The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-13
PRICES CLIMBING SKY HIGH.
CATTLE. DRESSED BEEF AND Pc
TROLEUM ON A BOOM.

Live Cattle sI.GO Higher Per 100
Pounds Than Last Year-A short
age Of 30 Per Cent. in the SuppIy
AIeged-PetrOIeun 90 Cents Per
Barrel Higher Than on Jan. a.
strikes the Most TnfavOrabIe Fea-
ture OF the Situation
New York. April I2-Bradstreets to-
morrow viii say. The feature in trade
circles is found in the prices movement,
more particularly those FOR cattle, dressed
beef and petroleum. Drought, low prices
and hard times within two years have
resulted in a short supply of cattle, pros
pectively 30 per cent. less than last year.
Live cattle are S1.61 higher per 101 pounds
than last year. and 81 higher tnan the
lowest point this year. Dressed beef IS
2ls cents higher than the average last
year, the highest since 1Ss5. The compare
tive scarcity Of high grade cattle is en-
phasized by the fact that present quota
tions, when made in previous periods
OF scarcity. have never failed TO bring
3 supply when one existed
petroleum sold to Sl57is on Thurs
day. g. cents higher than on Jan. ]. and
IS cents higher than a year ago. which
is more than three times the lowest price
1873 Reduced production and increased
consumption indicate that the former has
been overtaken, which, with reduced
stocks, produces excitement In the mar
ket.
Among the more important southern
cities reporting actual gains in the move
ment Of merchandise are Atlanta. Au-
gusta, Savannah and Galveston, but the
Improvement there is slight. The outlook
is regarded more cheerfully at New Or
leans, where sugar bounty disbursements
are expected soon. but at Jacksonville
and Birmingham general trade is quiet
and in some lines slow.
"NashvliIe and Memphis retain the inn
provement previously recorded. Improved I
weather helps trade at Charleston. At
Chattanooga dry goods and hardware are
relatively most active
r. G. Dun & Co.'S weekly review of
trade tomorrow will say. Progress to- ]
ward better business continues. bit 1t
IS slow and meets many obstacles. In |
speculative aspects, and in the wholesale 1
demand for goods, the week shows inn !
proVement. The money markets are UNI /
disturbed and a little more active.
Among the chief obstacles is the an
Xiety of operatives to secure better wages /
even while many manufacturing works !
are running without profit and others |
at the risk of loss. In number Of estab- /
lishments better wages have been con-
ceded thus increasing the purchasing I
power of the people, but strikes have /
of Importance having thrown about 1900 /
workers out of employment this week. /
Retail trade has improved on the whole 1
since March, as the approach OF Easter |
brings more business. but the distribution |
10 individual consumers still lags behind /
the purchases Of 1Obbers, and such de-
mand for products as springs from build
ing and other investments looking into
the future.
Crop prospects will greatly affect the
course ST trade for some months and the
government report has little influence 10
discourage. For consumers the worst
feature Is the rapid advance in meats.
hor the first time in a long period
the prices of commodities average a shade |
higher than year ago, and in Great
slight advance occurred in March. On
both sides of the ocean the lowest level
ever known may naturally be followed by
some rise.
Domestic trade, as shown by payments
larger than last year, but 20.2 per cent
smaller than in 1898. About this time
two years ago retail business began to
drop on and mills to close but half of l.
the difference in the volume of business
is due to the fall in prices.
''The last week for exports was especial
~ good, showing an increase of IS per
cent, but March returns for the principal
products show a decrease of IS 253 4Sl. or
1.5 per cent, against an increase of 10 |
per cent. in imports at New York
The shoe manufacture continues to |
lead all the great industries with the
shipments over 70 per cent larger in a
number of cases than year ago, though
not in value, while orders have been more
liberal at advanced prices.
SALES of wool are particularly interest !
ing, amounting for the week to 5000 90
pounds, and for five weeks previous to
2o,b2l, zoo against 2o,2N,676 in the same
I'm brief. sales are too close to the guam
tity required for a full consumption and
long delay In placing orders and the late
ness of the season make the proportion of
mills at work larger than usual No
Improvement in prices appears, and domes-
tic wool does not respond to recent ad-
vances in foreign markets. The low
price encourages manufacturers 10 com
pete much more vigorously with foreign
goods, Of many kinds than they had ex-
pected, and for the medium and cheaper
grades of goods to have more than the
usual demand, because the purchases of /
consumers have for two years been COM
paratively small. The better goods fare
not so well. foreign competition being
more effective, but there is a good demand /
for dress goods In cottons continued |
strength appears, with further occasional /
advances of a quarter and an eigth in /
print cloths. and the aggregate is fair.
Many agents are sold well ahead
Money is easier, and supplies are again /
coming from the interior. while foreign /
exchange has been at the exporting point /
More commercial paper is now Offering /
principally in dry goods, though the /
amount IS not large.
THE failures for the first four DAYS Of |
April showed liabilities of Sl.lSS 52S of |
Which S4i5,S40 were of manufacturing and I
&42, $50 of trading concerns. The failures |
for the week were 207 in the United States |
against 21S last year and 27 in Canada
against 81 last year"