The Portland daily press., 1894-12-15
BRADSTREET'S REPORT.
The Usual Christmas Activity in
Trade.
MERCHANTS NOW LOOK FOR
A SLACKENING OF ORDERS,

And Stock-Taking Will Soon Commence
Railroad Earnings Show Small De-
crease-Wheat Stocks in the United
States Have Decreased Sharply.
New York, Decem ber 14.-Bradstreets
tomorrow will say: There's an expected
slackening in the wholesale and jobbing
lines. customary Immediately preceding
the Christmas holidays. At some points
stock-taking has begun, and at others
it will soon begin. With few exceptions,
the sales of Christmas specialties, notions
and fancy groceries by jobbers and at
retail, show only activity in the move
ment of merchandise, and 10 improve
ment is expected until the new year. All
large eastern centres, except Pittsburg
and Buffalo, report trade quiet or dull.
The first named reports Unexpectedly
numerous general orders and better de.
mand for iron and STEEL Eastern wooden
manufacturers have discounted the ex-
pected effects of changes In the wool tar
III OF January L. Philadelphia shoe deal
ers report trade unexpectedly active.
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 unseas-
enable weather. The cities throughout
the central west, and far north west. re-
port a moderate volume of trade. There
is no prospect of improvement this
month Restriction is noticed in the dis
tribution of clothing, shoes, rubber
goods, pig iron and light hardware.
General trade in the South is very
quitet, except for Christmas specialties.
Mercantile collections in the central
southern cities are better than expected.
New York and Boston advices indicate
that the prospect is fol. higher rates for
money in the near future.
! At Providence. the manufacturers of
woolens have had good season. General
trade at Philadelphia is quite dull.
At Pittsburg collections are unsatis-
factory, Notwithstanding the improve
ment in volume. Fourteen western and
northwestern cities agree that. general
trade has continued dull and quiet, or
of moderate proportions. At Chicago
admission is made of decreasing volume.
Thesunfavorable weather had something
to do with the distri button of merchan-
disc land the season responsible for most
of it. Mercantile collections were only
fair at Cincinnati and northwestern cit
es, but improved at Des.. ..Moines. u
BANK CLEARlNGS.
The aggregate OF bank clearings this
week in the United States is 81 ,019, ,OOO,-
00e. decrease of 1873 per cent, compared
with the week before, and an increase
of 1913 per cent compared with the sec
ond week of Decem Der, 1898; and de-
crease off, q per cent compared wi tn
the like week two years ago. The No
vember gross railway earnings of 1876
railroads having 100,0 miles of main
line, aggregates S44, 567, ,7s1, decrease
from Novem Der ofslast year of Ia per
cent. This IS the Smallest monthly fall
ing off for 8 months, during which--p --pe-
riod, in only one tmonth, August, 1894,
was increased over the slike month the
year before. For II months. 1873 compa-
MES, with 99,425 miles, earned S132, 1885,
$50, a decrease from 1858 of 1.9 per cent
Wheat stocks in the Cnited..States have
begun to decrease sharply earlier than
customary. Exports of wheat, flour in
oluded as wheat, from both coasts of the
United States (Canadasnone,) amount TO
2, $50, 900 bushels. against 3,217, 10000 in
the same week last year.
3S3 failures were reported throughout
the United States this week as compared
with 337 in the second week of Decem-
her last year