Birmingham age-herald., 1894-12-15
TIE TREND OF TRADE. Bradstreet and Dun Review the
 Situation. CHRISTMAS TRADE GOOD Reports of Chief Industries Not Encouraging-The Iron
 Market.

NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-Bradstreet's to- morrow will say: There is the expected slackening in wholesale and jobbing lines customary immediately preceding Christ mas holidays. At some points stock taking has begun and at others will soon begin. With lev exceptions sales of Christmas specialties, notions and fancy groceries by jobbers and at retail show the only activity in the movement of merchandise, and no improvement is expected until the new year.
 All larger eastern centers, except Pitts burg and Buffalo report trade quiet or dull. Eastern wool manufacturers have dis counted the expected effects of the changes in the wool tariff on January l. Philadel- phia shoe dealers report trade unexpectedly active.
 Through the northwest the volume of business has, with occasional exceptions, been smaller than usual, due to unseason- able weather. Cities throughout the cen tr9l west and further west report moder- ate volume of trade, with no prospect of improvement this month.
 General trade south is very quiet, except for Christmas specialties. Mercantile col Iections at central southern cities are bet CT than had been expected. Iu staple lines the distribution of fancy groceries, dry goods and clothing leads. The feature at New Orleans is the revival of exports of bulk grain. On the Pacific coast gen. eral business is rather better than pre- vlously.
 DUN'S WEEKLY REPORT.
 NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-R. G. Dun & Go. 8 weekly review of trade will say tomorrow: Contra adictory chan ges in business are quite in order at this season. Neither the larger orders In some branches nor the depression of prices in others afford safe indication of the general movement. But the work ing force does not lessen more than usual for the time of the year, the demand for goods does not seem to diminish, though in host departments 1t is considerably be- low the capacity of works in operation, and the volume of business transacted is little larger in comparison with last year than in November.
 The detailed reports regarding the chief industries are not altogether encouraging. The iron output increased during the mouth oi November, and was 16s, 762 tons weekly December ] against 162 ,666 Novem- Der 1, but the ihcrease in slocks unsold was 50, 149 tons, which averages Il, 700 tons per week, indicating that the increase in production during the month oi November was not supported by the demand of pro- ducts. Accordingly prices have beea de- clining, the general average of articles quoted being only 54.9 of the average in October, 1890, against 55.7 on the 1st of December. The PHtsburg market shows IHOSl Wtdkutboy DtsociuGi PiS DCiuS IdObcu at S10 15, gray forge offered at s9.30 and bar iron selling at 90 cents, but in structural forms the eastern demand is sufficiently large to cause a slight advance in beams.
 Cotton goods are demoralized by some reduction and by the announcement Of great auction sale oi 27 ,0C0 pieces by Bliss, Fabyn & Co.,, and the irregularity iu vari- ous staples increases, although print cloths are steady.
 Money comes to New York iu large aInoupt ts, making the transfer by the treas ury to New Orleans look little fanciful, and no increase appears in the demand for commercial loans, except in transactions on account of the sugar trust in order to carry out certain purchases of the gas party iD Brooklyn. Hardly ever has there been as little call for strictly commercial uses as at this time. Exports of gold for the week will amount 10 S3, 500, ,000, and there has been considerable selling of American securities London account, and as long as this contiu1es outgoes of gold must be expected.
 he failures for the past week have been 349 in the United States, against 339 last year, and 4) in Canada, against 40 last year.