The Portland daily press., 1894-11-10
MORE CONFIDENCE.
Bradstreets Report Shows BUSINESS
improving.
AS A RESULT UF THE ELEC-
TIONS THIS WEEK,

Merchants Now Feel Confident to Order
is Looking Up-Prices on Staple Lines
Are Looking Up With the Exception of
Cotton-Southern Railroads Made a
Good Showing.
New York. November 9.-Bradstreets will
say tomorrow: Interest in the elections this
week has naturally tended to restrict the
volume of trade. partiularly in tho South,
where it interfeIed with mercantile c0llec-
tions. Within few days the influence of
more seasonable weather in the West and
Northwest, together with the emphasis with
which political questions apparently av
been settled, increased the confidence of
many merchants and manufacturers in the
prospect for an increased rate of improve
ment in the general trade in the near
future.
Chicago and st. Louis manufacturers and
business men already report evidences of a
tendency on the part of interior buyers to
purchase for future delivery and from such
iron centres as Philadelphia, Pittsburg and
Chicago. relatively greater steadiness is re-
ported in quotations for staple brands of
iron and steel. than for months past. There
is an increased shipment of anthiac tie coal,
both by lake and rail within the week, and
a stimulated demand for shoes. hats and
clothing. Foreign competition with domestic
plain woolen dress goods is noticeable, and
free orders having been placed for delivery
after January l. American fleece woods feel
the effects of competition with Australian,
though quotations are easy. Print cloth
stocks are reduced in volume and prices are
steady. The Domestic wooen mills are
fairly well employed.
RAILROAD EARNINGS.
Returns of the gross earnings of 107 rail-
roads for October, show an average decrease
Of 81 per cent. compared with October. 1898,
while September showed a decrease of 5. per
cent from that month of 1898. The Granger,
Central Western and Trunk line roadssshow
comparatively large decreases in compari-
son with the Worlds Fair traffic year ago,
and the Southern loads, with gain of 10
per cent. again make the best showing. The
southwestern and Pacific groups show
favorable comparisons with last year. In
the ten months ending October 81, 1894, los
roads, with a mileage OF 90,152 miles, show
decreases equivalent to 12.2 per cent
against the results for the same period of
1898.
While prices for iron and steel shapes, for
bessener pig and steel billets are practical
lysssteady, there is another net advance tbi-
week in nrices for wheat and lard cotf.
and snpar.advanced fractionnllv alsol s,,,,
there has been further recession in o,no..-
inns for corn and oats feneral com
mercial conditions at the South continue to
struggle with another decline of Is cents
on cotton.
RAINY cIE.R1NcS
bahk clearinss Oh 70 eitlea tlhroughou' the
Onlted slates tils week. amount 20 ooo'ooo'-
oo'' OF 20 per cent more tnan IN the previous
week' anu per oent more than IN the urs6
| week ol NoVeniner u 800, put only ~ per
cent smaiier tnah IN the corresponding
week Two years ago. a favorable lnaloatlon
Is founa IN tne previous weeks. Exports OF
coasts of the United States and Canada
aggregate 2,6ss'oOo bushels this week against
Z. W Ns0l "a