The Portland daily press., 1894-07-14
The Country Has Felt the Effect Of
the Strike this Week,
AND BUSINESS HAS BEEN PARA
LIVED EAST AND WEST.
Merchants Could Not Fill Orders and Took
Their Travelling Men Off the Road
Manufacturers Could Not Get Supplies
and Closed-The List of Failures for the
Past Week Was s29 Against 39s of a
Year Ago.

New York, July 13.-Bradstreets tomor-
row will say: During the greater portion
of the week the general wholesale business
at Chicago and centres within territory
tributary was practically paraIyzed by the
railroad strike. The larger eastern cities
felt the effect of the tie mp insthe restricted
receipts of live stock, meat and produce.
Western manufacturers and merchants
suffered loss through their inability to Sc
cure supplies and raw materials from the
East. The Industrial situation is greatly
improved and the failure of the American
hallway union boycott appearsscomplete.
Railroad traffic is generally resumed, and
the number of idle men has been greatly
reduced. In other lines the situation has
improved. The coke strike is conceded a
failure and operatives are returning to
work. A settlement of Potters strike at
Trent after lasting six months means the
re-empl loyment of thousands. A number of
the small strikes are reported, and there
are 5000 fewer idle because of the STRIKE
Friday of this week is better than last on
iron steel, lumber, shoes, wool and cotton.
Manufacturing industries at the larger Eas-
tern and Western centres have made practi-
cally no shipments, and commercial tr aders
throughout the centrals and western states
are generally compelled to leave the road.
The low ebb of trade is reflected lin $780,
100000 bank earnings for the week, and
three per cent more then reached in the
previous week, owing to the shrinkage in
bank clearings of totals for July of last
year. The weeks total shows decrease
compared with last year of only IL 1-2 per
cent. Aside from influences already re-
ferred tosthe feature.of the week at.Boston.
as at other eastern centres. Higher prices
for grain and provisions, and more ease is
now reported. Buffalo reports increased
live stock. and shipments from Indiana
which would have gone to Chicago and Bal
timore smaller. and trade from the West
and fewer orders are then expected from
the South A fair volume of business in
shoes is reported from Philadelphia, but
practically no noteworthy movement lat
Pittsburg.
ALI Southern cities say that business is
very dull. The Georgia markets report tur-
pentine has advanced in price, and in New
Orleans that sugar is not in special demand
and little is doing. Rice is higher and in
request. Exceptionally favorable trade
prospects are reported from points inTexas
ing the past fourteen weeks,an is about six
Millions bushels more than in the like por-
tion of last year, an it is significant, in
view of the insistence in trade that the
invisible domestic supplies are almost ex-
hausted. The exports of wheat and flour
included for both coasts of the United
States and Canada this week, equal 2,377,-
600 bushels,s compared with 4,l34 100 the sec
T,,11r In
of III railroads for June, show an saverage
decrease compared with June of 1893, of 20
per cent. The figures reflect the coal strike
A decrease of the gross earnings in May of
II per cent and for the six months ending
June 30,the average decrease in gross is 16
per cent. There are 229 failures in the
United States reported this week against 3S
the second week of July last year. An
examination of the staple prices compared
with the middle of 1891. following the Bar
ing embarrassment, indicates that flour has
declined 40 per cent, and wheat As per cent,
corn 81 per cent and oats are 80 per cent
higher than three years ago. Pork and
lard are respectively Is and IL per cent
higher than three years ago. The changes
in prices of butter and cheese are less sig
nifcant. No such radical movement is exhi-
D1ted In prices 1or pflD5 hS,Sugar, ,coHee,
cotton, efned petroleum, anthracite coal,
raw wool has dropped 81 per cent; pig iron,
bessemer and anthracite rs per cent billets
81 per cent; bituminous coal 30 per cent.
A demand for leaf tobacco is reported
from Louisville and at Chicago and st.
Louis manufacturers and jobbers report
the volume of trade still sfar below that
usual at this period of midsummer depres-
sion. Kansas City is seriously affected by
the railway strike, but goods are being
freely shipped there now. Omaha is appar-
emily less affected. At Milwaukee the re-
stircted traffic is sew erely felt. Duluth re-
ports several lumber deals requiring excep-
tionallly low prices to close them.