Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-03-05
STORMY WEATHER.
It Checks the Courss Of Bus:ness In the
South.

1t Checks the Courss Of Business In the
South.
NEW YORK, March 5-Bradstrcet's g savs.
Storms and cold weather south and south.
west have checked the course of business,
this week, while west and northwest
brighter weather has had an opposite ef-
feet. No better illustration of the neces-
sarily halting and irregular movement of
the volume Of business Mt the beginning
Of the improvement may be found than
the record Of the week with its decreased
volume of trade and renewed unfavorable
| reports from the south and the Pacific
coast in contrast with the more cheerful
| tone and increased sales mt important cit
les in the Ohio and Mississippi river val
leys and in the northwest.
The Industrial situation.
Thus. while advices from Providence.
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati.
Nashville, Birmingham, Galveston. and
San Francisco are less inclined than in
Late weeks to regard the situation hope
fully. those from Buffalo, Indianapolis.
Louisville. Memphis. Mobile. Chicago, St.
Louis, Kansas City, Omaha. Milwaukee,
St Paul and Duluth all report evidence of
distinct improvement. The general indus
trial situation is both better and worse.
There are thirty assumptions Of factories
reported, contrastcd with two shut
downs; wages have been reduced
at thirteen establishments and fifteen
strikes are announced. The latter is a feat
urc. noticcably Mt Paterson, n. j., where
1900 silk weavers have struck for higher
wages at a time when thousands are still
| receiving aid from the citizens relief com.
mittee. The general tendency of prices
/ continues downward, the leading staples
| showing an advance being in coffee X of n
| cent aud cattle and hogs 10 CENTS per 100
! weight. Some varieties of leather have
sold lower; coal is Off - cents n ton in New
| England; wheat is down * of a cent, corn
= of n cent. oats 1 of a cent, cotton x of
n cent, pork - cents a barrel, and lard x
OF cent q pound.
Comparison of Prices.
As compared with prices one year ago
those for print cloths and lard are 20 per
cent. lower at this time; steel bille:s and
pork, 80 per cent. lower; -four. wheat and
corn, 20 per cent. lower; while decreases
within a year in prices Of wool are - per
cent. iron 10 per cent, cotton II per cent,
sugar per cent, and coffee per cent.
Quotations for oats and for chess are
practically unchanged compared with one
4 year ago, while those for butter and pc
l1-oleum are higher. Exports Of wheat
Rom the United States and Canada, both
COASTS (iour includedl, equal 1872 ,Ooo
bushels, against 1,s3o,D0 bushels
last week, s5l 600 bushels in the
week year - anda4 ,9Cs.0o0 bushels in
the week twoyents ago. The cxtraordin-
ary increase Of ,a52 900 bu5hels os wheat
in stock 10oGe for andin Europe last
week VS. dussoo increases in quantity
a!loat fo6 t4e United Kingdom and in
stocks Mt O1assa and in France Total
stocks OF whe0t here, in Canada and nfioat
for and in Europe increased lS9,0a0 bush
els last month, comparing with an increase
OF O., COO bushels in February last year, but
contrasting with n decrease of 9,693OlN
bushels in February, 1852, and heavy T.
creases ia that month in three proceeding
years.
At the Trade Ccntcrs.
. At Chicago the volume os.dry goods sales
is larger There are moe buyers there
and increased demand is reflected in sales
of cotton dress goods. shoes, rubbers,
clothing and leather. AT st. Louis like
influences have stimulated the distribution
of dry goods, hats and clothing, while
Kansas City and Omaha jobbers make
corresponding reports. the demand 70:
, light hardware and agricultural imple
|. menis being specified at these points. Mod.
crate gnins are announced from Milwau
kec and Duluth; St Paul jobbcrs report the
. most cheerful business week for months
|, with more country buyers present and
larger volume of sales of dry goods, hats
, millinery, and hardware. More activity
is noted among dealers in staples Gt Min
!. ncapolis. but san Francisco advices ar.
that trade is dull in fruit, quicksilver and
wine, owing to tie uncertainty of tariff.
changes. At Toronto Wholesale trade j.
fair, the feature being millinery opening.
largely attended by retail dealers through
out the province. At Montreal the dry
goods trade has been of moderate proper
tions and there also millinery jobber!
have had spring openings.
. Better Feeling in Finance.
: Bradstreet's financial review says: No
only have quotations tended higher durin:
the present week. but the market rs
whole has brcadened. II cannot be said
that the latter change involves n decided
increase of interest on the part Of the pub
D lie, or that European precipitation has rs
sumed any real proportions. Commission
houses have been somewhat more ac
tive The essential difference bctweei
. the condition of speculation during
.hc last few days and the market as il
was for some weeks before is that tn,
trading, instead of being confined to n few
stocks in which manipulatiye influences
are supreme, has extended to securities il
different parts of the list and that railroad
shares in particular have been rescued from
| the neglect to which they have been sub