St. Paul daily globe., 1894-06-30
No ACTUAL IMPROVEMENT,
BUT MERCHANTS ARE FEELING BET
TER OVER the PROSPECTS.
THE BIG RAILWAY STRIKE

Threatens Disastrous Effect on
Business Much PerishaDle
Freight Will He Lost New
England Mill Owners Talk of
Shutting DoWn->ix Thousand
Five Hundred Business fail.
ures in Last Six Months.
New YORK, June 29-Bradstreet's
will tomorrow say: While there is 10
actual improvement iii business
throughout the country, there are more
favorable prospects and better feeling
among merchants. with an increased
number of instances where trade has
been stimulated. The ending of the
great Ditumnous coal strike is promptly
followed by sympathetic strike of
railway employees, which threatens dis
aStrous effect on business by reason OF
interference with distribution and
travel. Losses on perishable freight in
transit are already reported. Other
unfavorable features include con-
ference of Rhode Island cotton mill
owners as to the advisability
OF shutting down, owing to accumulation
of stocks and heavy arrivals Of wool ct
Eastern markets, where stocks are al
ready large; DELAY in settling the coke
strike. which prevents many industrial
establishments from starting up; an
extremely restricted volume of busi-
ness among wholesale dealers i'll cloth
ing at Baltimore, 43 per cent of what 1t
was in the first half of last year; de-
layed orders from counry merchants in
Georgia and South Carolina, where crop
damage has been threatened and
sharp restriction in the volume of gen.
eral trade at Chicago, where the rail-
way
STRIKE CENTERS.
At New Orleans trade in aN lines is
smaller. AT Nashville and at Blrming--
ham, Ala, it is dull and without sign
of an improvement. which is also true
at Portland. New England WOODEN
mills at work on dress goods aud mems
wear report a moderate revival in
orders and shoe shipments from East
ern factories hold up well, while Boston
banks report increased demand for
loans and Providence jewelers. fair
orders for autumn delivery. ~.
There is more activity in nearly all
lines of business at Augusta and the
demand for cottons is heavier. Con.
tinued improvement is reported from
Galveston. where cotton is easier.
Exports OF wheat flour, included from
both coasts. equal l.7l7.oO0 bu. against
1922, 900 bu last week; 3,9T1. 900 bu in
thu las uoaE nf Inns, 1Stl3 016 O00 I'm
in that week of 1892. and 2.221 ,UUO bu in
l 81.
The total number of actual bus ness
failures in the United States in the past
six months failures in which assets are
less than liabilities) is 6,52S, whicl is
more than In any piecedlng similar
period, all Increase of 4.6 per cent cOm-
pared with the first half of 1898, and %
Yer cent more than in six months of
1892
The tendency in the number of fail
ureS To decrease is shown by the fact
that while at the end of The first quarter
OF the current year the increase over
the like period last year was 800 fail
ures, the Increase this year over last at
the end of half year is only 2S9 fail
ures. Total liabilities Of falling traders
for the six months are SS2, ,555. 600 assets,
being 81 per cent of that total. These
aggregates are each less than one half
Of what they were for six months in
1898. and smaller than in six months of
1891 as we'll. Pennsylvania and Cali
fornia show striking increases in num-
bers of failures rnd Illinois and Kansas
noteworthy decreases. Trade in the
province of Ontario has been quiet
owing to the election Tuesday. There
Is no feature in the trade situation in
NOVl9 SnOt1a hpVnn6 fa aVnroh hla
crop prospects. Demand in staple lines
in Quebec continue moderate. Exports
are restricted and buyers generally
filling immediate wants only.
There are 957 business failures in the
Dominion of Canada and New Found.
land reported since Jan. l, against sS7
in like portion of 1893.