Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-21
CONDITION OF TRADE
REPORTS Thereon by the MesSrs. Brad
street and Dun.
IMPROVEMENT CONTINUING.
And This In Spite Of Extensive ''"'"' MI"
the Numerous strikes Present
and Prospective.

the Numerous strikes fresen'
and Prospective.
NEW work.. April 2O-Bradstreets To-
marrow will say: With the eNcepuoi' VI
the prospect for a still further eA'e"s'o"
| Of strikes and other labor dlstu'"''''''
no plainly retarding influence Is mani
,os,,pe, i,ee,f So far as learned. there are
| about twenty-three additional strikes IN
| volving q 900 people. This brings INC
| total number Of those now on strihe' Oh
idle because OF strikes. up to oo'oo'' Inc
| weeks shu;-downs Of important ihuus'r'''
| establishments are more than Offset by re-
sumptions al others. which furnish en-
pIovmcnt TO 5000 operatives, although
seven important establishments announce
reductions Of wages. The widely-hefalue'
announcement that 10000 coal-miners VIII
strike to-day has occasloned uncasnoss
amon, manufacturers at many cehtrai
| and western cities. OWNS 10 the pIvS-
| pcctivc scarcity Of fuel
| The tendency Of the prices or staples
| has been upward In most instances ho'a-
bIy I'm breadstuns ana produce. leather
|
| and lard. while the reverse Is true ~
10 the prices Of hogs. wheat. and sugar,
| cation quotations remaining practically
| unchanged.
| Among southern cities no Improvement
| or change within the week Is report
| from Charleston. Nashville, Atlanta, Biz
| mingham. and Little Rock. at all Of which
| points general business IS quiet. Mobile
| claims that trade IS fair in most lines;
| Memphis specifies groceries and planta-
| ton supplies. ami Chattanooga groceries
| At Savannah naval stores are iirmer
| and Thursday recorded the largest day
| sales OF mrpontine ever reported. Jack
| s0nyile reports a heavy strawberry crop
| and prospects for a good summer trade in
| that State. There is an improved demand
| for groceries and produce at New Orleans.
| The jobhiag trade nj Nashville is good.
| while dividends have been declared by
| two cotton factories.
| Il. g. Dun * co.'s weekly review Of
trade tomorrow will say: The extensive
storm checked the Improvement only for
| i time and the numerous strikes have
not yet arrested il. The distribution Of
products T. consumers SEEMS larger, FOR
more people are earning and. therefore
more are able 10 buy. jut it is less clear
that III" increase Of working force con-
tnues or thdt orders for products will
further expand. The Improvement thus
far REALIZED is based ON actual increase
ia orders for consumption. but part OF
this was 10 cover helated demands for the
spring season. \ considerable portion OF
the Industrial force is still unemployed,
and with wages much lower than a year
ago consumption is not as large. Pay
ments through all clearinghouse for the
week are 21.2 per cent less than last year
29.G at New York and 20 els where. New
orders for future distribution are still
materially restricted by uncertainty about
action at Washington and about the eX-
tent and outcome Of the labor difficulties.
The strike Of the coke-workers. though
virtually over. affects the output and de-
liv.rics Strikes In the building trades
at many cities restrict employment Of
labor and demand for materials, and
during The past week there have been
numerous strikes IN textile AMI other
mdnuiact turing works, most Of them be |
cause a restoration Of wages to form r
rates IS not yet conceded. Most Of tn |
recovery realized in business has been
made possible by the consent of work -
To- accept lower wages for a time. and If |
they insist on restoration Of wages be |
fore consumption has restored prices.
many works must stop. The great strike |
THREAT ned by hituminous coal miners |
and the strikes OF associated employees |
on some railroads make the future less |
hopeful
out II twenty-nne textile and metal |
working concerns which stopped during |
the past week. about "a third closed be !
cause Of trouble about wages. Otherwise. |
the number -suming work or increasing |
force. which was twenty-five would have
been larger. Enough orders have been |
taken in iron and steel 10 keep employed |
for Il time the works now in operation. [
but this week no definite increase is seen /
New structural work AT the West T. |
limited. and new business at the East |
hcardly makes up for the orders filled |
Rails move slowly. and the completion of 1
orders for wire. nails, rods, and barbed
wire is followed by weakness in prices
The great sales Of Bessemer iron at Pitts
burg have been at such low prices-about
100eD tons going ut a little over $40, with |
part below $lO-as to suggest that the
expected demand FOR this material has
not been realized.
In few grades Of woollen
goods lower prices arr quoted.
and in none an advance. al
though strikes for higher wages are not
infrcquent. The attempt TO advance print
cloths has ben followed by a slight de-
cline. and while the cotton business has |
not materially changed in dimension. the |
tone is rather less confident.
Cotton has changed scarcely a fraction, |
though the receipts from the plantation |
have been larger and the exports smaller |
this week than a year ago. and cotton |
men consider the stories Of decreased |
acreage entitled to little confidence. Spin |
ners are not taking largely. and the sup
ply Of cotton j. enough for the worlds
maximum production.
1t il expected that $4,000 in gold will
go abroad Saturday. lowing to British |
Investments in the Paris loan" which Is |
another way OF saying that there is q
withdrawal Of foreign capital from this |
country. The exports i'm March showed a |
moderate increase. with a great decrease |
In imports. and in April thus far the eN-
ports from New York have been about |
10 per cent. larger than last year. and |
the imports about 30 per cent. smaller |
Commercial loans do not increase and |
the rate for the best paper drops to ~
the lowest on record.
The failures OF the past week have |
been somewhat more important than |
usual. but were only 2l9 in the United |
States against ls6 last year. and Is in |
Canada. against - last year. For the
first half Of April the liabilities reported |
have been $i,l6S. ilG. Of which $2,0S2,jJ0 |
were OF manufacturing, and Sl,Ci,257 Of