods. with moderate
improvement at Nashville, Chattanooga,
Savannah. Augusta and Jacksonville
Southern jobbers are paying as much at
tention to collecting bills as to selling
goods. At Charleston. Memphis and
Birmingham trade is quiet and un-
changed. New Orleans and Galveston
likewise send unfavorsble rs ports OF the
movement OF merchandise, but at the
first named the free marketing OF crops
makes money more plentiful. though
demand for funds is small. There has
been moderate gain in distribution of
groceries, shoes and light hardware
from Galveston, but sales of dry goods
are dull.
Among central western cities, Cleve-
land and Cincinnati are exceptional in
reporting moderate gains in demand in
few lines, and at the fret named from
manufacturers. The movement of staple
merchandise from Detroit and Louis
Vile is characterized % featureless.
At Chicago sales of clothing exceed those
in like period in 1893, but the distri-
button of shoes, rubber goods and hard
waro is smaller. st. Louis jobbers re.
port the heaviest demand from nearby
country dealers to fill in stocks, and
better feeling in the finished iron and
steel trades. Kansas City jobbers send
an encouraging report, based on efforts
to push trade in Texas and favorable
results.
North OF Kansas City and west Of Chi.
fau Ia
because OF unseasonably open weather,
and throughout Nebraska and adjacent
regions owing to the rain. Some or all
of these characteristics apply TO Omaha,
Des Moines. st. Paul, Minneapolis and
Duluth, the last named announcing the
departure of the last lake vessel for the
season. Aggregate Duluth shipments
by lake this year are 100000 tons over
1898, but the receipts are tri1e
smaller.
The tendency of prices is to increased
firmness, the list OF staples show
ing advances being longer than that on
which quotations are maintained. As at
London wool sales closed 5 per cent
higher than the opening for good varie.
ties, that staple is regarded as having
advanced, although quotations for terri
tories are nominslly only steady. Amer.
ioan purchases at London amount to
$500 bales. Anthracite coal prices are
nominally advanced. Western tanners
report per cent advance in the price
Of csliskins. and Chicago announces
sales OF pig iron, and St. Louis Of scrap
iron at improved quotations. Live cat-
tie are 10c higher ut both Kansas City
and Omaha, and wheat. which mas
finally jumped ahead of corn, together
with that staple, with coffee and with
oats, is higher. Prices of leather. cop
per, lumber, Bessemer pig iron, steel
billets and steel rails, lead. tobacco. tin.
plate and naval stores are all said to be
unchanged i'll price and in instances
frmer. More important decreases in