The morning news., 1894-01-06
TRADE SMALLER IN VOLUME
No Let Up in the Uncertainty in the
Commercial World.

There Is Not a Decrease in Sales.
New York, Jan 5.-Bradstreet's to-
morrow will say: General trade through
out the country has become somewhat
less in volume than last week, an indica-
tiOn of its character being found in report
from Chicago that small mail orders CON
stitute the bulk of the wholesale business.
"Stock taking is also feature, but the
return of commercial travellers to the
road is reported from nearly all points.
"Prices for iron and steel are declared
to have been still further shaded at east
ern centers since the beginning of the
year, and while there has been no further
depression in the prices of wool, conces-
sions are to be obtained on offers to
buys
ASSUMPTIONS OF WORK.
assumptions of work in industrial
lines are very numerous, more than twice
as many factories and mills having
started up within the week as have shut
down, but reductions of wages in indus
trial lines continue very numerous in the
establishments which remain work.
THE orders for print oths at eastern
mills amount to only one-third Of the
quantity on the books one year ago and
the weeks sales of wool at Boston are 65
per cent less than in the like week last
year"
''Woolen mills are doing a handto mouth
business on orders, and interest in the
cotton market is centered on receipts,
which have begun to fall off rapidly, al
though still ahead of last year. The low
| cotton crop estimates call for a further
shrinkage of receipts.
Eastern dry goods jobbers are pre-
pairing for the spring movement by order
ing and opening supplies, while agents
have begun to get goods forwarded.
LAST YEARS BANK cLEARINes.
"The bank clearings at, ,ninety-six cities
for 1893 aggregate S54, 1865 100000, falling
off of about 1917 per cent. from 1892,
about 4 per cent. from 1891 and less than
| IL per cent. from the total of 1890.
Business at Baltimore is very dull,
and merchants predict that the January
| volume of business will be smaller than
| last year. Merchandise stocks are very
light.
cat Charleston commercial travellers
! have been going out on the road There
| is more activity in tobacco.
AT Louisville and in Kentucky jeans
| factories are running with full forces and
fair prospects.
Atlanta manufacturers are resuming
work; the demand for factory products
at Augusta remains quiet and collections
are reported improving at Savannah.
"Mobile and New Orleans report hold
ing of cotton for higher prices, notwith-
| standing heavy receipts"
THE CLOUD OF UNCERTAINTY.
r. G. Dun g. Co.'s weekly review of
| trade tomorrow will say: THE cloud Of
uncertainty does not lift as yet. Strong
confidence is expressed in nearly all
markets that trade must improve with
the new year, but it is yet too early TO ex-
! pect an important change, if it is really
on the way. In the main, the con-
ditions continue unaltered But
| the proposal of an income
tax is not calculated to inspire conf
| dence, nor does it encourage hope that
| the uncertainty about the revenue laws
| will be speedily terminated.
Money from the interior still foods
| this market; commercial in activity still
causes the amount of idle funds to swell
! beyond all precedent, and rates are so
| low that speculation might be danger
ously stimulated If a feeling of hopeful
ness prevailed.
WORKING FORCES IN THE INDUSTRIES.
| ''It is questionable whether the work
ing forces in the great industries have in
creased as yet, though about the first of
! the year considerable increase is ex-
| pected. The number of mills starting
and stopping work is about the same.
1.-The sales of wool for the week amount
to 2, ,494, 800 pounds, against 4, 453, 200 for
the corresponding week last year, and
since May l the decrease IS 49.6 per cent.
Prices are somewhat weaker, and few
works report satisfactory orders. Prices
of cotton goods are further reduced to en-
courage purchases.
IN THE SHOE FACTORIES.
''Most of the shoe shops are moderately
employed and the decrease in shipments
for the week is II per cent. against 20 per
cent. for the last seven months of 1898.
"Still lower prices are recorded in iron
and steel, both at Philadelphia and Pitts
burg, without increase in the volume of
business. 1t is believed that the output
of pig, though 40 per cent. less than q
year ago, exceeds the present consump-
tion The volume of business represented
by exchanges outside of New York is Is
per cent less than for the same week last
year.
1.-The results of an inquiry regarding
the extent of toe decrease in various
branches of business during the last half
of 1893 are remarkable Actual sales have
been reported by III houses or compa-
nies, aggregating $2l3, ,409, ,626 this year,
against $304, 400, l03 in the same
months last year, decrease
of 2g7 per cent. in textile manu-
factures, the decrease is Al per cent; over
AS per cent. in all woolens 43 per cent in
silk, and 81 per cent. in cotton manufac-
ture; 29.2 per cent in hosiery, and 256 in
mixed textiles. In dry goods the sales
decreased only 1879 per cent, the
stocks previously held having been
much reduced, and the reported decrease
in the sales of clothing is only 1913 per
cent, but in hardware only 1875 per cent.
in boot and shoe manufactures the de-
crease is 1876 per cent, but in the retail
trade only l1.6 per cent. The decrease in
furniture is 272 per cent in jewelry PAS
per cent, and in sales of hats only 1876
per cent.
THE PEOPLE STILL EATING.
lit is an interesting and encouraging
fact that the sales of groceries are
slightly larger than last year, though a
little less at the east and west, but
greater at the south The fact that in
most branches the decrease appears
smaller at the west than at the east, and
smaller at the south than at the west, is
one of the curious results of this novel in
vestigation.
''The final classified returns of failures
for 1893 are not yet complete, but the re-
ports received for the latter part of De
cember have swelled the aggregate of
commercial liabilities to S39S, ,493, ,46l, of
which Sl67 .545, ,9S5 are of manufacturing
failures, 1923, 7l6,96O of trading failures
and S47, ,230, 516 of other concerns.
For the Dast week. the failures re-
Z rnor.ta1 N va haau S1 in tho TTpfAaI Gto go