Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-12
BUSINESS.

NEW YORK, Jan. 11.-In their report of the state of trade tomorrow Bradstreet's will say: The second week of the new year brings reports of an increasing volume of orders of substantial goods. Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, New York and Philadel- phia report relatively the greatest improve ment, with increased orders for dry goods, clothing, rubbers, shoes, hardware and woolen dress goods.
 At some centers it is too early to judge of the outlook of the trade. Travellers in many instances have not all gone out. Western furniture manufacturers are stock inge which has had an influence upon the hard work of western dealers. Iron and steel dealers expect increased orders by February 1. Production of iron and steel is going on in excess of demand, but man. ufacturers expect that necessary repairs, renewals and additions to plants by rail- road companies, car manufactures and other industrials will have a stimulating effect in the future.
 Mercantile collections south and in the west were reported fairly satisfactorily or improving. Confidence of wholesale dealers in staple lines that the fu- ture promises increased activity, with an upward tendency in quotations, is pro- nounced at some citie5-Pittsburg, Phll- adelphia and Boston in the east, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Chattanooga, and Galveston in the south and Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha and St. Louis in the west. Each of these, except Cleveland, reports mod crately improved condition of business this week, as does Milwaukee. At other points general trade is quiet, unchanged and without feature.
 DUN'S WEEKLY REPORT.
 NEW YORK, Jan. 11.-R. G. Dun x Go. 8 weekly review of trade will say tomorrow: Neither the beginning of the new year nor a nf any material change to business as yet. The idea that business would suddenly take a new start after the holidays had rather less foundation even than usual, but the hope of a strong revival a little later is still cherished by many. The cur rency bill, with it's possibilities of vicious amendments, was source of apprehen- sion to some, but with this out Of the way the deficiency of the treasury re- cepts remains and exports of gold time for change in the industries, but diff ferences observed since the new year began are not in the direction of higher prices or larger demand. There are more indica- tions than of late that stocks of different kinds of goods have been accommodating in consequence of the past increase in pro- duction. The weekly output of pig iron January 1, reckoning in some furnaces only temporarily out of blast for the holi- days or repairs, was 16S, 414 tons, against lOo, lOz DeCenDer l., SIOWlUB prdCllCaily no change. But stocks of unsold pig in- creased during the month about 20,0C0 tons.
 In any case the industry is doing vastly better than & year ago, when the output was less than 100, ,000 tons, but indications of excess of production over deiuand are found in further weakness of prices. Bes- semer pig sells at $11.S0 at Philadelphia and steel billets at $l6, gray forge at S9. l5 at Pittsburg, wire nails at S2h cents and barbed wire at S1.S5. Other prices are moving as before, about the lowest on record. Low prices at Pittsburg have checked business at the west, and are at- tributed by some to the idea of purchasers that the recent reductions in wages and cost of materials must be followed by still lower prices. But the main fact is that consumption is below expectations.
 There is more money coming in from the interior and the business of the country does not yet afford larger use for it, so that no gain appears in commercial loans. It is most significant fact that money still comes to this center largely during the first two weeks of January. Failures for the first three days of the year were rather large, as is natural, with liabilities of $1,- 622 ,209, of which S266, 1881 were of manu- featuring and 1,347, PIP of trading con- cerns. Failures this week are 420 in the United StateS, against 474 last year, and fifty-four in Canada, against fifty seven last year.