Birmingham age-herald., 1894-09-22
TIE WORLD OF TRADE. Grounds for Encouragement Noted
 on All Sides.
ONE LARGE IRON SALE NOTED,
Though the Business Is Weak. The South Makes Good
 Showing.

NEW YORK, Sept. 21.-R. G. Dun & Co. s weekly review of the trade coalitions to- morrow will say: Plenty of material for encouragement, and also for discourage ment, can be found by those who seek that and nothing else. But business men, who want to see the situation exactly as it is, find accounts SO con hicting that it is diff cult to strike balance. In those depart ments of industry and trade in which the deferred business and the demand for re- plenishment of stocks have not been ex- hausted there is obvious improvement, |, and in some the business is not only larger than last year, but larger than two years ago. In others the exhaustion of the temporary demand has brought disap- pointment, because it was smaller than was expected and because the remaining demand appears uncomfortably light. In the aggregate business is about a tenth larger than last year, but still falls about 20 per cent below full volume for the sea- son.
 The iron business, after it's great increase of output last month, shows disappointing weakness at all eastern and central mar kels, with consumption not large enough to keep fairly employed the mills in opera tion. Bessemer pig is lower at $11. 20 at Pittsburg and the business is mostly man. uiactured products, and at Philadelphia is generally done at some concessions, though in structural work and in sheets the de- mand is excellent. Wire rods and nails and barbed wire are weaker, and steel bill let's and bars shade lower.
 The volume of domestic business re- hected in clearings is for the most per cent larger than for the same week last year, but 25.2 per cent less than in 1892. The level of prices for commodities of all sorts is now per cent lower than year ago.
 Foreign trado does not answer expecta- tions, exports from New York for the month thus far being $3,700, ,000, or 23 ger cent less than last year, while imports at this port are S2, ,2G0, ,000, or IS per cent larger. The money markets continue easy, but there is somewhat better demand for commercial loans and for western and southern needs.
 The failures in two weeks of September show liabilities of only $2, S67 764, of which $e69, TIC were of manufacturing and $1 ,7y6,- GAS of trading concerns. Failures during the week have been 212 In the United States, against 321 last year, and in Canada forty eight, against forty last year.
 BRADSTREET'S REPORT.
 NEW YORK, Sept. 21.--In their report of trade Bradstreet.s will tomorrow say: The condition of general trade this week Is an improvement over one week ago, in that
 
 maintained. The esurprisingly good reports of business south, and with some excep- tions west, are indicated by our special ad- vices from Baltimore, Nashville, Chicago, St. Louis, Portland, Ore., and San Fran cisco. Baltimore jobbers in all leadipg lines report the volume of merchandise dis tributed in excess of expectation, and es- pecially dry goods in South Carolina, ex- cept in fruit and coal regions. Other southern products being in good supply, kf RS Sl- lections are easy. Nashville, while re- porting no improvement over favorable features made last week, notes their con- tinuance, and that collections are prompt.
 One sale is reported of 1000 tons of southern pig iron this week. The activity reported in almost all lines at Chicago a week ago is continued, merchants being satisfied with the volume. Far western buyers, who used to buy in eastern mar kets, are purchasing stocks at Chicago.
 Greatest activity is shown in dry goods, clothing,. millinery and shoes. Wool is active. St. Louis manufacturers and job. bers of clothing and hats reported business heavier than in their preceding experience in like products. Sales of millinery and dry goods are large, as we'll as those of lumber.
 Charleston telegraphs that general trade is fair, without new features; Chattanooga reports some slight improvement in busi- ness Memphis that business Is quite active, especially in dry goods and grocer ies; Atlanta that collections are freer and trade is improving; Savannah that the volume of business continues to improve, and that extraordinarily heavy dealings in spirits of turpentine have taken place.
 Dry goods jobbers at Augusta have been doing larger business than for some time previous, while at Jacksonville local trade has been cut into by heavy rains. Only fair volume of business is reported from Birmingham, and at New Orleans there has been very little change. Galveston re- ports that sales of dry goods will continue smaller until the middle of October, when new orders will be received.
 Texas cotton is beginning to move, which helps business and collections.