The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-10-20
FINANCE and TRADE.
Leading Business Features Those
Of Moderate Improvement.
IMPROVEMENT OVER LAST YEAR

The Improvement. However, IL Slight, and
Is Considerably Below the Business of
Two Years Aso-PrIoe of Bar Iron Lower
Than In England.
NEW YORK, Oct 20-Bradstreets' re-
View of trade says: With few exceptions
the leading features of the business situa-
tfon have been those of continued moder-
ate Improvement, although the total vol
ume of business, so far as indicated by
bank clearings throughout the country,
will require considerable expansion to
compare favorably with corresponding to-
tails two years ago. The relatively favor
able bank clearings Is Offset In part by a
decline in prices of staples, coffee alone
scoring slight advance.
Lard is lower in price, and the prospect
for cessation of textile labor difficulties at
the east has weakened the print cloth mar,
ket As serious as any other decrease is
that in cotton, the feature of trade south
this week being check to purchases by in
terior merchants for spring delivery and
slower mercantile collections, due to lower
prices for cotton.
The strength of foreign exchange and
goid engagements for the week, aggregat-
ing 81 100000, have disturbed the specula-
".
Current decreases in railroad earnings are
aseribed to the effect of the heavy Worlds
fair passenger traffic year ago.
Textile labor difficulties az New Bed
ford are reported practically settled, and
about one-half of the looms at Fall River
are again at work. The Improvement re-
Gently reported by manufacturing jewellers
at Providence Is maintained, and Buffalo
dealers In building materials report moro
activity. Philadelphia's wooden textile
Industries are more active than a year
ago, but are not doing the business of
two years ago Baltimore iobbors having
extended relations south report relatively
greatest activity in Virginia and North
Carolina.
Nearly all the more important business
centers west and northwest report moder-
ate activity, but few of them announce
new features
At four southern cities general trade is
reported to have shown some Improvement
Memphis Jacksonville, New Orleans a"d
Galveston, but at Savannah, Augus.a
Atlanta and Nashville increased cotton
receipts and lower prices have had an un-
favorable influence. At Charleston, Chat
tanooga and Birmingham business has
been quiet
~, VI bui @ TO- TOVlcw says. Cotton
below cents and wheat below b5 cents,
each lower than ever since present elassi-
fcatlons were known, with exports of
gold instead of products at such prices in
October, are the Salient features in busi-
ness this week. Distribution of goods to con-
sumers goes on fairly, with gains at nearly
all points in comparison with last year,
but not yet ut a rate to sustain the present
volume of manufacturing production, SO
that prices weaken little.
The iron and steel business makes bet
ter showing this week, Bessemer pig hav-
ing stiffened to $40 80 at Pittsburg, and at
Chicago and New York further structural
and bridge orders have been placed, but
bar iron has fallen to 90 cents for common
and 81 for steel at Pittsburg, which are
prices below those current in Great Brit
air, There is good demand for sheets, and
some good bridge contracts are reported
During the past week the failures have
been 25S in the United States, against 841
for the same week last year, and 4B In
Canada, against 80 last year.